Opti-Sign

DESCRIPTION

 Legally Binding E-Signatures Made Easy, Anytime, Anywhere ….. On ANY Device

eSignature accelerates agreements, eliminates manual tasks, and makes it easy to connect with the tools and systems you’re already using.

Get Business done faster

• Send and sign from virtually any device. Agreements can be signed within minutes, accelerate turnaround time and reduce risk

Increase Efficiency

• Speed up business processes, eliminates manual task e.g. print document, distribute for signature, follow up on signature, document returned, scanned and mailed, manual document filling for record keeping.

Save Money

• Eliminate the need for manual intervention
• Eliminate the need to print and scan
• Paper usage down 90%, eliminate the need to store hard copy

Reduce risk and improve governance

Ease of use

• SigningHub is easy to use and, along with its clean user interface, the platform has proven immensely popular.
• User-friendly features to fit the needs of your business, including:
• supports many different document formats which are converted to a long-term PDF/A format during the upload process
• bulk signing of multiple files
• serial, parallel and individual workflow
• delegation/decline workflows
• manual and automated reminders
•  templates
• enterprise and role management
• rebranding options to fit your corporate identity

Trusted security

• Any changes made after the document is signed are detected immediately and transparency is guaranteed, meaning you’ll always know whose signature is recorded. Multiple parties can sign one document as part of a workflow process.

Maintain lawfulness and court admissibly

• Audit trial

Automated archiving of signed document

Go green

•  Because signing is virtual, SigningHub offers an environmentally friendly alternative.

SIGNING SOLUTIONS

HOW SIGNINGHUB WORKS

SigningHub is a cloud-based solution that allows secure distribution of documents for online signing.

SigningHub is a comprehensive digital signature solution that can quickly optimise the way organisations deliver, review, approve and sign their business documents. Document signing workflow can be initiated by users or business applications. 

Users may interact directly with the SigningHub web interface or the whole signing functionality can be embedded in your own web application or portal. Each option is explained below.

WHAT ARE ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES

WHY SIGN ELECTRONICALLY?

The ability to apply a legally defensible digital signature that can withstand legal scrutiny creates a positive customer experience and efficiencies that will strategically improve competitiveness.

• Increase business process efficiency and signing turn-around time
• Cut costs associated with expensive paper-based processes
• Ensure the digital identities of your transacting parties are verified securely
• Ensure that the signed documents are cryptographically locked against unauthorised change
• Increase customer convenience
• Ensure legal certainty
• Create certainty of retention, retrieval and reliability

WHAT DOES AN ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE CONSIST OF?

Electronic signatures applied within SigningHub are created using a two-tiered approach, making it easy to see if a document is authentic and an original after it has been signed.

Graphically shown in the diagram below, the blue layer represents the e-signature, which includes the user’s hand-signature mark, as well as your company’s logo if you wish to include this. In the background, as represented by the green layer, a cryptographic digital signature exists. Cryptographic digital signatures are created using a unique set of signing keys and form a tamperproof seal around the document, providing assurance that the document is authentic.

Applications such as Adobe Reader, which is freely available, can validate a digital signature and clearly display the success or failure of the validation.

TYPES OF ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES

BASIC ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES

These signatures involve signers applying their hand-signature mark on a document and this then being protected with a cryptographic digital signature. With a basic e-signature, the crypto digital signature is created using a server-held signing key, e.g. one belonging to the service provider; hence, we refer to this as a “witness” digital signature. In SigningHub, this witness digital signature is applied every time an e-signature mark is applied by the user and cryptographically binds this mark to the document and protects the document from any subsequent changes, thereby ensuring data integrity. This is a long-term signature that includes a trusted timestamp.

ADVANCED ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES

Optipex use LAWTRUST as the Certification Authority for Advanced Electronic Signatures. LAWtrust was the first accredited authentication service provider in South Africa, and remains the only private company accredited under the requirements of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act of 2002 to provide advanced electronic signature (AeSign) solutions.

Because these digital signatures have the same authenticity as a handwritten signature, they can be relied on implicitly in nearly all transactions, such as approvals, contracts and certifying copies of original documents.

Advanced Electronic signatures will:

• Identify the signatory
• Legally be identified as an advanced electronic signature
• Detect any subsequent alterations or corruption of the signed data message in the document
• Make use of a three-factor or equivalent signing mechanism to ensure the highest reliability of the signature

SIGNINGHUB MOBILE APP

PREPARE, SEND, SIGN, TRACK FROM ANYWHERE!

DASHBOARD

Quickly and easily access documents awaiting your signature, and track the status of documents you sent others to sign.

PREPARE & SHARE

Upload documents, add signers, define workflow and permissions, assign form fields, initial fields and signature fields to recipients.

SIGN

Draw, type or use a scanned signature image. Approve using your fingerprint and behind the scenes, an advanced or qualified long-term digital signature is created immediately.

VERIFY

Just tap on a signature to immediately see advanced verification results

The legality of e-Signing

Electronic signatures in South Africa are approved under The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECTA) instituted in 2002. The South African law adheres to the EU Directive on electronic signatures. Any company operating in the South African market can use eSignatures as a signing method, and they are treated equally as handwritten signatures. Still, there are some critical
restrictions determined by the South African law system.

E-Signing regulations in the UK are set out in the Electronic Communications Act 2000. In the USA it is governed by the ESIGN Act 2000. In the European Union e-Signing is governed by EU regulation number 910/2014, commonly known as EU eIDAS.

The Electronic signatures law in South Africa specifies the AES (Advanced Electronic Signature) as a type of signature required in the following cases and documents:

• A suretyship (General Amendment Act, 1956)
• Signing as a Commissioner of Oaths (Justices of the Peace and Commissioners of Oath Act, 1963)

Which documents can’t be signed with an electronic signature?

The South African ECTA outlines the cases when documents can’t be verified with an electronic signature. They are:

• Contracts for transfer or sale of immovable property (sectional titles and mortgage bonds)
• Wills and codicils
• Bills of exchange
• Deeds and long-term leases for a period of more than 20 years
• The license of intellectual property, employee invention agreements, and IP transfers
• All mentioned documents above should be signed by hand with a physical wet signature.