The world is slowly but surely moving away from its centuries-old obsession with paper. With the very real threat of man-made climate change, it is a welcome sign that the world is moving towards electronic means for recording and communicating information which is reducing the pressure on our forests. In addition to the trees saved, this also reduces the carbon impact of having to physically ship those documents around – usually via the least carbon-efficient modes like airplanes.

With support for signing XML documents in its WYSIWYS solution, Cryptomathic now provides the means to offer the much desired What You See Is What You Sign (WYSIWYS) feature for both PDF documents and XML files. With WYSIWYS, it is possible to demonstrate that signatory’s intent was provided for, with a well-specified UI, thereby strengthening non-repudiation of online transfers or other signature operations. The new feature is now available as part of the latest Cryptomathic Signer product version, released in November 2018.

In a recent article, we looked at how eIDAS can help SMEs grow and prosper. SMEs are undoubtedly the lifeblood of any economy which means that EU initiatives must cater to their specific needs. The previous article looked at how eIDAS can address the security needs of SMEs while reducing their regulatory burden and allowing them to focus on their core competencies.

However, SMEs have a unique set of challenges as well. Today, we look at some of the challenges unique to SMEs and how those challenges may be overcome to ensure that SMEs can benefit from eIDAS enabled tools to the maximum extent possible.

What You See Is What You Sign (WYSIWYS) refers to the part of any signature process, where you read a document you intend to sign, and ensure that you only sign it once you know it is the right document and agree with its terms. When you read something in your web browser, how can you be sure that the text you read is genuine, from the right source, and agree on the content it displays?

In Part 1 of our series, we covered some simple case studies from the financial services sector and the logistics and trade sector. We looked at possible implementations of some eIDAS enabled tools and how companies can get the most mileage out of their investments into those tools. Today, we look at eCommerce – a sector that is no stranger to digital tools – and the professional services sector.

The eIDAS Regulation has been designed with an aim to optimize digital business practices while simultaneously enhancing security for all users. It allows for better cross border operational compatibility and improves the flow of information which makes the modern economy tick. We have discussed many such aspects of eIDAS in previous articles, but in this two-part series we explore some real-world applications through a few case studies. Here we look at how businesses in the finance and logistics sectors can benefit from the various tools that eIDAS provides.

The financial services sector has always been an early adopter of technology. This is not surprising considering the nature of the industry with high volumes, the need to complete transactions as quickly as possible, mountains of data, minimum tolerance for errors and multiple points of failure. A zero-tolerance compliance/regulatory environment, coupled with considerable inertia in the banking system further necessitates the need to use tech tools to their full potential. This reliance on technology by the financial services sector is perhaps why the FinTech start-ups are in so much demand.

Trade is the lifeblood of the global economy. And Trade Finance is what greases the cogs of international trade. The last few decades of globalization have meant that supply chains have become global.

Small and Medium Enterprises form the backbone of any economy. In the European Union, SMEs represent 99% of all businesses and account for an astounding 85% of job growth. Providing the best environment for these SMEs to thrive and prosper thus becomes pivotal for any country. The EU has a tradition of promoting entrepreneurship and leads the pack when it comes to ease of doing business, access to finance, having a strong legal framework, a robust regulatory environment and a variety of other support structures.