- benefits of digitally sign document
- are e-signatures secure?
- e-signature vs. digital signature
- faqs
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Benefits of choosing to digitally sign a document
Convenient
Skip the need to sign, scan, and mail documents. Electronic signatures enable you to sign documents from anywhere using any device with internet access.
Cost-effective
Adopting electronic signatures dramatically reduces the cost involved in handling, processing, and storing paperwork. Eliminate the expenses and labor associated with the printing, scanning, and sorting of paper documents.
Legally admissible
In all major jurisdictions, electronic signatures are as legally valid and binding as handwritten signatures. Verification of signer identity using various methods—several of which are offered within Zoho Sign—can provide greater confidence in ensuring the validity of agreements.
Are e-signatures secure?
When electronic signatures are implemented with secure e-signature software solutions like Zoho Sign, you can enjoy built-in security features such as encryption, multi-factor authentication, audit trails, and extensive user controls to maintain the integrity and authenticity of signed documents.
Are electronic signatures legal?
Electronic signatures have been used as a legally valid method for signing documents since the early 2000s. When an e-signature is combined with tamper-proof audit trails, strong authentication, and military-grade encryption, it provides stronger, court-admissible evidence when compared with wet signatures or a scanned image of a signature on a PDF. When implemented using a digital signature provider like Zoho Sign, e-signatures are more secure and thus less susceptible to forgery.
Looking for a more secure type of e-signature?
Digital signatures are considered one of the most secure types of e-signatures, and they are widely accepted around the world. In digital signing solutions like Zoho Sign, cryptographic technology known as public key infrastructure (PKI) is used to identify signers.
| ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE | DIGITAL SIGNATURE |
|---|---|
| Adding images of hand-drawn signatures or names of signers in stylised font to documents. | Attaching the identity of signers to documents by appending a digital signature certificate for authenticity and to make it tamper-proof, in addition to inserting images of hand-drawn signatures or names of signers in stylised font. |
| May or may not authenticate signers at the time of signing, making it difficult to establish signer identity and prevent repudiation. | Captures signer identity at the time of signing and cryptographically adds it to documents for easy verification via common document or PDF reader applications. Serves as a strong measure of non-repudiation. |
| Offers lesser document security, as it's difficult to determine its validity even after signing. | Offers robust document security, as changes made to the document content or properties after signing render it invalid. |
| May be legally accepted, subject to local laws. | Widely accepted across the world and is legally compliant with all major and regional digital signature laws. Digitally signed documents can be produced in court as legally binding paperwork, subject to local laws. |
| Cannot always be equated to a digital signature. | A type of electronic signature offering enhanced security and verification measures. |
Zoho Sign is compliant with regional and international laws around the world like PIPEDA in Canada, the ESIGN Act in the US, eIDAS in Europe, ECTA in South Africa, ITA 2000 in India, and the ETA in Australia.
Tens of thousands of businesses trust Zoho Sign for legal compliance
With additional benefits including
- 80% faster document turnaround time
- $30 saved per envelope
- 50+ hours saved per employee each year
Legal and secure data processing
Zoho Sign helps you comply with industry regulations such as GDPR and GMP Annex 11 in the European Union, and CCPA, HIPAA, and Title 21 CFR part 11 in the United States. Read our legality guide.
Military-grade encryption standards
All data within Zoho Sign is encrypted at rest using military-grade AES-256 standards. When you operate the app and use it to sign documents over the web, we use TLS/SSL encryption standards to securely deliver the data on your browser or app. Read more about our strong security and privacy practices on our website.
Identity verification and trust service providers
Zoho Sign has partnered with certified digital identity and trust service providers like Singpass, TrustFactory, and Aadhar eSign, to provide an additional layer of security and identity verification methods.
Frequently asked questions
Is digital signing legal?
The short answer is yes. E-signatures, when implemented using a digital signature provider like Zoho Sign, are secure, widely recognized, and as legally valid and binding as handwritten signatures. To know more about e-signature legality in your region or country, visit our legality guide.
What are the benefits of adopting e-signatures?
E-signing has a wide range of benefits, regardless of the sector or industry, as it consumes fewer resources. Using Zoho Sign and e-signatures helps companies scale up, increase their opportunities for collaboration, earn higher profits, and achieve greater efficiency.
Does Zoho Sign offer a free trial?
Yes, we do! We offer a 14-day free enterprise trial that can get you started with e-signing right away.
Does Zoho Sign offer a free plan?
Yes, Zoho Sign offers a free plan you can use to send up to five documents per month. Learn more about our plans and features on our pricing page.
Does Zoho Sign have a data center in my country?
Zoho has data centers all over the world. Browse the locations we service and the associated data center.