Asseco Data Systems provides IT products, services, and solutions based on proprietary and third-party software, services, and ICT infrastructure. Certum, as the Asseco brand and the oldest Certification Centre in Poland, specializes in ensuring the credibility and security of electronic documents and data. Over 23 years of experience supported by specialist knowledge and a team of over 180 specialists allow the company to implement the most complex, technically advanced, and innovative paperless projects.
Elimination of paper documents from the application registration process
The process of obtaining a <a href="https://www.certum.eu/en/simplysign/" style="color: #5ec1b0" target="blank">SimplySign</a> qualified electronic signature certificate and other trust services included a step of hand-signing a printed application with an accompanying agreement. In 2019, a decision was made to eliminate all paper documents and fully digitize the entire process. In this way, Certum has become a user of its own paperless solutions, which it recommends, offers and deploys to its customers.
The new digital process covered the entire Certum partner network and selected key customers. The main challenge was to develop a legitimate substitute for a paper signature. One of the proposals was that the screen of a tablet would replace a piece of paper, and a handwritten signature would be made on it with a stylus. Certum experts analysed the current legislation and came to the conclusion that such a signature, i.e., a graphic mark made and fixed in electronic technology, is quite sufficient to obtain a statement of intent from a future user of a signature or qualified seal.
Based on this, they developed a digital process for issuing a qualified certificate, both the traditional one (using a card and reader) and the cloud-based <a href="https://www.certum.eu/en/simplysign/" style="color: #5ec1b0" target="blank">SimplySign</a>. To bring the idea to life, they needed to select the right technology partners for the project, who would provide complementary software and hardware.
Trilateral technology partnership for paperless
Certum has invited Xtension and Samsung to collaborate on the solution. The former is the developer of signaturiX software, which enables PDF documents to be signed using multiple methods, including biometric with a stylus on the screen of an electronic device. Samsung is a global provider of advanced and secure mobile hardware. The tablets of this manufacturer, thanks to an active screen, record biometric features of the signature and are additionally secured with KNOX software. The signaturiX solution was integrated with Certum's internal system for issuing qualified certificates.
A dedicated, trusted third-party service for securing biometric data is also part of the overall concept. A qualified electronic seal and a qualified electronic time stamp ensure the authenticity and integrity of the signature. This ensures that any change to the signed data will be detected.
In the digital process, a user requesting a qualified certificate hand-signs the request with a stylus on a tablet. The biometric characteristics of the signature, such as pressure and typing speed, are then stored and encrypted directly in the PDF document. Then the application signed by both sides of the process (client and Certum Operator) goes to Certum's domain systems, and after processing, the qualified signature is issued to the user. The result of cooperation between Certum, Xtension, and Samsung has automated and accelerated the process of issuing a qualified electronic signature while maintaining high customer service and security standards. The process is already paperless and completely digitized. The company also gained a new centralized digital customer registration model.
Streamlining and modernizing the issuance of qualified certificates
- A safe paperless process
- Reduction of time required to complete formalities
- Sign the application anywhere, anytime
- Improved UX and CX of the process – intuitive workflow
- Higher employee efficiency
- Lower error rates in applications
- Total reduction of paper handling costs
- Environmental protection
As a company, we are open to technology partnerships that allow us to increase the capabilities of solutions offered together with partners using our products. One such example is the use of mobile devices in the process of biometric signature, where using an active screen, we can capture the biometric features of the signature made in the process. Additionally, to enhance security, the process uses the KNOX platform to ensure that confidential and sensitive data remains secure – anytime, anywhere.
Tomasz Chomicki, <span class="rich-label">Business Development Director at Samsung Electronics Polska</span>
