The Covid-19 pandemic changed the way many people view the practicality and utility of digital and electronic signature services. Many of these services were crucial to advancing work-related tasks which required signatures from one or more parties, and the tech and need for this service don’t appear to be going away any time soon. Here are five trends you can expect in the next year in the world of digital signature and its patented technology.
Expansive Technology
At first glance, digital signature technology might seem simple and already maxed out in terms of the great features it has to offer its customers couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, there will be many more features offered by digital signature companies, such as basic and simple electronic signatures, advanced signatures, and qualified signatures.
Qualified signatures are those which associate the signer’s signature to their identity, using a qualified certificate. This qualification enhances data security and provides both customers and the signature services peace of mind. Audit trails may also be coming soon, which allows companies to better organize and track the signatures within their database.
A.I. Will Improve the Experience
Artificial intelligence is an intriguing element of the future that will dip into every facet of life for billions of people around the globe, and it’s no different for those in the digital signatures industry.
Artificial intelligence could potentially transform the landscape by being capable of generating automated systems, which, based on the data input by human hands, contain the correct documentation and signature forms each and every time. A.I. could have the power to configure templates and choose the proper signature method for each type of document that it’s generated, which will provide easy and streamlined signing for all involved.
A Change in Legislation
With any new or evolving technology, there will be changes in lawmaking that add regulations and fail-safes to the industry. Again, this is no different for the digital signing industry. There are a few changes that we could see in the field, but the most notable is the shifting of power of attorney through both traditional and digital means.
The Fed has not been pioneering and trying to breakthrough in their quest to make digitization of signatures totally ubiquitous, and have so far succeeded in their aims. Regulations being discussed in Europe under the name “eIDAS” are also being considered and weighed as the technology progresses and continues to improve.
Verified Identities
Many companies around the globe, including Belgium, have experimented with providing their populace a digital and verified identity that associates themselves with their bank data. This verifiable identity is used to ensure that the signer of digital documents is not committing fraud and can be more easily verified by a number of governmental bodies. Having been issued a verifiable ID also allows users to log into governmental institutions and sign documents more easily and readily with a digital print, one which is qualified.
Increasing Mobile Usage
One of the largest shifts in the use of the internet in the last five years or so, and one which will undoubtedly continue into the next five years and beyond, is the ability and preference of the general population to use their mobile devices for research and search. As people continue to use their phones in increasingly more frequent doses, digital signature companies will have to accommodate this interface and give these users a streamlined and pleasant experience. They’ve also been upgrading password measures to ensure data protection and encryption for those who use their phone as the dominant way of exploring the internet and signing things electronically.
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