If you have at least one client or one transaction with a Virtual Assistant (VA) or any online business, chances are, you might have heard the word, E-sign, Echosign and Digital signature. What are these?

An E-sign is when you type your full name in a legal binding document (agreement or contract) sent through email. Information to the nature of the document and the signature should be stated there prior to the agreement signing.

The most relied upon definition of an electronic signature comes from Echosign’s website itself.

It is “an electronic sound, symbol, or process attached to or logically associated with a record … adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record.”

Picture Source: https://www.echosign.adobe.com/en/home.html

The most popular method for gathering and managing electronic signatures uses people’s email addresses to identify each participant and associate them with a sequence of events that demonstrates intent to sign. EchoSign of course provides such system.

Then, there’s another term that got me confused. Digital Signature. Isn’t this the same as e-sign?

Again, getting Echosigns definition from their Echosign’s website

The term “digital signature” is often confused with “electronic signature”. In fact, a digital signature is one specific implementation of an electronic signature. A digital signature requires a signer to have a certificate-based digital ID, frequently contained in a token, smart card, or other physical device. Digital certificates are the key component of the technology known as Public Key Infrastructure (“PKI”) and are issued from a Certificate Authority (also known as a trusted authority) to be used in the digital signature process providing a high level of authentication, integrity and security with respect to the transaction and the identity of the parties signing.

Because of the infrastructure required to manage PKI technology, digital signatures are most commonly used in large governments and regulated industries for internal or business-to-business workflows. For instance, US Federal government agencies use certificate IDs associated with CAC (Common Access Cards) or PIV (Personal Identification Verification) cards. Similarly, pharmaceutical companies use certificate signatures that comply with the SAFE (Signatures & Authentication For Everyone) BioPharma industry standard.

Picture Source: https://www.echosign.adobe.com/en/home.html

Wow! Did you get that explanation? Seems like there’s so much more in Digital Signature that e-sign!

Good thing is, we don’t have to choose between them since e-sign will do for legal transactions. They have ways to authenticate the signer, like giving passwords to establish signer’s identity, social media and emails. all these are being taken care of by Echosign.

As I browse their website, I’ve seen a few things they can do to help your business legal documents secured and properly filed. Some of the features are:

1. Send and track E-signed documents on the go, (both for signatures and signed)
2. Keeps track of the documents history that you can view at any time and anywhere.
3. Collect legally binding signatures, valid and enforceable in all countries around the world.
4. Store documents to on their secured adobe platform.

Now that you know how to send contracts without having to go through the hassle of actually signing a document, scanning and sending it back to the other party, I’m sure that signing contracts will be as easy as counting 1-2-3…