The electronic signature to improve your processes

Spanish companies are moving faster and faster towards a new digital transformation. Although prior to the COVID-19 crisis there were already companies that had electronic signature solutions, their demand has increased significantly since. 

The electronic signature is a vital tool for any type of company to work in a more efficient way. Future trends increasingly guide us to hybrid work models, which require elements of digital trust and an increase in control over the documents generated. 

According to a study carried out by IDG Research Services, Spain has the highest usability of the electronic signature within the European market, where its adoption in that market is around 83%, and as a result of the current situation, trends expect it to reach 90% soon. 

Based on EU Regulation No. 910/2014, the electronic signature can be defined as the "data in electronic format annexed to other electronic data or logically associated with them that the signatory uses to sign". For an SME, the ease of having an electronic form allows you, among other things, to sign documents remotely, whether they are purchase orders, employment contracts or budget documents. 

In the first section of the report, it is detailed what the electronic signature is, its utilities and the different types of electronic signature, where they stand out; 

• Electronic signature, which is the most basic electronic signature type, allowing to identify a signatory through simple security systems such as the username and password. 

• Advanced electronic signature, it is an electronic signature linked in a unique way to the signatory and the data that compose it.  

• Qualified electronic signature, se considered as the legal equivalent of the handwritten signature. 

Additionally, the general electronic signature process is shown regardless of the device (qualified or unqualified) used to carry out it and the steps to follow. Next, we delve into the advanced electronic signature and the requirements that must be met to carry out this type of electronic signature. 

The following section explains the different benefits provided by the electronic signature in the fields where this tool is useful, such as streamlining and eliminating repetitive tasks, dispensing with manual sending of documents, securing agreements and business closings in an agile way and signing instantly and anywhere. The electronic signature is something practical, economical, sustainable and provides security in daily processes. 

In the last section developed, you can see several cases of use of the electronic signature in SMEs, such as the closing of commercial agreements, the favoring of the signature in financial processes, the linking of payments at the time of signing, the improvement of interdepartmental productivity or the optimization of recruitment and personnel management processes. 

In short, the use of a digital signature or electronic signature is considered the most efficient and secure way to sign documents of companies.  If you are an SME that does not have any type of electronic signature, throughout the monograph we tell how you can improve your SME with this simple tool.