With hybrid working and a greater move to digitalisation, secure document signing software along with the means to securely transfer it via the cloud has become more important for businesses and resellers play a crucial role to ensure they get the best solutions.
Data breaches are an ever-present threat to businesses of all sizes in the UK today. With the growing adoption of cloud-based services – fuelled by the growth in hybrid working and resultant boom in the number of documents that are signed and transferred via the cloud – the threat points are increasing.
SoSafe’s Human Risk Review 2023 found that one in two businesses experienced a successful cyberattack in the past three years, and that 82% of businesses don’t expect the situation to improve in the next year.
IT, finance and security were identified as the top three departments targeted by cybercriminals in the report. In addition, three in four security professionals cited remote work as one of the biggest factors in increasing their business’ cyber risk.
These departments are often ones that most use the cloud to sign and transfer documents around the business, which means that it is imperative that these are made as secure as possible from any threat. Kurt Rapelje, director of strategic partnerships at Laserfiche, says that secure document signing and transfer are important to every business coordinating externally for customer outcomes. “Creating digital documents is just the first step in digital transformation, and benefits are amplified when digital documents flow through business processes,” he says.
“For those business processes to flow beyond the borders of a business, secure document signing and transfer are needed. Complying with confidentiality rules like GDPR means attaching documents to email is not acceptable – secure technology is required.
“These technologies were a must even before the large-scale shift to hybrid working. What changed was the accelerated digitisation of internal documents and increased automation to the processes involving those documents.
“With more documents born digital internally, there have been more documents ready to be signed or transferred externally. Secure document signing and transfer is increasingly triggered by business process automation platforms instead of manually.”
Michael Field, chief executive and founder of Workflo Solutions, agrees on the importance of secure document signing. “It helps to ensure the validity of legal documents, authenticate signers and prevent tampering,” he says.
“Given the increasing frequency of cyber threats and the importance of protecting sensitive data, organisations must prioritise the security and integrity of their own and their customers’ documents. At Workflo Solutions, we recognise the importance of these technologies and offer strong solutions that emphasise security while simplifying document workflows.”
Range of products
Michael adds that there is now a wide range of products on the market for secure document signing and transfer. “Some notable and widely used solutions include Adobe Sign and DocuSign,” he says. “These are user-friendly and offer secure signatures, seamless collaboration and enhanced document protection.”
These technologies have been adapted to the demands of hybrid working environments, Michael adds. “With a growing number of employees working remotely or in a hybrid setup, these technologies have incorporated features to support collaboration and seamless workflows,” he says.
“For example, Adobe Sign has introduced enhanced mobile capabilities, enabling users to sign and send documents from any device, anywhere. Whereas DocuSign has expanded its integrations with collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams and Slack, allowing teams to work together on documents in real time. These adaptations have enabled businesses to maintain productivity and security while embracing the flexibility of hybrid working models.”
Resellers approach
Secure document signing and document transfer products are something that resellers should be highlighting the benefits of to customers, Michael adds.
“Workflo Solutions strongly advocates for resellers to prioritise the promotion of document signing and secure document transfer technologies to their clients,” he says. “These technologies offer unparalleled benefits, including enhanced security, time and cost savings, collaboration, convenience and seamless integration for businesses. Highlighting features such as audit trails and compliance is crucial in meeting regulatory and compliance requirements, which can ultimately establish clients as trustworthy and professional entities in the digital era.
Kurt adds that resellers should emphasise to customers the advantage of having external participants securely included in their process automation. “Staff can be freed from administrative tracking and handling of documents through processes automation,” he says. “That automation can reach externally with secure document signing and transfer technologies.”
Growing popularity
This is set to be a growth market for some years to come, Kurt adds. “These technologies will grow in popularity with the increased effort to optimise people’s time with process automation,” he says. “Secure document signing and transfer will occur ubiquitously and effortlessly to minimise delays when business processes require external participation.”
Michael agrees: “As businesses continue to move towards digitalisation, remote work and compliance regulations, they are realising the advantages of using efficient, secure and legally recognised solutions for signing and transferring documents,” he says. “Additionally, improvements in user experience, a greater emphasis on data protection and adherence to GDPR guidelines have made these technologies more user-friendly and desirable.”
It means that resellers have plenty of opportunity to sell these products as cyberthreats continue to evolve and grow, meaning that businesses will always have the need for it.