What Is The Difference Between Electronic Signature And Digital Signature

Documents are of paramount importance to any field of work or expertise. Various documents like contracts, invoices, agreements, loan documents, rental agreements and many other documents are being signed or created on a daily basis.

These documents act as a proof, evidence or an agreement between the clients or the parties. Such document has to be secured and signed properly. The security and privacy matters more as it contains confidential details related to the agreement.

To help you with that, there is something called as digital signatures. You could have heard about it, but won't be familiar with its uses and benefits. This article will explain all you need to know about digital signatures and the advantages related to it.

What is an electronic signature?

You all are used to sign document with the pen and hand. But there is another way of signing, which is by signing using your fingers and that is possible with the use of electronic signatures. So what are these electronic signatures?

The electronic form of your handwritten signatures, that is generated online and stored in the form of data is called electronic signatures. They are exactly the same as the ink signatures, but are created virtually.

The use of these electronic signatures has immense benefits in your workspace and lifestyle as they reduce the time consumption, are cost effective and extremely user friendly. Once you start using these signatures, you can have the best signing experience.

What is a digital signature?

Digital signatures are more like an encrypted form of data with high security levels. The signatures are recorded in the form of coded messages which will contain all the details related to the signers and the documents.

Usually mathematical techniques are used to integrate the software, signature and the document. These digital signatures, hold the same level of legality and authenticity as the handwritten signatures. So you don't have to worry about its acceptance.

Moreover, digital signatures provide tamper sealing to your documents. This sealing offers a high end encryption and security to the documents that you are signing digitally. The signatures are created with special software.

What is the difference between electronic and digital signature?

On hearing about both electronic signature and digital signature, they may sound similar but has various difference that has to be noticed. These difference are what enhances the safety and security of the signatures that are created. Let's look into some of them,

• As far as electronic signatures are concerned, it is the digital form of the handwritten signatures. These digital signatures are a part of the eSignatures, which work and rely on the Public Key Infrastructure(PKI).

• To create an electronic signature, we have to draw it or upload an image to get the its digital form. Digital signature, needn't be created as it is encrypted along with the eSignatures and provides you with advanced security.

• Electronic signatures verifies and gives a unique identity to your document, but it is the digital signatures that is gonna provide you with the safety and privacy measures. Digital signatures are highly tamper sealed.

• Coding or mathematical techniques are not required to generate an eSignature, but all those are involved in a digital signature creation.

• Electronic signatures doesn't provide with much safety, on the other hand digital signatures are of high levels of protection and are secure.

What is a Public Key Infrastructure(PKI)?

To lock or mobile phones, to protect our documents, to secure our accounts all we do is create passwords. Passwords or private keys are the are the security measure to protect any sort of documents or files.

PKI that is the Public Key Infrastructure, is a security to these passwords. Sound weird huh? But that's true because PKI's are some certificates or tokens to assure the security or encryption provided to the signatures or documents.

These certificates are provided by certified authorities or registration authorities which stand as a proof to the security measures taken to protect your document or electronic signatures. On simple words, these are like an ID card to your electronically created documents.

What are the benefits of digital signatures?

• Watermarks: Your digital signatures are water marked with the time date of the creation of the digital document. This time stamping ensures the legal status of the signatures and are used as evidence of action.

• Accepted worldwide: You don't have to worry about the fear of acceptance for these digital signatures. These signatures are recognized globally and you can use this for any international level trading or signing of documents.

• Save time and cost: If you are busy maintaining your business, then it is not fair to waste all your money and time in just signing document. By switching to digital signatures, you can save time and increase your productivity.

• Audit trails: With the implementation of digital signatures, it is extremely easy to track your documents and trace them. Maintain a record regarding the signing and transaction of documents and store it in the cloud storage of the software.

OnlineDocumentSign and digital signatures:

The use of digital signatures are turning out to be a great use to all sector of work. Saves time, highly secure, there is no worry of misplacing documents and the job gets done in the time mentioned. But how will you start using these digital signatures?

OnlineDocumentSign is one such platform that offers the best software to start your digital signing. With highly encrypted digital signatures and lot more features you can experience the best way of creating the signatures online.

I bet you shouldn't delay more. Start your signing with the new OnlineDocumentSign software.