Returning customers are one of the main measurements of a business’ success, particularly in the retail sector. Therefore a satisfied customer is the main goal of every business. On the other side, the retail arena is facing high cost related pressures that require more and more automation in the POS area in order to reduce the cost structure.  xyzmo’s solution for the retail industry helps achieving improved customer satisfaction rates whilst ensuring lean processes, by offering simple and secure electronic signature solutions, that solve the challenge of signing electronic documents securely while simultaneously reducing the costs and labor associated with paper-based processes and improving the time required for doing business at the POS.

With the combination of the “slim” and secure SIGNificant Generic POS Connector used at POS in retail outlets and the SIGNificant Server infrastructure used in the datacenters, expensive traditional paper-based processes efficiently transform into full electronic processes. This cutting edge solution is tailor-made for POS systems, characterized with a generic interface supporting any POS system.

Paper-based business transactions are time consuming and expensive as they require slips to be printed twice, one slip to be signed by the customer for archiving purposes and another to be given to the customer. The customer signs the paper slip and the POS system sends the slip’s raw data to the company’s back-office, while the signed paper slip is sent via physical mail to the back office or third parties. At the next stage the signed paper slip is scanned and archived with the raw data or manually archived in a physical archive.

The fully electronic process is done easily and intuitively. It starts with the customer’s handwritten signature on a signature tablet and followed with an option to verify the signature with the SIGNificant Biometric Server. Then a customer copy of the slip can either be printed by the POS system or be sent to the customer via email by the SIGNificant Server. At the next step the SIGNificant POS Connector encrypts the raw data and signature data and transfers them to the back-office. In case a network connection is not available, data is cached locally and retransmitted when online connectivity is achieved again. The SIGNificant Server converts the raw data into signed and sealed PDF slips at the back-office and then sends the PDF and raw data to the archive.

Advancing to a fully electronic process offers companies in the retail arena the benefits of a secure paperless environment. These valuable benefits include elimination of costs associated with paper-based POS (reduction of between 50%-100% in paper slips printing; reduction of 100% physical mails and scans), acceleration of business processes, avoiding lost slips and enabling retailers to perform transactions faster compared to their competitors. Additional benefits include fast and easy integration, thanks to the similarity of this process to the current paper-based process and the generic interface suiting any POS system and any archive at any IT environment. Furthermore, by adopting electronic signatures in the retails industry, companies provide customers with an easier, less time consuming experience and enable the generation of an audit trail necessary for compliance. Finally, last but not least is the significantly improved security aspect, based on automatic data encryption at the POS side and secure identification of customers.

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What would you do if you were requested to provide a scan of your iris or your fingerprint for authentication, when performing a routine business transaction? Most people would avoid providing this kind of data due to its intrusive nature. A more acceptable alternative is the dynamic handwritten signature, which is a reliable indicator of an individual’s identity with a high level of security and authenticity but without the aversive feeling associated with other biometric recognition methods that raise privacy concerns.

Signing a document with wet ink handwritten signature used to be the most common method of authorization for many years. A more advanced use of this traditional method is via electronic signature solutions that were upgraded by the biometric technology like the one offered in the SIGNificant Suite which enables a dynamic handwritten verification. This technology leveraged electronic signatures to more than just an electronic image identical to a person’s wet ink signature, as it records the handwritten signature of a person by parameters of pressure, acceleration, speed and rhythm. These parameters are unique to every individual (similar to one’s finger-print) and cannot be easily reproduced by a forger. Once a signature including all the biometric parameters has been embedded into a document it is turned into a signed and sealed PDF, thus guarantying authenticity.

The dynamic signature verification is part of a wide range of biometric technologies being used for identity verification by means of unique physiological traits or behavioral characteristics that cannot be forgotten, lost or stolen, including fingerprint identification,  face recognition, retina or iris scan. The biometric handwritten signature is differentiated from other methods of identification as in oppose to other biometrics it is based on the commonly used practice of signing with a handwritten signature and in addition it lacks an invasive nature, making it more easily accepted by people in their business and daily transactions.

In addition to the obvious benefits of dynamic signatures, deriving from its cultural acceptance and easy implementation in any organization, dynamic signature verification is one of the most accurate methods as it cannot be copied or duplicated the way fingerprints or other physical biometrics can. Furthermore it is intuitive, rapid, cost effective and involves compact data. These benefits make it a superb solution for document authentication in most business environments and workflows.

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When evaluating electronic signature solutions, companies are confronted with the question whether to use neutral software or software bundled with signature devices which is typically provided by the pad manufacturer itself.

Device independent solutions hold many benefits in comparison to signature solutions which are bounded to a specific device. A device independent solution enables the use of a broad range of signature capturing devices from various manufacturers. As some companies require basic signature pads, while others require more advanced devices, a signature pad independent solution offers the needed flexibility and leads to an improved satisfaction rates due to the fact that each customer integrating this solution can choose the signature pad that most fits its needs.

To make the argument that a signature pad independent solution is beneficial more concrete, let’s examine some examples illustrating its main benefits. This kind of solution enables a mix of tablets for different applications. As each tablet was developed with a specific set of customer requirements in mind, different applications have different needs in terms of tablet size, cost, paper trail or LCD features. In addition, the implementation isn’t bounded to a specific pad or pad manufacturer. It is only with neutral software that the pad can easily be replaced without the need to change the software integration itself.  Furthermore at the end of the signature pad’s lifecycle, the company can choose the best pad available on the market at a certain time and not be limited to only one manufacturer. This enables companies to avoid being on the hook of signature pad manufactures and lets them make an informed desiccation each time the need to replace the existing pad infrastructure arises.

Another practical issue that definitely makes an independent solution valuable is that companies have the possibility to distribute parts of their software also to business partners that might wish to use different signature pads than the company uses for its purposes. It is a basic fact that the typical core competence and focus of pad manufacturers is hardware and not software, meaning pad manufacturers typically provide only an SDK or not much above it; therefore it cannot be compared to a total solution like the SIGNificant Suite.

Last but not least if you are looking for an enterprise platform that is capable of other forms of digitally signing a document like smartcards, tokens, Click2Sign and software certificates for different needs in various business processes, a pure pad based software is anyhow not what you are looking for.

Bottom line is that being obligated to only one manufacturer or one device in your business will usually engage more disadvantages than advantages, therefore being at this position is never really recommended. To make the right strategic decision for your company you should think outside the box.

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Signing documents does not take place just in Retail locations anymore; the online channel is used more and more to sell of products and services. (E.g. handset upgrades membership application, etc.).

Click2Sign requires to identify the signatory, and to keep track of the signing process in an audit trail. SIGNificant Click2Sign is taking care of these challenges by various ways of identifying the signatory, as well as keeping the audit trail with the signed document, which makes these documents legally binding. Click2Sign offers various ways to identify a signatory. From a simple „I agree“ checkbox to a sophisticated challenge/response protocol using different channels.

PIN by SMS
The most sophisticated identification method is the PIN by SMS functionality. The user signs on the web using a PIN code. This PIN is sent to a cell number the user has to specify. Logging all the steps („SMS was sent to at with PIN code “ and „PIN was entered at from “) into an embedded audit trail, it can be assured, that the signatory is the holder of this particular cell phone. This is e.g. used today by wireless providers, who know their customer’s cell number.

PIN by E-Mail
The PIN by E-Mail method works the same way as PIN by SMS; the PIN is delivered to an E-Mail account instead. Useful if e-mail addresses are known upfront. A blacklist for e-mail domains is configurable, so known SPAM e-mail domains can be avoided.

Sign by Name
The User signs by entering his Name instead of a PIN. Optionally the name can be provided to the system by a backed system, and be compared when signing. The audit trail will show „User entered at from “

Sign by Click
The User signs by clicking an „I agree“ checkbox.The audit trail will show „User clicked I ‚agree’ at from “

External audit trail
The system can take external audit trail data. For example a calling application could first authenticate users by having them enter their credit card information, and provide the response from the clearing house to Click2Sign.

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There are two alternatives for integrating electronic signature solutions, as they can be available as part of a total solution, for instance with the all-in-one SIGNificant Suite which includes a Server, Client and Biometric Server and also be available through an SDK, that enables companies to develop a client application for their specific platform.

Although it might be tempting to consider using an SDK when integrating electronic signature solutions, thinking it could make for an easier, cheaper and seamless integration, actually starting with a total solution is usually a better choice for most companies. One shouldn’t underestimate the efforts that need to be invested in making a working solution from an SDK, resulting in much higher costs when programming your own solution in comparison to customizing a standard solution. Starting with a total solution is critically faster as typically the customization process is done within a few days. Furthermore there are additional costs that should be taken into consideration like maintenance and future developments.

Another important aspect, especially when integrating electronic signature solutions is that when using an SDK, the company’s IT department will need to manage all security issues independently. For instance protecting customers’ handwritten signatures from being transferred to an unauthorized document or stored somewhere in raw format, which is an enormous burden on the company’s internal IT department. This includes efforts to avoid misuse and careless coding by the company’s own employees, turning the task of providing a sufficient level of security tougher. The fact is that even if all security actions are implemented, this issue is usually not easily explained to end customers and third parties, as theoretically the company has the possibility to misuse this sensitive data. Whilst in the scenario of a total solution, the company can easily proof to end customers and if necessary also to court in case of a legal dispute, that it had no possibility to manipulate signatures.

Besides of the security aspects, a total solution offers much more than “just” embedding a signature into a PDF document. Including capabilities like automation of different documents with flexible signature fields positioning; PDF conversion; digital signing (sealing) of documents; encryption and embedment of signatures securely into the document, support for different signature pads and attachment of additional documents and scans. Furthermore the total solution offers predefined and ready to go interface functionalities; Citrix support; audit trailing and many other valuable features.

At the end of the day, each customer must decide what the best solution is for his purposes, but remember that in contrary to what is maybe expected at a first glance, a total solution might be cheaper and deployed faster than an SDK based approach.

To learn more about xyzmo SIGNificant’s solutions, please visit: www.xyzmo.com

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Electronic signature solutions can be used with a broad range of signature capturing devices according to the needs and characteristics of the companies integrating these solutions. Each device has different capabilities and holds various benefits and shortcoming that should be considered when one tries to choose the suitable device.

Some companies require basic signature pads, while others require more advanced devices, which include LCD displays and the possibility to add additional information while signing a document. xyzmo SIGNificant signature solution enables the use of a wide range of signature capturing devices from various manufacturers. Three examples of devices that range from a basic device to an advanced one include the Wacom Mini Signature Tablet, the Wacom STU-300 and Wacom STU-500.

The Mini Signature Tablet is a very good solution when there is no real requirement for a display. This option has definitely not been outdated despite the fact it doesn’t include an LCD display as it possess some other strong benefits. A company can integrate a signature solution without investing high sums when purchasing the signing devices, thanks to its attractive pricing – the costs of such devices are typically ~30%-40% of the costs of LCD devices. In addition this device is very robust making it less damage vulnerable. Large customer installations show that it is no real issue for customers to sign on such a device where they do not see their signature whilst signing. Due to its size, form factor and weight, the Mini Signature Tablet is also an efficient tool for mobile services and sales forces. Thanks to these benefits the Mini Signature Table is often used by large companies looking for a cost efficient solution.

The STU-300 Signature Tablet includes a one line LCD display on which the signatures are easily captured. In addition to these capabilities the STU-300 is compact and resistant, turning it to a suitable solution for mobile professionals. Best example: insurance agents working in the field, or service staff carrying out repair and maintenance tasks on site. This device enables customers to view their signature during the signing process, but as it designed to also be portable, it doesn’t include a real dialog or rich text capabilities like the STU-500.

The STU-500 Signature Tablet features a compact, reflective 5″ TFT LC display with a VGA resolution (640 x 480 pixels), hence being a cutting edge solution which enables companies to present additional content like back-ground images, the company logo or text on the display where the customer signs as part of the signing process. Thus receipts, deposit slips or any kind of textual background (“herewith you approve…”) linked to the signature can be shown on the device. An additional valuable benefit is the possibility to enter numbers and short text via a displayed keyboard, enabling the completion of the approval process through the device.

All three devices offer the ability to record the biometric traits of a signature and can be used together with the SIGNificant Biometric Server to perform the comparison of signatures against pre-installed profiles, reducing the odds for forgery dramatically.

Each company should choose the signing device that most fits its needs in order to make the electronic signing process efficient and beneficial.

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What is a biometric handwritten signature?
A captured handwritten signature looks identical to a person’s original wet ink signature. But If you use the xyzmo digital signature suite it is much more than just an electronic image. We record the handwritten signature of a person by parameters of pressure, acceleration, speed and rhythm. These parameters are unique to every individual and cannot be easily reproduced by a forger. Once a signature including all the biometric parameters has been embedded into a document it is turned into a signed and sealed PDF.

Can documents signed by SIGNificant be viewed and verified by users who don’t have SIGNificant installed?
Yes. Viewing the handwritten signature and verifying the digital signature can be done by any user using the free Acrobat Reader.

What happens if my signature changes over time?
All signatures naturally change over time. SIGNificant recognizes the natural fluctuations in your signature and verifies that it still belongs to you. Because the SIGNificant engine updates the personal profile as each new electronic signature is aded, it detects the natural changes or drift that occurs in each individual’s signatures over time.

Does your system work with various signature pads?
SIGNificant is tested with more than 20 different devices from various vendors. Support for new devices is added to the product suite in an ongoing effort.

Where does your system store the signature(s)?
SIGNificant stores the signature(s) in the document only, so no database or any kind of repository is needed to verify the authenticity of the document at a later time. SIGNificant creates self contained documents. The signatures are visible in the document, however, signature dynamics are encrypted within this document, and can only be extracted using a key owned by your company, in case a document gets challenged.

Does your system generate legally binding documents?
SIGNificant is in compliance with various laws e.g. the E-Sign Act, the UETA and its adoptions in 46 states, the ESRA (NYS) and various international laws. SIGNificant is creating legally binding documents according to these laws.

Can your system compare signatures, and possibly authenticate the signatory?
SIGNificant Biometric Server can compare signatures (based on speed, acceleration etc.) in real time. Thus, the signature can be used to authenticate a signatory (e.g. a returning customer)

Can the signature be analyzed at a later point?
The dynamic (biometric) signature is stored in the document in an encrypted way. Using a key owned by your company, it can be extracted at any later point, and compared to a signature sample using SIGNificant PenAnalyst. PenAnalyst is a tool to help forensic experts to compare speed, acceleration, pressure, angle and the time used to sign.

What file formats does your system work with?
SIGNificant can sign ANY document which is printable in Windows by using a printer driver. However, the final signed document will be a standard PDF file. In addition to the printer driver, SIGNificant Server comes with various native converters (e.g. html, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, GIF, JPG, TIFF to PDF)

Contact Us:
sales@xyzmo.com or call us directly at: +43 (0) 7229 88060 or +1 (631) 619 5511

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When the need to capture and record a handwritten signature both digitally and physically arises, the option of using an inking pen solution which enables the appearance of the signature on paper the same time the signature is captured electronically becomes relevant.

Although one of the main benefits of adopting electronic signature solutions is going paperless, there are cases in which the use of paper is inevitable. For instance when the customer requires a printed receipt, in this case he will receive the signed hardcopy and the company would use the electronic copy of the receipt. This inking pen solution is also a valuable tool in countries or sectors where electronic signatures are not yet legally binding and require a physical archive of signed documents. Another possible scenario is when due to conservatism; a fully paperless process is still not accepted.

These inking pen solutions, despite the fact that they don’t fully eliminate paper processes, still hold many other benefits of the immediate electronic copy. Including improved document security, as the biometric signature traits which are unique to each person’s signature (pressure, speed, acceleration and angle) are collected when the document is electronically signed, enabling with the SIGNificant Biometric Server the performance of a real-time biometric verification of the person’s signature in the future. In addition to a streamlined business process thanks to the use of the electronic document by the back office systems for real-time decision making or immediate electronic archiving. Finally this could be a first step towards the full elimination of paper as it is fairly easy to advance to a complete paperless solution if the circumstances would change in the future.

WIND Hellas, One of the largest telecommunications operators in Greece is using a simultaneous inking pen device with xyzmo SIGNificant’s solution in their signature gathering process, in order to include a wet-ink signature on a hardcopy contract in addition to the electronic signature.

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xyzmo’s top-notch version of the SIGNificant Biometric Server features a new generation of signature comparison capabilities, enabling the performance of a real-time biometric verification of a person’s signature to the SIGNificant platform by comparing the recorded parameters of his handwritten signatures against his pre-enrolled profile.

A captured handwritten signature looks identical to a person’s original wet ink signature. But if you use xyzmo’s technology it is much more than just an electronic image. We record the handwritten signature of a person by parameters of pressure, acceleration, speed and rhythm.

The Biometric Server automatically detects variations between signatures to build the personal profile as secure as possible, since some users sign in a very consistent way, whereas others sign with a greater discrepancy between signatures, resulting in an automatic detection of variations. The verification results are clear and fast as the verification is performed in a transparent manner. The server compares the signature to the updated personal profile in the database and enables or rejects the entry within less than a second.

This new and improved version optimally offers a balance between customer acceptance and security thanks to a versatile threshold factor, enabling a varying authentication process for different environments. Therefore bringing the correct fraud detection rates to a maximum while bringing the false positive (detecting a fraud mistakenly) and false negative (missing a fraud when there is one) to a minimum.

A constant profile enriching based on a dynamic mechanism recognizes the fluctuation rate in each of the signature parameters in real time, thus nourishing the authentication engine with added parameters and enhancing the profile every time a signature is profiled.

Further improvements of this new version include a seamless integration thanks to an extensive API that allows biometric authentications and enrollment of profiles to be an integrated part of any legacy application. In addition to an easy to use Interface featuring an intuitive graphical user interface for enrolling, making it very user friendly.

The possibility of a detailed protocol of each signature relevant action makes it a total solution, thus documents are only processed if their signers were authenticated and companies can prove who signed which document and when it was signed.

This solution can be used in various business scenarios in which no signature comparison is in place or in those the comparison is still performed manually by people. In both cases the security of the business process can be increased dramatically, as an automatic comparison allows for a 100% check of all signatures with better results than a typical human being can ever achieve. Thus banking transactions, signing credit card slips, approval processes and all other procedures where there is high importance to verify that the person signing is really the person he is claiming to be. The system can be implemented either as big bang or in a gradual way, where each signature captured from a person is used to sign the document and build this person’s signature profile at the same time. Once the signature profile has sufficient samples, the automatic verification begins and the company increases it’s process security continuously.

Contact us to learn more about xyzmo SIGNificant’s Biometric Server and get a feel of the system yourself.

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(CNN) – By Thom Patterson, CNN- [abridged] ….The dream of the paperless office started way back in 1975, when BusinessWeek magazine predicted “a collection of … office terminals linked to each other and to electronic filing cabinets.” “It will change our daily life,” said one bold technology expert quoted in the article. Said another expert: “By 1990, most record handling will be electronic.”

Twenty years after that unmet deadline, a national survey found that businesses have chosen to use paper printouts to archive 62 percent of important documents. The survey of 882 companies, released in February by the content management association AIIM, indicates that most businesses believe paper documents are needed for legal reasons.

So what happened? Where is this streamlined office of the future, free of clutter and file cabinets, that was promised back in the ’70s?

By the mid-1990s, the nation was actually moving in the opposite direction. More and more workstation computers and printers contributed to a big jump in office paper consumption well into the 2000s, according to industry experts. Before taking a hit from the recession, the estimated number of office pages printed, copied and faxed annually in the U.S. peaked in 2007 at more than 1.019 trillion, according to InfoTrends, a Massachusetts-based market research and consulting firm. InfoTrends analyst John Shane blamed the nation’s love of office printing and copying on convenience.

Many people can’t bring themselves to let go of the convenience of a printed hard copy, said Shane. For some, printed paper may be more portable, and easier to read in a cramped airliner seat than reading on a laptop. Some people may find paper more comfortable and preferable to read during a meeting, instead of reading a document on a tiny smart-phone display.  ”Most of what people print now is for temporary read-and-discard purposes and for transactions,” said Shane. “People like to read paper. Then they throw it away. Then they may want to read it and throw it away again. That behavior needs to change if we’re really going to see a paperless office.”

There are plenty of motivating factors that would push managers to adopt the idea of a paperless office. Cost saving is one. Paperless-office advocates say they save the cost of paper, envelopes, postage, couriers, printers, copiers and, of course, filing cabinets. The idea of helping the environment also might push a change in behavior, Shane said.….

The technology is available to give even home-based businesses the option of going paperless….

Although Shane does see offices in the near future reducing their printing and copying, he says, “I wouldn’t call it the paperless office — that’s not going to happen for ages. But the less-paper office is coming.”

For the whole article click here.

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A captured handwritten signature looks identical to a person’s original wet ink signature. But if you use the xyzmo SIGNificant Suite it is much more than just an electronic image. We record the handwritten signature of a person by parameters of pressure, acceleration, speed and rhythm.  These parameters are unique to every individual and cannot be easily reproduced by a forger. Once a signature including all the biometric parameters has been embedded into a document it is turned into a signed and sealed PDF. Anyone can verify the signature and content integrity anywhere at any time. Thus unrecognized post-signing manipulations are impossible.

You can take this ability one step further and enable the performance of a real-time biometric verification of a person’s signature by comparing the recorded parameters of his handwritten signatures against his pre-enrolled profile. Thus business transactions are only processed if their signers were authenticated and companies can prove who signed which document and when it was signed.

You can try yourselves and download the SIGNificant Client for a 90 days trial for free without any registration:  http://www.xyzmo.com/en/resource-center/Pages/SIGNificantClient.aspx

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There are 10 simple steps you can take to help you let go of your hard copy forms and documents.

• Gather the facts where paper is used today in your business processes.
• Develop a process map for these processes
• Bring together teams representing all departments involved in the process to brainstorm new out of the box thinking for improvements.
• Develop a process map for your desired Future State process.
• Complete a Cost Benefit Analysis to see what savings you could achieve.
• Set priorities for which processes can be implemented first.
• Determine an action plan.
• Start small with one easy to implement process.
• Celebrate your win and make it public inside the company
• Choose the next process from your list.

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Mobile LCD Signature Tablet STU-300 developed for professionals on the move Wacom, the leading manufacturer of pen tablets, interactive pen displays and intuitive interface devices, today announces the STU-300, a mobile LCD Signature tablet that enables users to capture and authenticate handwritten digital signatures. Following the success of the STU-500, the STU-300 is especially targeted towards mobile professionals. Designed to be small and compact as well as durable and robust, the STU-300 is an ideal tool for insurance agents working in the field with a need to record client signatures on contracts or service staff carrying out repair and maintenance tasks on site. 

LCD Signature Tablets STU-300 and STU-500

The new tablet enables users to capture handwritten signatures without having to print off hardcopies. This will mean that transactions and workflows where paper documents are still involved will become much more efficient. Customers will be able to sign contracts, approve payments and confirm deliveries quickly and securely. The STU-300 comes with tempered anti-glare protection glass making it extremely durable, and scratch resistant. Thanks to its embedded sensor, the STU-300 offers an extended lifetime in comparison with conventional, resistive touch sensors.

Wacom’s STU-300 is intuitive and easy to use. Signatures are captured on a LC display using a cordless, battery free pen. The sensor captures biometric information from the signature such data coordinates and pressure signals. The individual pressure profile, writing rhythm and speed build a unique biometric signature profile meaning forgery is made almost impossible. The screen is wide enough even for long signatures. Last but not least, the pen is attached to the STU-300 to prevent loss – and can be easily stored in the device when not in use. 

The STU-300 is available from February 2010 through xyzmo (www.xyzmo.com) and is supported by all xyzmo’s digital signature solutions.

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For 35 years, prophets of the “paperless office” have been waiting for any convincing shred of evidence that Americans are less committed to paper.

The paradox of the digital age, at least until the economy soured, is that a Web-connected, wireless world was using far more paper than it did before trashing its typewriters. About a year ago, however, Jake Wang noticed a reversal in one trend he has tracked for years from an office in Los Angeles. Using computer software that monitors the whirring of 700,000 printers and multifunctional devices in businesses, Wang charted the first-ever drop in the number of pages Americans were printing. “It was like going over a waterfall,” said Wang, an analyst for the business consultant and market-research firm IDC. “Starting with the fourth quarter of 2008, we saw a definite drop in page outputs,” which nonetheless totaled 1.5 trillion pages for the year – or 5,000 sheets of printouts per man, woman and child. That number will be lower this year, perhaps by more than 10 percent, although it had been climbing steadily since 2000. A temporary effect of the slow economy, or the beginning of a society truly less glued to paper?

“When an economy sheds millions of workers, there are that many employees who aren’t doing the printing,” Wang said. “I’m thinking fewer contracts are signed. Fewer documents sent from one person to another.”  He expects our passion for printouts to climb again when the economy does, maybe in 2011, but the dip in pages printed does parallel a downward slide in the number of pieces of first-class mail being delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, which peaked in 2006. Postal officials do not anticipate ever delivering so many cards, letters and utility bills again, even after the recovery.

“The idea of a paperless society? It will never happen, and I do believe that,” said Xerox Senior Vice President Jim Joyce, “but the idea of paper-less is happening.” By that, he means we really ought to be using less paper in the coming decade because of the convergence of four trends:

• The pressure on businesses to cut costs where they can, especially in a weak economy.
• Technology that will reduce paper output, erase printouts and make reading off a screen easier.
• Concerns for the environment (with paper manufacturers being the fourth-largest user of fossil fuels on the planet, Joyce said).

To be sure, generational preferences dictate the paper trends. To older people, “there’s a psychology to paper, reading something on paper you can hold,” said Karen Unger, founder of the Florida-based American Document Management Co. “I’m old enough to know: There are people who just really need to have things on paper.”

Yet that feeling of control is something the younger generation doesn’t seem to have the need for,” she said, particularly those who spent their youth on the couch with a laptop on their bellies. A recent Forrester Research survey showed the popularity of electronic bank statements hitting a wall this year, with roughly half of online consumers sticking to paper statements only. Seniors and Baby Boomers, when compared to younger people, were twice as likely to voice concerns for privacy and a need to have “the paper version for my records.”

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Gartner Analyst Gregg Kreizman published at January 4^th 2010 a new market update about the “North American and European Electronic Signature Suite and Service Market”

He stated that a growing number of enterprises are turning to software and services that provide dedicated functionality supporting the disciplined electronic signature process flows and controls for one or more disparate lines of business.

 Some Key Findings 

• E-signature software and services represent a small but growing market.
• E-signature software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers have gained an increased competitive foothold in the U.S.
• North American markets strongly favor “click to sign” solutions, while other geographies adopt digital signature solutions in keeping with prescriptive legal requirements and national initiatives, such as smart ID cards. 

Some Recommendations 

• Conduct analysis of functional needs and capacity requirements — particularly transaction volumes prior to receiving and analyzing pricing proposals. Without this analysis, it will be difficult to accurately compare offerings from different vendors that use different pricing models and tactics.
• When planning the purchase of e-signature software, or when planning to integrate systems directly with a SaaS provider, budget an initial amount for professional services at least equal to software costs.

 For more information about the study please contact Gartner.

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All of us at xyzmo SIGNificant would like to extend our warmest greetings and wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Successful New Year!

May the Year 2010 bring us all Joy, Happiness, Success, New Opportunities and Prosperity.

xyzmo SIGNificant Group
Dedicated Signature Solutions
to Streamline Your Business Processes

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Hospitals and healthcare institutions processes include a variety of documents that need to be signed, each with their own unique requirements. xyzmo SIGNificant provides the flexibility needed to support the diverse applications of the healthcare sector and accelerates the transition to electronic records, thereby increasing employee efficiency and enhancing patient service and safety. We offer expedited signing solutions that streamline general hospital and emergency department patient experiences, spanning from admission to discharging procedures.

Think of this simple process and imagine the benefits!

Nothing is easier than completing a form automatically simply by scanning/swiping the patient’s insur-ance card or driver’s license to obtain important and possibly confidential information. Any additional required data can be captured via a soft keyboard or pin pad (for instance social security number). Signing and sealing healthcare forms and documents can now be performed electronically and these document can be automatically sent to the patient, using the provided email address. Verification of the authenticity/integrity of the documents and storage problems will no longer be an issue for hospitals or healthcare institutions and their patients.

xyzmo SIGNificant Can Streamline Various Healthcare Scenarios:

• Patient admissions
• Physician prescription signing
• Physician orders
• Chart signing
• Integration into electronic medical records systems (EMRs)
• Emergency department information systems (EDIS)
• Mobile signing

Benefits:

• Helps improve patient care by streamlining patient admission processes
• Significantly reduces patient waiting times
• Enormous cost savings due to labor reduction and the elimination of the need for printing, faxing, scanning, storage, shipping, shredding & mailing/courier
• Eliminates processing delays, errors, lost documents, etc. associated with paper-based processes
• Enables a true paperless workflow
• Reduces the risk of fraud
• Easily integrates into existing EMRs, EDIS,DMS, ERP and CRM Systems due to web-services in-terfaces
• Enables compliancy with current e-signature legislation (HIPAA, UETA, ESIGN, FIPS, etc.)
• Offline signing capability for mobile workers
• Optional real-time biometric signature authentication
• Hardware independent

xyzmo SIGNificant gives your organization the chance to reap the benefits of having a legally binding document in electronic form.

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The SIGNificant Suite helps introducing your company to the era of electronic signing. The SIGNificant Server and SIGNificant Client record the handwritten signature of a person (by parameters of pressure, acceleration, speed, rhythm and movements in the air) and embed the signature into the electronic document. The SIGNificant Biometric Server takes this ability one step further and enables the performance of a real-time biometric verification of a person’s signature to the SIGNificant platform by comparing the recorded parameters of his handwritten signatures against his pre-enrolled profile. The possibility of a detailed protocol of each signature relevant action makes it a total solution, thus documents are only processed if their signers were authenticated and companies can prove who signed which document and when it was signed.

Benefits

• Paper Free Process – accelerates work processes, raises productivity and efficiency within existing procedures. The electronic document cycle will no longer be broken solely for the purpose of capturing and authenticating a signature. You will save money, time and trees by making your office 100% paperless. ROI within 12 months.
• Reduces Fraud – enabling dynamic verification of the handwritten signature against a predefined biometric profile and a detailed protocol of security relevant actions.
• Seamless Integration – using an extensive API that allows biometric authentications and enrollment of profiles to be an integrated part of any legacy application.
• High Reliability – based on the fact that two signatures can never be the same. The SIGNificant Biometric Server has been evaluated by a number of leading graphologists and forensic experts that found it to have equal or even improved abilities compared to proving the authenticity of a signature written on paper.
• Easy To Use Interface – includes an intuitive easy to use graphical user interface for enrolling, making it very user friendly.
• Part of a Total Solution – the all-in-one SIGNificant Suite includes a Server, Client and Biometric Server and enables electronic signing of any type of document in a variety of signing methods (handwritten/biometric/digital – simple, advanced or qualified).
• Device Independent – a device independent solution, enabling the use of a broad range of signature capturing devices from various manufacturers in addition to smartcards, tokens and software certificates.

Features

• Dynamic Signature Verification – the system utilizes distinctive aspects of the handwritten signature such as rhythm, speed, pressure, acceleration and movement by measuring the physical activity of signing.
• High Security Concept – secure storage and communication of captured biometric signatures.
• Automatic Detection of Variations – the server automatically detects variations between signatures to build the personal profile as secure as possible, since some users sign in a very consistent way, whereas others sign with a greater discrepancy between signatures.
• Versatile Threshold Factor – enabling a varying authentication process for different environments, allowing organizations to easily adjust the balance between customer acceptance and security.
• Clear & Fast Verification Results – the verification is performed in a transparent manner. The server compares the signature to the updated personal profile in the database and enables or rejects the entry within milliseconds.
• Constant Profile Enriching – a dynamic mechanism recognizes the fluctuation rate in each of the signature parameters in real time, thus nourishing the authentication engine with added parameters and enhancing the profile every time a signature is profiled.
• Audit Trail – detailed protocol of users’ security relevant actions (enrollment, signature verification, suspension of signature profiles).

Product Description

Enrollment

The process is initiated by the user’s enrollment. The enrollment process requires up to 6 initial signatures or can be done continually over time. Using a digital pen and tablet, the user naturally signs his personal handwritten signature, exactly the same as using a wet-ink pen and ordinary paper.

Signature Profile Creation and Handling

The user’s signatures are stored in profiles. The system can handle numerous profiles per user, for instance one profile for the standard signature and another profile for signing only with the initials. When verifying a signature, the SIGNificant Biometric Server compares the signatures to the profile.

Signature Verification and Learning

Each time a user utilizes the system to verify his signature, the Biometric Server compares the current signature to the signature profiles. Upon each authentication, the server continues to learn and fine tunes the user’s profile. This enables the system to track gradual shifts in the handwritten signature over time.

For detailed information regarding the hardware requirements, please contact our sales team at: sales@xyzmo.com

For more information, please visit our website at: www.xyzmo.com

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We are happy to recognize that according to more and more analysts Green IT is a major Strategic Technology for 2010 and digital signatures become an important part of that. For example in a presentation at the Gartner Symposium ITxpo 2009 in Cannes Gartner analyst David Cearley stated clearly that Green IT means more than energy efficient IT. IT can enable many green initiatives and thus greatly enhance an enterprise’s green credentials. According to Mr. Cearley common green initiatives include the use of e-documents to reduce the consumption of paper for operational and regulatory-compliance-related activities. e-Documents can also serve as the beginning step to facilitate collaboration among geographically disparate parts of the organization.

You can read more in the following blog article about how digital signatures contributes to that: http://blog.xyzmo.com/en/blog/2009/08/27/sign-green-with-xyzmo-significant/

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 PRLog (Press Release) – Sep 12, 2009 – ETSI has published a multi-part standard that will facilitate secure paperless business transactions throughout Europe, in conformance with European legislation. The standard defines a series of profiles for PAdES – Advanced Electronic Signatures for Portable Document Format (PDF) documents – that meet the requirements of the European Directive on a Community framework for electronic signatures (Directive 1999/93/EC).

The ETSI standard supports a European Commission Action Plan that seeks to build on existing experience in this area and further improve the efficiency of cross-border use of electronic signatures. Open technical standards, such as those produced by ETSI, provide an ideal means for ensuring the required interoperability such that, for example, a document created and signed in one Member State can be validated in another.

The standard also recognizes that digitally-signed documents may be used or archived for many years – even many decades. At any time in the future, in spite of technological and other advances, it must be possible to validate the document to confirm that the signature was valid at the time it was signed – a concept known as Long-Term Validation (LTV).

The new standard was developed by ETSI’s Electronic Signatures and Infrastructure (ESI) Technical Committee in collaboration with PDF experts. PDF is defined in a standard (ISO 32000-1) published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), so the ETSI activity included reviewing and documenting how ISO 32000-1 can satisfy the European Directive. The resulting PAdES standard, ETSI Technical Specification (TS) 102 778, also introduces a number of adaptations and extensions to PDF to satisfy the Directive’s requirements. ETSI will feed these European-specific elements back into ISO for inclusion in the next release of the PDF standard, ISO 32000-2.

PAdES is complementary to two other Electronic Signature concepts also developed by ETSI’s ESI committee, both widely recognised within the European Union and suited for applications that do not involve human-readable documents: Cryptographic Message Syntax Advanced Electronic Signatures (CAdES) and XML Advanced Electronic Signatures (XAdES).

PDF and PAdES – major enablers for electronic commerce

PDF provides an electronic analogue to paper documents and also allows richer digital content to be stored and presented to the user. The transition from paper to PDF is eased by PDF’s ability to electronically represent nearly any form of paper document and by its support for electronic signatures which are today’s equivalent of yesterday’s ink signatures.

An electronic signature is a paperless way to sign a document using a unique credential associated with a given person that is logically attached to or associated with the document, carrying an authority equivalent to a handwritten signature. It can be used to authenticate the signer as well as to detect any changes in the document made after it was signed. Electronic signatures are recognized as a catalyst to electronic commerce, notably Internet transactions. Availability of electronic signature techniques has already been a major stimulus to eBusiness and eGovernment.

For PDF documents, the signature data is incorporated directly within the signed PDF document, much as an ink signature becomes an integral part of a paper document, allowing the complete self-contained PDF file to be copied, stored and distributed as a simple electronic file. The signature can also have a visual representation as a form field, just as it might on a paper document. A significant advantage of PAdES is that it is being deployed by means of widely available PDF software: it does not require development or customization of specialized software.

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