Mobile signatures

The use of mobile devices to access business systems has now become commonplace. The ability to view and digitally sign documents from a mobile device is an essential requirement when choosing a signing platform. However what is often not understood is that there are different levels of mobile signing, with varying degrees of what is performed on the mobile device:

• The mobile device is used to initiate the signing process – the signing key is located on the server and the signature takes place there, however, the user initiates the process from their mobile device.

• The mobile device is used to authorize the signing process – this is where the user’s mobile is sent a One-Time Password (OTP) code as a form of authentication.

• The mobile device is used to actually sign the document – this is the true form of mobile signing, i.e. the user’s signature key actually resides on the mobile device and the document signature is created on the mobile device.