{"id":23034,"date":"2021-09-08T16:34:18","date_gmt":"2021-09-08T20:34:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/?p=23034"},"modified":"2022-09-05T17:17:56","modified_gmt":"2022-09-05T21:17:56","slug":"are-esignatures-legally-binding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/","title":{"rendered":"eSignatures are growing in popularity, but are they legally binding?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Migrating infrastructure<\/a> to the cloud, increased automation and digital transformation<\/a> in general were trending for some time even before the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdowns that ensued have only accelerated these trends as more and more companies have had to embrace not only remote work<\/a> but also address how to make data, people and processes efficient, accessible and secure. eSignatures<\/a> have been a prime mover in this space since many people were no longer in offices to sign documents<\/a>. However, one main concern keeping some users on the fence when switching to this digital option is legal implications.
\n <\/p>\n

Find out what you can achieve with Sherweb<\/a> as your value-added cloud partner<\/em><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

eSignature solutions are legally binding<\/h2>\n

Solutions like signNow<\/a> align with the requirements of the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN<\/a>) and Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA<\/a>), which enable users to manage and sign documents electronically with all parties they do business with.<\/p>\n

What makes a signature legal?<\/h3>\n

A digital signature is legally binding when executed in accordance with the Electronic Signatures Act. A person who wants to issue a digital signature needs to do the following:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Obtain a copy of the document being signed<\/li>\n
  2. Validate their identity with their private and public key within an encryption system<\/li>\n
  3. Ensure any electronic signature for an agreement is preceded or accompanied by a mechanical or digital signature<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Admissibility of electronic records<\/h3>\n

    Electronic signatures are well established and rarely challenged when it comes to their validity and admissibility. For cases where eSignatures have been challenged, investigations tend to focus on the intent to sign and attribution of the signature to the signer when issued.<\/p>\n

    Establishing intent and attribution generally means having records showing the processes that cover how signatures were captured, secured and stored. Therefore, eSignature solutions must keep detailed audit trail and logs of all actions by both parties electronically signing documents.
    \n <\/p>\n

    How signNow applies eSignatures<\/h2>\n

    When a document is sent to a user for signing, signNow invites them to create a unique signature that is attributable to them and is saved for future use. The user needs to click on a button indicating their intent to make the designated eSignature a legally valid electronic signature.<\/p>\n

    Signers authenticate by verifying their identity in signNow. The signer\u2019s email address, IP address and exact time of document access is also recorded. Two-factor authentication can also be used via a phone call or text message.<\/p>\n

    Cloud documents are stored on secure servers that allows registered users who either signed or otherwise acted to be able to view or download a copy of the final signed document once they create a signNow account.<\/p>\n

    signNow provides a digital certificate for tracking any changes to a document after the document has been completed. This digital certificate is a safeguard against any unauthorized changes made to a document after the signer has completed and signed it. All documents and data are kept secure and encrypted while in transit or saved in cloud storage.
    \n <\/p>\n

    Signing docs and collecting signatures couldn\u2019t be easier with signNow<\/h2>\n

    Secure data encryption and storage<\/h3>\n

    All your data is kept safe and secure using a 256-bit encryption algorithm both at rest and during transfer.<\/p>\n

    Detailed audit trail<\/h3>\n

    Keeping track of transactions and recording them is easy because signNow creates and maintains detailed document history of all the all-document activities and details. For example, signNow\u2019s audit trail can tell you who performed signatures, including full names, emails,\u00a0IP addresses and time stamps.<\/p>\n

    Never worry about losing data<\/h3>\n

    signNow constantly tests for disaster recovery and ensures continuous operations such as procedures to\u00a0preserve documents and document security with minimal interruptions in\u00a0the case of\u00a0an emergency.<\/p>\n

    Confirm signers using two-factor authentication<\/h3>\n

    eSignatures<\/a> actually have more secure options than good old-fashioned ink on paper. signNow includes a feature that allows document creators to add an\u00a0extra layer of\u00a0protection by\u00a0requiring the\u00a0signer to\u00a0input\u00a0passwords or\u00a0authenticate their identity via\u00a0text messages or\u00a0phone calls.<\/p>\n

    Send and sign documents anytime and anywhere<\/h3>\n

    Users no longer need to wait to execute or sign documents and forms until they get back in the office<\/a>\u2014they can sign from anywhere!<\/p>\n

    Workflows and templates help save time and money<\/h3>\n

    No longer do users need to start a document from scratch. signNow has time saving reusable templates where creators can add in the fillable fields like signature, date and dropdown fields as needed. They can also use the power of workflow logic to set the signing order and add signing roles.<\/p>\n

    Documents can be sent via email, a URL signing link or via cloud storage services like Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox. When the recipient opens the email or link, they have automated signing guidance that walks them through the document making it easy to complete and reduce errors like missed signatures.
    \n <\/p>\n

    Become a Sherweb partner<\/a> to get started with signNow<\/h2>\n

    Sherweb is committed to securing your client\u2019s data and infrastructure. We have the talent, knowledge and years of experience<\/a> in this space ready and waiting to help guide you and help your clients succeed.<\/p>\n

    If you have any questions or want to know more about how we can help you plan, sell or deploy solutions like signNow<\/a> or others, drop us a line<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Migrating infrastructure to the cloud, increased automation and digital transformation in general","protected":false},"author":177,"featured_media":23035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[371],"tags":[852,990,991],"class_list":["post-23034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-solutions","tag-business-apps","tag-signnow","tag-esignatures"],"yoast_head":"\nAre eSignatures legally binding?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A digital signature is legally binding when executed in accordance with the Electronic Signatures Act. But there are a few more things you should know!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Are eSignatures legally binding?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A digital signature is legally binding when executed in accordance with the Electronic Signatures Act. But there are a few more things you should know!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sherweb\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Sherweb\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-08T20:34:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-09-05T21:17:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Legality-of-signatures-1200x480@2x.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"The Sherweb Team\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SherWeb\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SherWeb\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"The Sherweb Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/ai-productivity\\\/business-solutions\\\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/ai-productivity\\\/business-solutions\\\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"The Sherweb Team\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/42a19dccace310904575a5656cc20976\"},\"headline\":\"eSignatures are growing in popularity, but are they legally binding?\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-08T20:34:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-09-05T21:17:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/ai-productivity\\\/business-solutions\\\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":892,\"commentCount\":6,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/ai-productivity\\\/business-solutions\\\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Legality-of-signatures-1200x480@2x.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Business Apps\",\"signNow\",\"eSignatures\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Business Apps\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/ai-productivity\\\/business-solutions\\\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/ai-productivity\\\/business-solutions\\\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/ai-productivity\\\/business-solutions\\\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\\\/\",\"name\":\"Are eSignatures legally binding?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/ai-productivity\\\/business-solutions\\\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/ai-productivity\\\/business-solutions\\\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Legality-of-signatures-1200x480@2x.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-08T20:34:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-09-05T21:17:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/42a19dccace310904575a5656cc20976\"},\"description\":\"A digital signature is legally binding when executed in accordance with the Electronic Signatures Act. But there are a few more things you should know!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/ai-productivity\\\/business-solutions\\\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/ai-productivity\\\/business-solutions\\\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/ai-productivity\\\/business-solutions\\\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Legality-of-signatures-1200x480@2x.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/Legality-of-signatures-1200x480@2x.jpg\",\"width\":2400,\"height\":920,\"caption\":\"Are eSignatures legally binding?\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/ai-productivity\\\/business-solutions\\\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"AI & Productivity\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/ai-productivity\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Business Apps\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/ai-productivity\\\/business-solutions\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"eSignatures are growing in popularity, but are they legally binding?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Sherweb\",\"description\":\"More than a cloud marketplace\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/42a19dccace310904575a5656cc20976\",\"name\":\"The Sherweb Team\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sherweb.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/the-sherweb-team\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Are eSignatures legally binding?","description":"A digital signature is legally binding when executed in accordance with the Electronic Signatures Act. But there are a few more things you should know!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Are eSignatures legally binding?","og_description":"A digital signature is legally binding when executed in accordance with the Electronic Signatures Act. But there are a few more things you should know!","og_url":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/","og_site_name":"Sherweb","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Sherweb","article_published_time":"2021-09-08T20:34:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-09-05T21:17:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2400,"height":920,"url":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Legality-of-signatures-1200x480@2x.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"The Sherweb Team","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@SherWeb","twitter_site":"@SherWeb","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"The Sherweb Team","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/"},"author":{"name":"The Sherweb Team","@id":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/42a19dccace310904575a5656cc20976"},"headline":"eSignatures are growing in popularity, but are they legally binding?","datePublished":"2021-09-08T20:34:18+00:00","dateModified":"2022-09-05T21:17:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/"},"wordCount":892,"commentCount":6,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Legality-of-signatures-1200x480@2x.jpg","keywords":["Business Apps","signNow","eSignatures"],"articleSection":["Business Apps"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/","url":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/","name":"Are eSignatures legally binding?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Legality-of-signatures-1200x480@2x.jpg","datePublished":"2021-09-08T20:34:18+00:00","dateModified":"2022-09-05T21:17:56+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/42a19dccace310904575a5656cc20976"},"description":"A digital signature is legally binding when executed in accordance with the Electronic Signatures Act. But there are a few more things you should know!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/#primaryimage","url":"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Legality-of-signatures-1200x480@2x.jpg","contentUrl":"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Legality-of-signatures-1200x480@2x.jpg","width":2400,"height":920,"caption":"Are eSignatures legally binding?"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/are-esignatures-legally-binding\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"AI & Productivity","item":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/category\/ai-productivity\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Business Apps","item":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/category\/ai-productivity\/business-solutions\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"eSignatures are growing in popularity, but are they legally binding?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/","name":"Sherweb","description":"More than a cloud marketplace","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/42a19dccace310904575a5656cc20976","name":"The Sherweb Team","url":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/author\/the-sherweb-team\/"}]}},"tag_names":["Business Apps","signNow","eSignatures"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/177"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23034"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23034\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23036,"href":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23034\/revisions\/23036"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sherweb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}