• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

3

Ray Dalio says the U.S. just had its 'Suez moment'—and history says what comes next could end an empire

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

3

Ray Dalio says the U.S. just had its 'Suez moment'—and history says what comes next could end an empire
Techelectronic signatures

Adobe Trumpets Need for Digital Signature Standard

By
Heather Clancy
Heather Clancy
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Heather Clancy
Heather Clancy
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 8, 2016, 8:23 AM ET
Kevin Winzeler
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Amid all the angst over Brexit, you may have missed a significant milestone the European Union recognized on July 1. That’s the day that the EU officially adopted a common framework for handling and recognizing electronic signatures, the Electronic ID and Trust Services (aka eIDAS) regulation.

Virtually every big name in digital document management and e-signatures is rushing to capitalize on this development, one many experts believe will simplify cross-border e-commerce activities across Europe. What might not be so simple: Businesses are faced with evaluating at least two emerging standards related to eIDAS and broader, worldwide adoption of digital signatures.

The latest is the Cloud Signature Consortium initiative founded and fronted by software company Adobe (ADBE), which sells one of the better-known e-signature applications called Adobe Sign (formerly EchoSign). Its declared mission is to create an “open standard” for securing transactions on mobile devices.

At its launch in late June there were 13 academic and security organizations on board. The organization anticipates developing specifications for accommodating certain types of transactions—such as approving large loans or applying for social security benefits—by the end of the year, said Lisa Croft, director of product marketing for Adobe.

“The idea is that it’s a collection of professionals working toward a standard,” she said. This would enable companies that operate in multiple geographies to invest in digital transaction systems that interoperate across them, while maintaining a high level of certainty that the right people are “closing” certain details—that contracts are secure. “The business itself doesn’t have to do anything to benefit,” Croft said.

Adobe processes more than 6 billion digital signatures annually, for customers like Diners Club, Jones Lang LaSalle, The Royal Bank of Scotland, and Verizon (VZ).

So what’s raising eyebrows? The specification that its new consortium is pushing will exist alongside the xDTM Standard, a broader initiative for digital transaction management started more than two years ago. That effort represents more than 300 organizations, including Adobe e-signature rivals and partners like DocuSign, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Intel (INTC), Microsoft (MSFT), and SAP. Its board includes representatives from Visa, the U.S. Postal Service, NBC Universal, and FedEx. One of the people listed among its advisers is former Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen.

“With our global business we have a very diverse group of customers,” said Wiebe van der Horst, senior vice president of global process and enterprise architecture for BASF Group, which is an xDTM supporter. “Digital transformation will be vital for us to become more efficient internally, but also to be faster and better in our interaction with customers.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily technology newsletter.

Forrester Research estimates that more than 700 million digital transactions could be settled with e-signatures by the year 2017, growing quickly beyond that year. Another projection suggests there could be a whopping 450 billion digital transactions handled daily around the world by 2020. So far, North America has been the biggest market for adoption, but eIDAS will inspire deeper adoption across Europe.

Clearly, both the xDTM Standard initiative and the Cloud Signature Consortium have an agenda—promoting specific security and software approaches advocated by the tech firms that are their members.

Adobe certainly has plenty of experience at this sort of thing. Over the past decade, its PDF format has become a de facto standard for sharing digital documents viewable across a wide of computing platforms. Its decision to start its own organization, rather than joining an established organization that has been rallying the e-signature cause for more than two years, is somewhat perplexing. Whether it accelerates or slows adoption remains to be seen.

Update, July 8, 2016: An Adobe spokeswoman said the Cloud Signature Consortium will include other e-signature software company that want to become members. “Unlike DocuSign’s xDTM, which is more of a best practices guide, the Consortium is working on a true technical standard that defines a common architecture, building blocks, and communication protocols for cloud-based digital signature transactions. The Consortium is made up of experts that represent a cross-industry effort, as opposed to partners, which makes up a large majority of xDTM’s membership.”

 

About the Author
By Heather Clancy
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Sam Altman and Donald Trump.
AIOpenAI
OpenAI agrees to stagger rollout of its most powerful model to only Trump-approved customers
By Eva Roytburg and Beatrice NolanJune 26, 2026
10 hours ago
gr
PoliticsElections
Anthropic and OpenAI waged a $27 million proxy war in a Manhattan congressional race. The winner told them both to get lost
By Sasha RogelbergJune 26, 2026
10 hours ago
fire
Europeclimate change
Greece tackles climate change wildfire risk with satellite network that can spot a blaze the size of a parking space
By Derek Gatopoulos and The Associated PressJune 26, 2026
12 hours ago
AI boom may be on its last legs amid stock volatility and dash for cash—but will go out in a blaze of glory with ‘blow-off phase’ before bubble pops
AItech stocks
AI boom may be on its last legs amid stock volatility and dash for cash—but will go out in a blaze of glory with ‘blow-off phase’ before bubble pops
By Jason MaJune 26, 2026
13 hours ago
m
LawMeta
‘Careless People’ author claims Meta surveilled her for a year to enforce her silence
By Barbara Ortutay and The Associated PressJune 26, 2026
13 hours ago
apple
Big TechApple
Apple blames inflationary effect of AI for price hikes: ‘We have never seen a component price increase this much’
By Barbara Ortutay and The Associated PressJune 26, 2026
13 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
2 days ago
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Success
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 24, 2026
3 days ago
Ray Dalio says the U.S. just had its 'Suez moment'—and history says what comes next could end an empire
Economy
Ray Dalio says the U.S. just had its 'Suez moment'—and history says what comes next could end an empire
By Nick LichtenbergJune 26, 2026
22 hours ago
The bond market knows something about the $39 trillion national debt that Washington doesn’t
Economy
The bond market knows something about the $39 trillion national debt that Washington doesn’t
By Eva RoytburgJune 25, 2026
1 day ago
Trump turns on Big Oil donors who spent nearly $100 million to get him elected—now he wants the DOJ to investigate them for price gouging
Economy
Trump turns on Big Oil donors who spent nearly $100 million to get him elected—now he wants the DOJ to investigate them for price gouging
By Tristan BoveJune 25, 2026
1 day ago
The richest 20% are the only ones powering the U.S. economy, says top economist, but their prospects are entirely reliant on teetering stock prices
Economy
The richest 20% are the only ones powering the U.S. economy, says top economist, but their prospects are entirely reliant on teetering stock prices
By Eleanor PringleJune 26, 2026
18 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.