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The evolution of digital identity: What comes next for businesses?

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Empowering your business with trusted identification solutions

In today's digital landscape, secure and reliable identification technologies are crucial for businesses to protect their products and services while ensuring seamless customer experiences. As the demand for robust authentication methods grows, companies must navigate complex options to meet regulatory standards and customer expectations. Swisscom Trust Services is a trusted partner that offers comprehensive solutions tailored to diverse business needs. Our expertise in e-signature, e-seals, identification, and authentication technologies empowers organizations to build trust, enhance security, and drive success in an increasingly connected world.

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Building trust in the digital age

Top 5 solutions for e-signatures, e-seals, and online identification

electronic signature by Swisscom Trust Services
Electronic signature

Electronic signatures are central to digital transformation, enabling secure digital contracts. Our pan-European certified remote signature software platform complies with EU regulation eIDAS, Swiss Federal law ZertES, and international ETSI standards. The white-label signature solution integrates seamlessly into partner applications, offering identity verification, signature registration, and secure document signing. We ensure confidentiality by signing only hash values without accessing the document’s content. 

E-seals by Swisscom Trust Services
Electronic seals

The electronic seal acts as a digital stamp for businesses, verifying secure origin and protecting against content manipulation. Our solution complies with the Swiss Digital Signature Act ZertES and EU eIDAS regulation, enabling the efficient sealing of thousands of documents, e-invoices, or receipts with one approval, ensuring security, integrity, and authenticity across Europe and EEA. 

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Online identification

Our electronic identification portfolio ensures secure, unique online identity verification, unlocking new business opportunities, e.g., KYC,  and enabling e-signature registration. With a one-time registration, you can sign repeatedly (repetitive signing). Tailored to your needs and compliant with EU eIDAS and Swiss ZertES, our diverse methods offer your customers the best in the market for reliable e-signature registration.

Secure signature approval means

In a digital world, user-friendliness and security are paramount. Our remote signature software integrates diverse, device-compatible two-factor authentication options, ensuring secure e-signature approval in line with EU regulation eIDAS and Swiss Federal law ZertES.

"Investing in advanced identification technologies is crucial for businesses aiming to grow and compete across borders within the EU and Switzerland. At Swisscom Trust Services, we believe that secure and seamless identity verification, e-signatures, or e-seals are the cornerstones of digital trust. They enable companies to unlock new opportunities and build lasting customer relationships with secure digital transactions in a rapidly evolving market."

Mario Voge

Head of Growth Management

Customer success stories

smartaxxess support young SMEs in digital transformation

Find out how smartaxxess is working with Swisscom Trust Services and fino kanzleidrive GmbH to support young SMEs on their path to digital transformation. Get insights of innovative technologies and tailore-made solutions to set new standards in financing, digitization and strategic planning.

Learn more about:

  • the uniqueness of the smartaxxess platform
  • the role of online identification in KYC and AML process
  • why smartaxxess choose to work with fino kanzleidrive and Swisscom Trust Services
  • the main features and benefits on fino.sign
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Electronic signing at point-of-sale with Scrive

Scrive, a European leader in electronic signatures and eIDs, partnered with Swisscom Trust Services to integrate legally compliant electronic signatures at the physical point-of-sale (POS). This solution digitizes the entire contract process, enabling seamless signing and data management on any device, eliminating the need for paper-based processes:

  • Customers review contracts on a tablet in-store and finalize agreements with a qualified electronic signature (QES).
  • QES is facilitated by Scrive's eSign platform and Swisscom Trust Services' identification services.  
  • The digital process ensures efficient contract sharing and archiving, enhancing customer experience and improving data quality.
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Canton of Lucerne implements regulated e-seals

The Canton of Lucerne, with the support of CMI, intarsys, and Swisscom Trust Services, introduced regulated electronic seals to eliminate media disruptions in government administration. This initiative enhances the efficiency and legal security of digital document management:

  • Digital documents are securely sealed within the cantonal data center, preventing media disruptions.
  • Integration with familiar applications allows employees to trigger electronic seals directly.
  • Swisscom Trust Services provides regulated certificates and time stamps without accessing document content, ensuring legal security and data protection.
  • Smooth integration of Swisscom Trust Services with intarsys and CMI ensures a seamless implementation.
  • Pioneering efforts in regulated electronic seals with expectations for increased adoption and future digital signatures. 
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Frequently asked questions about technology and integration in the Trust business

What are passkeys?
Passkeys offer a revolutionary way to achieve passwordless authentication through asymmetric cryptography. During account registration, this method automatically generates two corresponding keys: a private key stored on the user's device and a public key sent to the service provider. When the user attempts to access their account, the service provider issues a data packet or challenge automatically signed by the user's private key. If the service provider decrypts this signature, it confirms the matching key pair, verifying the user's identity. 
What are the different levels of e-signatures, and how do I choose the right one?
Simple Electronic Signature (SES):
  • Definition: An SES consists of electronic data linked to other data and used by the signatory to indicate intent. Examples include email signatures like "Yours sincerely – John Smith" or scanned handwritten signatures.
  • Characteristics: It has no special requirements and is vulnerable to forgery. While it is widely used for convenience, it lacks legal binding power because it's easy to fake or copy.
  • Use Case: Often used in everyday communications or transactions where other verification forms are in place.
Advanced Electronic Signature (AES):
  • Definition: An AES uses cryptographic certificates to verify the signatory's identity and ensure the document hasn't been altered after signing.
  • Characteristics: Provides a higher level of security than SES but requires additional evidence to prove authenticity in court. It is not entirely foolproof as the sole proof of identity.
  • Use Case: This method is suitable for scenarios with more security but not the highest level of assurance, and it is often used for internal business processes.

Qualified Electronic Signature (QES):

  • Definition: A QES is the highest level of electronic signature, involving rigorous identity verification and certification by a trusted service provider.
  • Characteristics: Legally equivalent to a handwritten signature in many jurisdictions. The burden of proof lies with those disputing the signature's authenticity. It is highly secure and trusted in regulated environments.
  • Use Case: This is ideal for high-stakes documents and transactions in regulated industries like finance and insurance. It involves more cost and complexity but provides the highest level of legal certainty.

Conclusion: The choice of electronic signature type depends on the transaction's legal requirements and risk levels. While QES offers the highest assurance and is suitable for critical legal documents, AES provides a secure and cost-effective alternative for many business needs. Companies should consult with legal experts and use services from certified providers, such as Swisscom Trust Services, to ensure they choose the appropriate type of signature for their needs. 

In which industries and professional contexts could passkeys be beneficial, and what specific challenges could they address?
Passkeys hold promise across various industries, particularly those where data security is paramount. Passkeys provide robust protection against unauthorized access and data breaches in healthcare, government, and finance sectors. They address the challenges of password fatigue, compliance with stringent security standards, and the need for seamless authentication across multiple platforms and services. Passkeys enable organizations to protect sensitive information and maintain customer trust by providing a secure and easy-to-use authentication solution. Passkeys are a perfect technology for implementing electronic signatures that are very user-friendly and secure.
How can companies benefit from electronically sealed e-invoices?

The benefits of using electronically sealed e-invoices include:

  • Authenticity and integrity: Electronic seals ensure that the e-invoice is authentic (i.e., it comes from the stated sender) and that the content has not been tampered with. This is particularly important to prevent fraud and build trust between business partners.

  • Legal requirements: In many countries, e-invoices must be secured by digital signatures or seals to ensure their legal validity. From 2025, this requirement will be mandatory for B2B companies in many parts of Europe, including Germany. The eIDAS regulation facilitates its use by providing a uniform framework for Europe.

  • Standardization: Electronic seals contribute to the standardization and simplification of e-invoicing. Using standards such as XRechnung or ZUGFeRD in combination with electronic seals ensures that invoices can be exchanged and processed regardless of the system used.

  • Traceability and archiving: Electronic seals facilitate the traceability and long-term archiving of e-invoices. They ensure that archived documents can be proven original and unaltered even after many years. Electronic seals could be combined with qualified electronic timestamps for effective long-term validation.

  • Process automation: Electronic seals on e-invoices enable greater automation in invoice processing, as the authenticity and integrity of invoices can be automatically verified, resulting in more efficient and faster workflows.

  • Increased security and fraud protection: Electronic seals and e-invoices use cryptographic methods to guarantee the authenticity and integrity of documents, providing increased protection against forgery and unauthorized changes.

  • Process optimization and cost savings: E-invoicing enables more efficient and faster processing, reducing cycle times and fewer errors. Companies can save costs by eliminating physical documents and increasing their attractiveness as employers. Unlike personalized e-signatures, electronic seals must not be manually confirmed each time, allowing batch processing and making the process more efficient.

  • Improved transparency and traceability: Electronic seals enable greater invoice transparency and traceability. All changes and deliveries can be tracked, facilitating internal and external audits. 

What is OpenID Connect?
OpenID Connect (OIDC) is an identity layer built on top of the OAuth 2.0 framework. It allows third-party applications to verify user identities and obtain basic profile information. 
What is the ETSI 119 432 interface?

The ETSI 119 432 interface is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) specifically for signature creation and validation protocols. It defines specifications for interoperable signature creation and validation services. 

What is the benefit of the CSC interface?

CSC acts as a standardized interface based on ETSI EN 119 412 between trust services, allowing the implementation of highly trusted digital signatures across borders. It enables interoperability between different vendor systems, creating global and cross-border business opportunities. The CSC protocol uses a lightweight JSON format, making it easier to implement and use.

Signatures are always requested for a hash, which leaves the document on the user's device, enhancing security. 

What is the difference between Cloud Signature Consortium and ETSI EN 119 432 standard?

Both Cloud Signature Consortium (CSC) and ETSI EN 119432 relate to remote signing processes. CSC defines an API for remote signature applications, while ETSI EN 119432 likely provides standards for protocols in signature creation and validation. CSC is based on the ETSI EN 119432 norm. 

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