Communication Intelligence Corporation (CIC)'s SignatureOne Suite of applications combine to provide a platform that allows for the use of handwritten signatures on electronic documents. Using the tools together allows not only for the binding of the handwritten signature to the document but the actual biometric verification of that signature, as well. SignatureOne Profile Server is a centralized server (requires an application server with J2SE 1.4.2_08 or later, plus an SQL Server or Oracle DB) that allows for the administration, management, and user enrollment of signature profiles (that store the user's signature dynamics); and Sign-it runs on the client computers, with specialized versions available for use in Word, Acrobat, AutoCAD, and now XHTML documents.

A third component of the suite, the iSign Suite, provides developer tools (SDKs) for the addition of electronic ink capture and display, signature verification, encryption and ink compression features to custom applications. iSign Suite is offered in Windows (including .NET), Java, and Windows CE flavors.

The Sign-it application, when used by itself, provides the ability of a user to enter a handwritten signature (typically via a tablet attached to the PC) and bind it to the document such that if the document is altered in any way after the signature has been entered the signature itself becomes invalid. In addition to the signature itself, the user can add a graphical company "eSeal" to be displayed with the signature. Signature information is bound to the document and integrity protected via the use of SHA-1 hashing, DES and 3DES encryption, and X.509 digital certificates.

When used in combination with the SignatureOne Profile Server, further capabilities are added to the signing process, including biometric verification and access to password protected signature stamps. Both of these capabilities are facilitated via the user first enrolling on the SignatureOne Profile Server. In the case of biometric verification, the user must sign their name multiple times, with biometric information such as the speed of the signature, direction of writing, amount of time the pen spends on and off the "paper," etc. stored in the user's signature profile. And in the case of signature stamping, the user must enter both a signature and a secret password that will allow them to retrieve the stored signature and "stamp" it into a document. The user selects which signature algorithm to use when signing their document; if a direct connection to the SignatureOne server is available, then the Sign-it client retrieves the appropriate information (signature template or signature stamp) directly from the server. Once enrolled, however, the user can also export and download the appropriate template information to their client, allowing them to process biometric or stamp-based document signatures without an immediate connection to the SignatureOne Server. If the user has selected the verified signature method, then their supplied signature is biometrically validated against the original forensic information as stored in the user's profile, with the signature only applied to the document if it is deemed to be valid. Along with the signature, the various metrics used to determine the signature's validity (speed, weight, etc.) are additionally stored for later forensic analysis, if necessary. For stamp-based signatures, the user need supply only their specified password, and their signature "stamp" is retrieved and applied to the document.

A further benefit of SignatureOne Profile Server is transaction tracking: With the server in place, all signature transactions are logged to the server and can be reviewed by designated personnel.

New to the SignatureOne product suite is the introduction of the SignatureOne Web Server, a Web-based offering that enables users to sign documents using only their Web browser. SignatureOne Web Server is a result of the vendor's partnership with Safedocs, and is expected to be available in late 2007.

Visit the CIC Web site for further information.