Digital Signatures

Understanding Digital Signatures

Digital signatures are no longer a “nice to have”. For most organisations, they are now standard practice — replacing slow, paper-based signing with faster, secure, legally binding electronic approvals.

But while many businesses have adopted digital signatures, many DocTech clients have have taken the next step: fully integrating digital signatures with their document management and business processes.

At DocTech, we help organisations move beyond standalone e-signature tools by delivering integrated digital signature solutions, embedded directly within document management platforms such as DocuWare.

Integrated digital signatures remain legally valid, as they comply with all the necessary requirements to ensure legal enforceability, even in a post-Brexit context. This is often a key concern for UK-based customers.

DocuWare Integrated Digital Signatures

For organisations utilising document management systems such as DocuWare, having standalone signature tools is a missed opportunity.

The full power of digital signatures is unlocked when they are fully integrated into your document management system.

By combining secure, eIDAS-compliant digital signature technology with DocuWare, DocTech enables organisations to manage the entire document lifecycle — from creation to signing to secure storage — within a single, connected workflow.

With our signature solutions, the signer has access to the full document before signing, reinforcing transparency and trust. The signatures can also be done in person.

Why Do DocuWare Clients Use Integrated Digital Signatures?

With digital signatures embedded into DocuWare, our clients benefit far beyond convenience:

End-to-End Process Automation
Contracts, HR forms, supplier agreements and approvals move seamlessly from creation to signature to archive — without human intervention.

Single Source of Truth
The signed document, metadata, version history and audit trail all live together in DocuWare, improving governance and compliance.

Reduced Risk and Errors
Eliminate manual uploads, incorrect filing and lost documents that commonly occur with standalone platforms.

Faster Turnaround Times
Documents are signed and completed in hours instead of days — with real-time visibility of status and automated reminders.

Scalable, Compliant and Secure
Signaturit provides advanced, qualified and certificate-based signatures where required, fully compliant with UK and EU regulations.

Our Solutions

Signature Problems

What are the Limitations of Standalone Digital Signature Solutions?

Standalone digital signature tools certainly improve speed, but they often introduce new challenges:

Documents must be exported, uploaded, downloaded and re-stored
Signed files are manually re-filed into document management systems
Version control becomes harder to manage
Audit trails are stored separately from the document lifecycle
Processes remain fragmented across multiple platforms

This creates unnecessary manual steps, increases risk due to lack of transparency, and limits the true efficiency on offer when digital signatures are embedded with your other processes.

The Integrated Solution

Proven Results with DocTech Clients

DocTech has helped clients such as Mosscare St Vincent’s Housing Association modernise document-driven processes by removing paper, reducing administrative effort, and accelerating contract turnaround times.

By integrating digital signatures into their document management environment, clients benefit from improved efficiency, stronger audit controls, and a better experience for staff and external stakeholders alike.

Integrated Digital Signature Features:

Send documents for signature directly from DocuWare
Automatically route documents through approval workflows
Capture legally binding signatures without leaving the system
Store signed documents instantly in the correct location
Retain full audit trails alongside the document record

No duplication. No manual assigning or storing away. No disconnected systems.

How Do Integrated Digital Signatures Reduce Costs?

We are well known for our work in the Social Housing Sector. Long term client Mosscare St Vincent's Housing Association had huge success with their integration, reducing admin time, improving processes and most importantly, removing travel for tenants with documents to sign.

Enlisting digital signature technology improves the speed of auditing, provides a smoother turnaround on contract completion and reduces all associated costs. In a Covid world where remove working is common place, they also offer convenience to your clients.

Digital signatures can be used internally or externally with suppliers and clients. They give the ability to sign multiple documents remotely utilising two-factor authentications for security.

Our digital sign services easily integrate with our document management system, creating the perfect way to manage and sign documents associated with workflows and notifications.

This article on Housing Digital's website explains about how paperless software has saved MSV £22,000 per year.

If your organisation already uses digital signatures, the next logical step is integration.

Talk to DocTech today to see how integrated digital signatures with DocuWare can transform the way you manage, sign and control your documents — securely, efficiently, and at scale.

Challenges We Help With

With our software all your documents are stored and shared digitally. It’s faster, more transparent, and more efficient than traditional paper-based methods and enables employees to work more efficiently. Available in the Cloud or On-Premise, your data is secure and backed up.

Document Management

If your business needs to comply with industry regulations relating to information security, sharing, storage, and document control then we have the experience to help you. Manage version control, provide a clear audit trail and know who was the last person to amend a document and when.

Quality and Compliance

We create digital document workflows to meet an organisation’s bespoke requirements. We provide an electronic system to track, edit, store and manage all documents and emails associated with any existing or new process. Approve or reject invoices, view tasks, authorise holidays and much more.

Document Workflow