July 13, 2020
The joint solution is eIDAS compliant and addresses the increasing need for qualified electronic signatures, especially in the financial services and insurance sector and in the public service.
Aachen and Taucha (Germany), July 13, 2020 – Utimaco, an international provider of IT security solutions, and procilon, a leading full-service provider of Public-Key-Infrastructure solutions, joined forces in a technology partnership and have developed a joint offering for qualified electronic signatures on the highest security level that eliminates the need for additional hardware components like smart cards and smart card readers. The global corona pandemic has been boosting digital transformation efforts in organizations across all industries and with it the need for legally binding ways and means of signing documents electronically.
Until today, users need to use a smart card and a smart card reader device to fulfill eIDAS requirements for a qualified electronic signature, which is defined as being equivalent to a handwritten signature on paper. Given that most mobile devices cannot be connected to smart cards and smart card readers without considerable hassle, qualified electronic signatures could not in effect be provided using mobile devices. By combining Utimaco’s CryptoServer hardware security module (HSM) with procilon‘s proNEXT software, the two companies now provide a solution that eliminates the need for smart cards and smart card readers entirely while being fully compliant with eIDAS standards for qualified electronic signatures. Thus, the new solution removes one of the most substantial hurdles to the acceptance and proliferation of the technology. Organizations having to comply with the written form requirement to perform legally binding transactions can now digitize their business processes without fear of poor user-friendliness and low acceptance. The first businesses that come to mind to benefit from this solution are the financial services and insurance sector and the public service, but use cases in other industries such as the health sector with electronic prescriptions are equally well suited to benefitting from this easy to use and compliant solution.
Trusted Service Providers, i.e. vendors of eIDAS compliant electronic signatures services and solutions, can integrate the Utimaco-procilon solution, thereby extending their offering to include especially remote qualified electronic signatures.
Mark Rüdiger, in charge of Business Development at procilon, comments on the partnership with Utimaco: „procilon has been working intensively with a variety of solution providers over the years. Working with Utimaco has allowed us to reach a new level: we have combined two separate technologic elements to create a wholistic solution that we believe is very powerful and that we therefore submitted for QSCD certification“.
„Our joint solution with procilon sets a new international standard for electronic signatures.
It provides the security companies and public authorities need to perform legally binding digital transactions and at the same time enables them to address new groups of users who want use their mobile devices for all kinds of digital services“ says Mario Galatovic, VP Product Management at Utimaco.
About Utimaco
Utimaco is an international provider of IT security solutions with headquarters in Aachen (Germany) and Campbell, CA (USA). Utimaco develops hardware security modules and key management solutions as well as compliance solutions for telecommunication providers in the field of regulation. Utimaco is one of the world’s leading manufacturers in both of these market segments.
Over 300 employees have committed to the company´s goal to protect people, identities and data. Customers and partners value the reliability and long-term investment security of Utimaco’s high-security products and solutions. Utimaco stands for recognized product quality, user-friendly software, excellent support and products that effectively meet market requirements. Further information is available at www.utimaco.com.
About procilon GROUP
procilon GROUP, based close to Leipzig, with subsidiaries in Berlin and Dortmund, is one of the leading German providers of IT security solutions for business, institutions, the public services sector as well as industry and judicial systems.
For almost 20 years, procilon software products have been securing digital identities and communication for more than 1,500 customers. Based on intelligent security platforms, the latest encryption methods and top-notch infrastructure, procilon establishes automated compliance with data privacy, information security regulations and trustworthiness. The product range comprises everything from simple document encryption as a cloud service to eIDAS-compliant signature applications and qualified digital identities at trust service providers. procilon software products have been audited multiple times and are certified in accordance with CC EAL 4+ VAN5 (high attack potential).
