A digital signature is the online equivalent of a written contract or authorization and is intended to provide evidence that a given transaction took place. Digital signatures provide for what is called non-repudiation. The digital signature, combined with the recent federal E-Sign law, removing most legal requirements for paper, as opposed to electronic, records and signatures, lays the groundwork for the accelerated transition to online transactions. Moving operations to a digital signature environment can provide enormous efficiencies and substantially reduce the current costs and people required for paperwork administration. PKI is a general term for the technology, policies, and architecture that support the implementation and operation of digital certificates.
Certificates serve as online credentials or identities.
A certificate to an online user is the equivalent of a driver s license for a driver or a passport for an international traveler. Establishing and maintaining a PKI, however, requires both substantial infrastructure and specialized expertise that is beyond the means of most health organizations. Consequently, most healthcare organizations are implementing managed solutions that give them control of administration and policy while leaving the expensive infrastructure operations and specialized expertise to a qualified partner. A public key infrastructure that enables authentication, access control, encryption and digital signature offers a proven security platform for e-business initiatives such as online marketing outreach and others. This type of approach safeguards and protects the integrity of your stature and brand in the communities you serve.