On Sunday, the new E-Sign law will take effect, making it legal to sign documents with an electronic signature. The exact specification for what constitutes an electronic signature was not defined, which leaves a broad range of interpretations. One type of electronic signature that will get a boost from the E-Sign law is digital signatures. The leading certificate authority that provides digital certificates is VeriSign. Other companies that offer digital certificates include RSA Security, Entrust Technologies, Baltimore Technologies, and GlobalSign.
Individual businesses are also able to issue digital certificates internally.