Digital Signatures for Federal Government Fact Sheet

With increasing pressure on government budgets and a need for federal agencies to do more with less, CoSign® makes it easy for government agencies to digitally sign transactions, documents, and forms. By embedding standards-based digital signatures directly into common files and business applications, CoSign produces a FIPS 186-2 compliant electronic signature record for every approval. This Portable Signature Format (CoSign PSF™) allows easy and secure validation and proof of signer identity, intent, and document integrity without any costly, complex, or proprietary technology required for verification.  

The results are sustainable, digitally signed electronic records that are based on published standards and that can be trusted by recipients for data integrity and signer authenticity.

• Mitigate risk. CoSign is tried and tested and used by hundreds of government entities and nearly a million government sector end-users from across the globe.
• Assure security and compliance. CoSign Central stores the signing key (Private Key) in a centralized and secure hardware device (the CoSign FIPS version is FIPS-140-2 Level 3 certified), ensuring that any tampering attempt with the secured CoSign appliance will be detected. Strong key security combined with a high-level of user identification (which is supported by standard operating procedures for identification throughout the employee recruitment process) enables CoSign to comply with the most stringent federal, state, and industry regulatory requirements such as the FDA's 21 CFR Part 11, HIPAA, and SOX.
• Add signature capture capability to external facing portals. CoSign enables digital signing functionality in advanced external-facing applications such as partner-facing web applications, kiosk type point-of-sale applications, and e-invoicing applications.
• Ensure external acceptance. CoSign digital signatures are embedded directly into the document itself, enabling the document to serve as a self contained e-record. This enables any outside party to independently verify the digitally-signed e-records for signer identity and intent, and data integrity.
• Integrate into existing workflows. CoSign integrates seamlessly with leading workflow and Enterprise Content Management Systems such as Microsoft® SharePoint®, enabling automated approval processes from within your organization's existing workflow systems.
• Securely control authorized signers. CoSign works with existing user management systems like Microsoft Active Directory® for controlling signer authorizations, and supports custom user management for external signer authorization for users who are outside of the organization.
• Deploy quickly and manage easily. CoSign ensures quick deployment and minimal ongoing IT management requirements, translating into a very low total cost of ownership.

• Turn any document into a signed and sealed PDF. CoSign's integrated signing feature can convert any electronic document into a signed PDF.
• Add your graphical signature and signing rational. The signer's graphical signature is placed on the document as well as the rational for signing, such as: ‘I approve,’ ‘I agree,’ etc.
• Approve along with your colleagues. CoSign allows multiple signatures to be placed on a document one after another while ensuring document integrity. It also allows for digital signatures to be applied only to a specific area of the document. This is useful in scenarios that require a series of approvers and an audit trail.
• Make a complete return on investment. CoSign eliminates the costs associated with paper, printing, scanning, archiving and more.  Your system will pay for itself in a matter of months, or less.  

CoSign keeps business moving by fully automating workflows and quickly scaling processes with proper controls.

• Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)
• FIPS 140-2 level 3
• Digital Signature Standard (FIPS 186-2)
• Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA)