Bringing Compliant E-Signatures to Europe with IBM

Data residency is a strong driver of cloud software buying decisions in Europe. UK-based Gartner analyst Brian Lowans believes it is extremely important to understand where data is stored, and to classify any data that is subject to regulatory or export controls. With the recent repeal of the Safe Harbor agreement and its replacement by the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, organizations are increasingly seeking solutions that are available on local data centers to ensure that their company and customer data is protected by local laws.

Meeting data residency needs in Europe

Contracts, agreements, account opening documents, loan applications, and disclosures all contain personal information that is often subject to regulatory and compliance controls. For this reason, where your e-signature service and data are hosted is of utmost importance. European organizations can now choose to have their e-signature data reside in Europe with the availability of eSignLive hosted on IBM SoftLayer data centers in the United Kingdom and Germany. Our solution not only helps businesses meet data residency requirements, but also ensures minimal data latency with data centers in closer proximity to provide a fast and optimal user experience. If you’re an organization with offices in locations around the world, it’s important to ensure that your e-signature provider allows you to easily scale the solution – both locally and abroad – as your e-signature needs grow. Look for an e-signature solution that offers multiple deployment options (including the ability to launch it as a shared service across the enterprise) and is available on a growing number of data centers to fulfill data residency requirements across your business’ operations. [promotion id="15639"]

A long-standing strategic global partnership with IBM

The expansion of eSignLive to new international markets was no small feat. It required collaboration with key customers and partners who shared our vision for global digital transformation. One such partner was IBM, who has been a strategic partner since 2006 and played a significant role in helping bring compliant e-signatures to Europe. In the spirit of true partnership, we have achieved many great things together. Here are some noteworthy accomplishments:

1. Last year, IBM transformed its client contracting experience with e-signatures. IBM’s global salesforce is now equipped with iPads with a custom e-signature app to deliver an efficient, secure and paperless e-contracting process. Learn about this IBM and eSignLive success story.
2. eSignLive and IBM share many clients within financial services and insurance, including top tier insurance carriers and banks, such as U.S. Bank and RBC Royal Bank. Our joint customers have adopted e-signatures for e-contracting, account openings, lending, 401K transfers and more.
3. With eSignLive hosted on IBM Cloud’s expanding SoftLayer data center network, together we are now able to bring compliant e-signatures to all corners of the world. In Europe for example, the joint solution offers businesses – particularly those in regulated and compliance-driven industries – with direct visibility into where their data resides – right down to the city, data center and even the serial number of the server.
4. We are also proud to partner with IBM to offer eSignLive on a private cloud for organizations that want even more control over where the service and data reside. The combined solution offers a choice of private cloud options that enable fast deployment, operational flexibility and low start-up costs. IBM can configure and maintain the eSignLive application, provision the right level of computing resources and dynamically adjust capacity as your needs change.

Over the last decade, IBM has recognized eSignLive’s role as a strategic partner through a number of achievements, including the 2016 IBM Choice Award for Top ISV Innovation. I can hardly wait to see what the next 10 years will bring. eSignLive will certainly be along for the ride!  

Data residency in Europe – now a must-have requirement

Is local data residency and privacy a "must-have" requirement for your organization? Are you looking for a flexible e-signature solution that gives your business choice with respect to how and where you can deploy the solution? Learn about our various eSignLive plans (including our free 30-day trial) or join our developer community to see how you can bring compliant and secure e-signatures to your organization.