Digital Signature Trust Wins EPA ContractZions Bancorporation affiliate Digital Signature Trust Co., Salt Lake City, has been selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use the company's digital certificate technology to support the EPA's central data exchange. The contract was awarded through the Access Certificates for Electronics Services program and will give the EPA the ability to receive filings from companies in electronic form. The EPA receives compliance reports from more than 1 million facilities throughout the country. The agency's efforts toward electronic systems was outlined in the Reinventing Environmental Information plan, and the Government Paperwork Elimination Act, which mandates that all agencies have their forms online and the ability to accept electronic filings of the forms by 2003.
Silanis Enlists With The U.S. Army
Silanis Technology Inc. has answered Uncle Sam's call, despite the fact that the electronic signatures software company is based in Canada. The company has reached an agreement with the U.S. Army Medical Command that will license its ApproveIt software to 40,000 users. Medical Command personnel using the software will be able to electronically sign thousand of documents required by the Army Medical Department, the Department of the Army, and the U.S. Department of Defense at more than 110 locations worldwide. By using electronic signatures technology, the Army hopes to speed up the paperwork processes involved in its efforts, including humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping missions and day-to-day care for active and retired personnel and their families.
FleetBoston Offers Virtual Lock Boxes
Consumers who take advantage of e-signature technology will be looking for an extra-secure place to store those documents, executives with FleetBoston believe. The Boston-based financial services company has begun offering virtual safe deposit boxes to consumers who want their online documents stored as securely as their printed counterparts. Other companies have offered similar services in the past, but have not seen any great demand for the service. However, with the passage of the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, which legalized documents containing electronic signatures, FleetBoston expects the number of online documents-and the corresponding demand for secure places to store those documents-to rise. FleetBoston's virtual safe deposit box system, dubbed FileTrust, initially is being rolled out as a pilot program aimed at smaller businesses. It is expected to be extended to individual consumers early next year, and later to larger corporations. Users of the service will be able to upload or download files over the Internet at a cost of up to $10 per month, depending on the features selected and the customer's existing business relationship with the bank.
CIC Acquires PenOp
Communications Intelligence Corp., a Redwood Shores, Calif.-based provider of electronic signature technology, has acquired "certain assets" of PenOp Ltd. without assuming any of the liability. CIC acquired PenOp's intellectual properties and global strategic alliance partnerships in exchange for 4.7 million shares of CIC's common stock, valued at about $11.75 million. In addition, CIC reached a licensing agreement to provide electronic signature solutions and handwriting recognition offerings for the IBM ThinkPad laptop series and the IBM WorkPad Palm OS-based handheld device.
iLumin Packages E-sign Technology
iLumin, an Orem, Utah-based developer of technology used to bind online transactions, has joined with Digital Signature Trust Co., a Zions Bancorporation affiliate based in Salt Lake City, to provide a prepackaged suite of online products and services designed to streamline e-commerce. The product will provide businesses with the ability to use e-signature technology to securely move legal transactions, contracts, applications and documents over the Internet. Users of the product, called TrustID, will be able to act as a registration authority and issue digital certificates themselves, or work through Digital Signature Trust's system.
eOriginal, SignOnline Form Alliance
Irvine, Ca.-based SignOnline has reached an agreement to support the development and commercialization of eOriginal's e-commerce systems with an eye toward eventual integration of the two companies' products. eOriginal is a Baltimore-based provider of technology that supports the creation, transmission and storage of electronic documents. SignOnline will integrate the eOriginal system with SignOnline's document storage and retrieval system.
