What Is Digital Identification and Why Is It the Key to Cyber Resilience?

As transactions move online at a rapid pace, organizations can no longer rely on face-to-face interactions to build trust. As a result, there’s never been a better time to take a closer look at who you’re doing business with.

Are they who they say they are? Can you 100% trust them? Do you have the processes in place to verify their claims?

Digital identification plays an important role in how your business operates. From managing employee onboarding to signing contracts, it helps keep your transactions safe and secure.

In this article, you'll learn why digital identification should be the heart and soul of not only your cybersecurity plan, but your wider business strategy. We'll also show you how to incorporate it into your document workflows.

What is a Digital Identity?
Is Digital Identification and Verification the Same Thing?
4 Benefits of Digital Identification For Your Business
Do eSignatures Offer Digital Identity Assurance?
How Do I Pick the Right Digital Identification Solution?
Successful Digital Identification Starts With Nitro
How Nitro Sign Accelerated Secure Transactions in Banking
Nitro Is Your Digital Identity Partner

A digital identity, or digital ID, is information that exists about an individual, organization or device online. From email addresses to internet browsing patterns, your unique digital identity is formed from multiple sources.

No. Digital identification is what a person, company or device claims to be.

Digital identity verification confirms the legitimacy of these claims. During the eSigning process, a user's digital ID must be verified before their signature is obtained.

Identities can be verified in many ways. Some examples include:

• Login and password combinations (including Single Sign-On) 
• One-time passwords (via SMS and email) 
• Mobile identities 
• Bank authentication 
• Biometric authentication 

Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations require organizations to manage money laundering, fraud and financial crime threats through specified measures. One of these measures is Know Your Client/Customer (KYC). By integrating identification and verification steps into your eSigning workflows, you’ll meet compliance and regulatory requirements, and maintain the integrity of your documents.

Your customers want to know their data is prioritized and protected. A convenient and frictionless identification experience gives your customers peace of mind that their information is safe and secure when eSigning. If you offer multiple identification and authentication options and integrate with the tools they are already using, your customers are more likely to complete the eSigning process without any errors.

Data breaches, cybersecurity threats and fraudulent activity are coming at businesses from all angles. As you share more sensitive data across multiple applications and tools, you need to be sure your documents are only being seen by the right people. Having identification and authentication at the core of your workflows prevents criminals from posing as other people—so you can be confident your documents are in safe hands.

Today's consumers demand the convenience of completing transactions at the click of a button. If your organization is stuck on paper-based identification that requires face-to-face authentication, you’re not operating as efficiently as you could be. Automated, digital identification processes will not only free up time for your teams, but you’ll also reduce paper usage, cut costs and have stress-free workflows.

Learn more about high-trust eSigning in our Ultimate Guide to Electronic Signatures.

There are three different methods of eSignatures as identified by The European Union’s Electronic Identification, Authentication and Trust Services (eIDAS): Simple, Advanced and Qualified.

Each type of eSignature requires different levels of identification.

• Simple Electronic Signatures (SES): Do not require any digital identification and verification from the signer.
• Advanced Electronic Signatures (AES): Require signer identity verification.
• Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES): Require face-to-face ID verification (either in-person or via video).

If you’re in a highly regulated industry or you just want greater assurance across your documents and eSignatures, choose a method that offers the highest level of security and digital identity protection.

Questions on where to start with digital identification for your documents? Contact Nitro’s identity experts today.

If you’ve decided to partner with a digital identification provider, you’re one step closer to guaranteeing the security and integrity of your documents. When selecting any vendor for your organization, you need to be sure your business needs are being fulfilled.

Start by assessing your transactions and identifying the capabilities you need, now, and as your business evolves.

Will you be dealing with large volumes of sensitive information? Perhaps you’re a financial services organization that manages high-risk transactions and needs secure eSigning with identity verification?

When evaluating options, ask yourself the following questions:

• Flexibility: Will you have a range of digital identification methods available to you?
  
• Compliance: Does the solution meet KYC and AML requirements, and local and industry regulations?
  
• Integration: Will you be able to work with existing business applications?
  
• Support: Does the vendor offer dedicated customer service and digital identity expertise—without hidden costs?
  
• Cost-effectiveness: Is the vendor transparent about pricing if you need to scale or change your identification approach? 
  

With Nitro’s Identity Services and high trust eSigning workflows, building cyber resilience is easy.

We provide a comprehensive, compliant and flexible digital identification solution—without compromising user experience.

Our specialized API integrates any secure identification means with your existing apps and tools to create seamless end-to-end digital workflows. Nitro Sign also connects with any eID scheme with our open ID protocol, so your customers get fast, secure transactions from anywhere.

Nitro's solutions have also been recognized by GigaOm analysts in the 2023 Radar Report for “driving high scores for flexibility, advanced digital signatures and identity authentication.”

Read the full GigaOm Radar Report .

As a leader in online trading in Belgium, Keytrade Bank needed an easy way for customers to sign documents digitally with secure, qualified and authenticated signatures.

Nitro Sign Premium's intuitive platform enabled Keytrade Bank customers to sign contracts using electronic identity cards for added verification. In less than 48 hours, customers could complete the loan process.

A strategic digital identification framework should be at the core of your business operations, because without it, you can never 100% trust who you’re doing business with.

Reach out to talk to one of our digital identification experts today who can help you reach your goals.