E-Lock ProSigner streamlined the approval process at UK Pesticides Safety Directorate by making it secure and paperless |
Secure Paperless Transactions | Reduced Overheads | Integration with existing system
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UK Pesticides Safety Directorate, Case Study |
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The Customer |
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Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) is an executive agency of DEFRA (Dept. for environment, food and rural affairs) in UK. It is primarily responsible for the issuing of licenses (approvals) for the pesticides used in UK, on behalf of several Govt. departments. |
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The entire procedure of approvals was time consuming and paper intensive. Initially, approval documents were passed between Departments by post and fax. To reduce the processing time, the PSD decided to allow submission of applications in electronic format via emails. The applications would then be approved and digitally signed by PSD and sent back to the applicants. Once signed, approval documents were sent to applicants by post. Some of the approval information was highly confidential. They needed a secure electronic delivery method to deliver them to their customers. |
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The Challenge Faced by PSD
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The UK legislation requires the approvals to be signed by the PSD and HSE (Health & Safety Executive). Once issued, the approvals are legal documents as they define the conditions under which a pesticide may be used. Therefore any electronic system needed to be sufficiently robust, secure and non-refutable to stand up to legal challenge. The customers needed to ensure that the document originated from PSD and it was not altered / changed after being approved. |
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Essential features required were |
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The approval document to be signed independently by two different Govt. agencies without invalidating the first signature |
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Ability to add multiple signatures to the same document |
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A system with a low price |
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Easy to use system that could be used with minimal training |
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Integration ability with MS Word (the existing format of applications and approvals) |
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| E-lock ProSigner: The Solution |
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E-Lock ProSigner met all the requirements of the PSD. ProSigner was installed at PSD and HSE. Since it integrated with MS word, the staff could use the existing procedure with minimal training for the use of digital signing. A free digital signature verification tool (Reader) was provided to PSD customers. It could be downloaded from the website at zero cost. The customers could ensure that the document originated from PSD and it was not altered/ changed after being approved. |
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Benefits using E-Lock ProSigner: |
PSD cites following Benefits using ProSigner: |
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Using ProSigner has effectively reduced the processing time of the approvals. |
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Overheads associated with the paper work involved in the process were saved. |
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The applicants can verify the signatures using free verification tool to ensure that the signature and data is authentic. |
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ProSigner integrates with MS Word format, which makes it easy to use, even for a novice user. It also integrates with Windows Explorer, which makes it possible to sign any document with just a right click |
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About E-Lock: |
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E-Lock is a leading provider of digital signing solutions, which are compliant with worldwide e-Signature legislation. Founded in 1997 the company is headquartered in McLean, VA. It offers desktop and web based security solutions. E-Lock products are used across Government, Healthcare and Financial organizations around the globe. |
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