Using the SignNow PKI Technology for Secure Signatures
Using the SignNow PKI Technology for Secure eSignatures
airSlate SignNow follows the PKI security protocol to provide the highest level of security and global acceptance of digital signatures. Learn how airSlate SignNow empowers users to send documents for safe digital signatures.
What using the signnow pki technology means in practice
Using the signnow pki technology refers to applying public key infrastructure (PKI) principles within the signNow platform to authenticate signers, bind digital certificates to signatures, and cryptographically protect documents. This approach uses X.509 certificates, certificate authorities, and asymmetric keypairs so that signatures can be validated independently, timestamps can be recorded, and integrity checks can detect tampering after signing. For U.S. organizations, implementing signNow PKI supports stronger non-repudiation and verifiable identity assertions while fitting into electronic records frameworks governed by ESIGN and UETA.
Why consider using the signnow pki technology
Using the signNow PKI technology adds cryptographic signer identity, tamper-evident seals, and certificate-based validation to electronic transactions, improving legal defensibility and auditability without replacing standard eSignature workflows.
Common implementation challenges when using PKI
Managing certificate lifecycle and expiration across many users can create administrative overhead and requires proactive renewal policies.
Integrating third-party certificate authorities and trust lists demands alignment on formats, revocation checking, and operational SLAs.
Providing signer onboarding that balances convenience with strong identity proofing may require additional verification steps.
Ensuring mobile and offline signing compatibility with PKI certificates can require platform-specific configuration and secure key handling.
Key user roles for using the signnow PKI technology
IT Administrator
IT Administrators configure PKI integrations, manage certificate authorities, and maintain revocation and OCSP/CRL checks. They also set system-wide policies, automate certificate provisioning where possible, and troubleshoot interoperability issues between signNow and enterprise identity services.
Compliance Officer
Compliance Officers define acceptable identity proofing levels, map PKI usage to regulatory requirements like ESIGN and UETA, and retain audit records. They review certificate trust policies and retention settings to ensure legal defensibility of signed documents and evidence.
Organizations that adopt the signnow PKI workflow
Typical adopters include regulated teams and organizations that need cryptographic identity and strong audit evidence for agreements.
Legal and compliance teams handling contracts needing robust non-repudiation and clear identity attribution.
Healthcare and education administrators requiring controlled access and traceable approvals under HIPAA or FERPA constraints.
Finance and procurement groups that need certificate-backed signatures for vendor contracts and internal approvals.
These users prioritize verifiable identity, tamper detection, and a clear audit trail over minimal friction, and they often combine PKI with existing signNow features.
Additional signNow capabilities to complement PKI
Beyond certificate handling, signNow offers features that improve PKI adoption, signer experience, and operational governance for enterprise deployments.
Template Library
Create reusable templates with predefined signature fields and certificate requirements to accelerate consistent PKI-enabled document distribution across teams and departments.
Role-Based Access
Assign roles and permissions to control who can send documents, manage certificate mappings, or view sensitive audit logs within the signNow account.
Bulk Send
Distribute identical, certificate-required documents to multiple recipients while preserving individual certificate bindings and tracking per-recipient audit entries.
API Access
Use signNow APIs to automate certificate checks, initiate signing sessions that require PKI credentials, and integrate events with enterprise systems.
Conditional Logic
Apply conditional fields or routing based on certificate attributes or verification outcomes to enforce downstream approvals or escalations.
Secure Storage
Leverage encrypted cloud storage with controlled retention for PKI-signed documents and associated audit artifacts to support audits.
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Primary signNow features relevant to PKI workflows
Key signNow capabilities support certificate-based signing, secure storage, and compliance-friendly audit records to integrate PKI into established eSignature processes.
Certificate Integration
Supports integration with enterprise and third-party certificate authorities to accept X.509 certificates for signer authentication and to bind certificates to signature events within documents.
Revocation Checking
Performs OCSP or CRL checks during signature validation so that revoked or suspended certificates are detected and reflected in the signing outcome and audit record.
Tamper Evidence
Applies cryptographic hashing and sealed signatures that show whether document content has been altered after signing, preserving integrity for legal and compliance review.
Detailed Audit Trail
Generates timestamped logs capturing certificate details, validation results, IP addresses, and signing actions to support investigations and regulatory reporting.
How signer verification works with signNow PKI
This overview describes the typical verification sequence when a signer uses PKI certificates within signNow.
Certificate presentation: Signer presents an X.509 certificate during authentication.
Certificate validation: signNow verifies the certificate chain and revocation status.
Signature binding: A signed document is cryptographically bound to the signer's certificate.
Audit logging: signNow records timestamps and verification details in the audit trail.
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Quick setup steps for using the signnow PKI technology
Follow these concise steps to configure PKI-enabled signing flows with signNow and establish certificate trust and signer onboarding.
01
Select CA: Choose an internal or third-party certificate authority.
02
Integrate CA: Configure certificate issuance and trust settings in signNow.
03
Provision users: Assign certificates to signer accounts or devices.
04
Test flow: Validate signing, revocation checks, and audit entries.
Managing audit trails for PKI transactions in signNow
Maintain consistent audit practices to ensure each PKI-signed document has verifiable evidence of identity, validation checks, and any post-signing changes.
01
Capture timestamp:
Record precise signing time
02
Log certificate details:
Store issuer and serial
03
Record validation results:
Include OCSP/CRL response
04
Preserve signer metadata:
IP and device information
05
Archive signed hash:
Keep cryptographic digest
06
Provide verification report:
Exportable audit evidence
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Why choose airSlate SignNow
Free 7-day trial. Choose the plan you need and try it risk-free.
Honest pricing for full-featured plans. airSlate SignNow offers subscription plans with no overages or hidden fees at renewal.
Enterprise-grade security. airSlate SignNow helps you comply with global security standards.
Typical workflow settings when enabling PKI signing
Configure these workflow settings in signNow to support certificate issuance, validation, and auditing for PKI-backed signatures.
Workflow Setting Name and Description Header
Default configuration or expected values
Integration with external Certificate Authorities
OCSP endpoint configured
Signer certificate provisioning method
Manual or automated issuance
Revocation checking frequency and method
OCSP preferred, periodic CRL fallback
Audit logging verbosity level
Full verification details recorded
Document retention and archival policy
Immutable storage with retention period
Platform and client requirements for using the signnow PKI technology
Confirm supported platforms and client prerequisites before deploying certificate-based signing to avoid compatibility issues.
Web Browser Support:Modern browsers
Mobile App Capabilities:iOS and Android
Certificate Formats:X.509 / PFX
Ensure end-user devices can securely store and present private keys (hardware tokens or OS key stores where possible), verify that mobile clients support the required certificate formats, and confirm that the enterprise CA provides accessible OCSP or CRL endpoints for revocation checks.
Security building blocks in signNow PKI
X.509 Certificates:Standard certificate format
Asymmetric Keys:Public/private keypairs
Certificate Authority:Trusted issuer
OCSP/CRL Checks:Revocation status
Cryptographic Hashing:Integrity verification
Secure Timestamps:Non-repudiable time
Industry examples using the signnow PKI technology
These examples illustrate practical deployments of signNow PKI across different workflows where cryptographic identity and auditability matter.
Healthcare provider authorization
A regional clinic uses certificate-backed signatures for clinician credential attestations to ensure identity and consent integrity.
Certificates are issued by the organization's CA and bound to clinician accounts.
Signed records include tamper-evident hashes and secure timestamps to meet retention policies.
Resulting in auditable medical approvals that align with HIPAA documentation and internal compliance reviews.
Financial services vendor onboarding
A regional bank requires PKI-based signatures for vendor agreements to enforce non-repudiation and stronger identity verification.
Vendors receive certificate issuance instructions and complete signing via certificate authentication.
The signed contracts include OCSP-stamped revocation checks and detailed audit entries.
Leading to clearer contractual evidence and streamlined vendor audits during regulatory examinations.
Best practices when implementing signNow PKI technology
Adopting PKI requires operational controls and policy alignment; the following practices reduce risk and improve usability for signer populations.
Establish clear certificate lifecycle policies
Define issuance, renewal, and revocation processes, including automated alerts for expiring certificates and procedures for immediate revocation when compromise is suspected.
Use multi-factor identity proofing
Combine certificate authentication with additional identity verification where required to reduce the risk of misplaced private keys or unauthorized use of certificates.
Archive signed artifacts securely
Maintain immutable storage for signed documents and audit logs with retention schedules consistent with legal, regulatory, and business requirements.
Document PKI trust and policies
Publish clear documentation of accepted certificate authorities, validation policies, and signature verification steps for auditors and downstream relying parties.
signNow PKI uses X.509 certificates and standard public key cryptography to bind a signer’s certificate to a signature event. During signing, signNow validates the certificate chain and checks revocation status, then records verification details and a cryptographic digest in the audit trail.
In the United States, PKI-backed electronic signatures can meet ESIGN and UETA requirements when they demonstrate intent, consent, and reliable association with the signer; certificate-backed signatures provide stronger identity evidence and are commonly accepted in regulated contexts.
signNow supports certificates from internal enterprise CAs, commercial public CAs, and federated providers that issue X.509 credentials, provided the certificate chain is trusted and revocation endpoints are reachable for validation.
Revocation checks using OCSP or CRL verify whether a certificate was suspended or revoked at signing time; signNow records the revocation response in the audit trail, which affects whether a signature is treated as valid or potentially compromised.
PKI can support HIPAA administrative safeguards by strengthening authentication and non-repudiation; signNow can operate under a Business Associate Agreement and combine PKI with access controls and encrypted storage to address HIPAA obligations.
Verify certificate validity and that the private key is accessible, confirm OCSP/CRL endpoints are reachable, ensure the certificate chain is trusted by signNow, and review audit logs for specific validation error messages to isolate the root cause.
Quick feature comparison for PKI-related capabilities
A concise comparison of PKI and related capabilities among signNow and other major eSignature providers to highlight availability and specifics.
Representative starting points and PKI-relevant capabilities across providers; specifics vary by plan, contract, and add-ons so verify current vendor terms.
Plan / Vendor Column Names
signNow (Featured)
DocuSign Business
Adobe Sign Business
HelloSign Pro
PandaDoc Business
Starting price per user (monthly)
From $8/user/month
From $10/user/month
From $9.99/user/month
From $15/user/month
From $19/user/month
Advanced authentication included
Included in select plans
Add-on or higher tier
Included in business tiers
Included in pro
Add-on available
API access availability
API access per plan
API available
API available
API available
API available
Document retention and archival
Configurable retention
Configurable retention
Configurable retention
Limited retention
Configurable retention
HIPAA-compliant options
Available with BAA
Available with BAA
Available with BAA
Available via agreement
Available via agreement
Everything you need to know about the airSlate SignNow PKI
What are digital signatures?
Digital signatures are often used in highly regulated industries and regions to ensure that an authorized sender has signed a document and it was not modified in transit. A digital signature is generated using a trusted digital ID, aka a digital certificate or public key certificate. An accredited Certificate Authority (CA) issues a digital certificate after validating the requestor's identity.
How does digital signing work?
Digital signatures use the public-key cryptography method to generate a pair of private and public keys, included in a digital certificate. When a signer adds their digital signature using a private key, the digital certificate is also cryptographically bound to a document. During the verification process, the linked public key decrypts a signature, ensuring its authenticity and validity.
What is a PKI?
Public Key Infrastructure is a security technology that enables digital signature processes. PKI consists of the roles, policies, procedures, and systems needed to create digital signatures, administer digital certificates, and manage public keys. PKI facilitates the trusted electronic identities for individuals or institutions with digital certificates and a Certificate Authority.
How to send a document for signature using PKI
Upload a document to your airSlate SignNow account and open it in the editor. Drag and drop fillable fields and assign roles.
Click SAVE AND INVITE once your document is ready for sending.
Add recipient emails, set the signing order, and check the box Send using GlobalSign PKI signature.
Note: only eligible organizations can send documents using the PKI technology. Contact us for details.
How to add a secure digital signature under PKI requirements
Once you receive a signature request, click to open a document and add your digital signature in seconds. You can draw, type, or upload an image of your signature.
How to view a digital certificate
Once every signer has signed your document, you can download it and view the digital certificate. To open a digital certificate, open your signed document in Adobe Acrobat Reader®. Click on the digital signature and select Signature Properties > Show Signer’s Certificate.
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