Qualified preservation
By using our electronic signature service, you benefit from the qualified preservation of electronic signatures which have been carried out by the Universign service.
Our qualified preservation service guarantees, for the duration contractually agreed between Universign and the customer, the integrity of signed documents as well as the extension of the reliability of electronic signatures beyond their technological validity period. This service is governed by eIDAS regulations.
In other words, we ensure the qualified preservation of signed documents and the validity of signatures over time, and in particular beyond the validity period of the signers’ certificates.
Universign qualified preservation service includes a signature validation step that allows to verify the validity of the electronic signature.
A signature is valid when the following elements are all verified and validated:
- the chain of trust of the certificates used to sign the document,
- the timestamp used to guarantee that the document has not been modified after signature (document integrity check),
- the validity of the signer’s certificate at the time of signing the preserved document and at the time of the reliability extension: by consulting the list of revoked certificates.
To verify a signature’s validity, open the signed PDF document with Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Acrobat Reader and consult the signatures panel.
Certified Archiving
Archiving a signed document means storing it in a secure space so that the signer can access it at any time.
Universign offers several archiving methods:
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Standard archiving, where workspace members can access signed documents directly from the Archives section of their workspace.
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Certified archiving, where Universign guarantees a certified third-party archiving service within the transaction service based on the following standards:
- NF Z42-13 (equivalent to ISO 14641): Ensures digital data integrity, confidentiality and availability (related to use of Electronic Archiving Systems (EAS)).
- NF Z42-20: Guarantees data protection with both archiving and registration (related to the use of Digital Safe Components (CCFN)).
Guarantee of probative value
| Guarantees | Qualified preservation (ETSI Standards) | Certified archiving (ISO or NF Standards) |
|---|---|---|
| Document authenticity and origin | Guaranteed by the document signature and certificates issued by Universign as a TSP (Trust Service Provider) | Guaranteed by Universign before the document is uploaded to the EAS (Electronic Archiving System) |
| Document integrity document | Guaranteed by timestamping, which is renewed if needed, since it is stored and made accessible by Universign | Guaranteed by timestamping and the evidence log stored in the EAS |
| Document intelligibility | Guaranteed by the PAdES format, which ensures that the document can be read over time | Guaranteed by regular verification of data status and usability |
| Document confidentiality | Guaranteed by the encryption of documents before storage | Guaranteed by access control to the archiving space and traceability (description of operations carried out on a document) |
| Document probative value | Guaranteed by the proof that the certificate was valid at the time the signature was performed, in addition to extended timestamping (everything is captured at the time of extension), thanks to reliability extension | Guaranteed by recording the lifecycle of the documents via the archiving evidence file |
