What is Certified Document Services?
Certified Document Services (CDS) is the first digital signing solution that allows authors to create Adobe® PDF files that automatically certify to the recipient that the author's identity has been verified by a trusted organization — an Adobe CDS provider — and that the document has not been altered in any way. A blue ribbon and an information bar at the top of the screen indicate this trust when the document is opened.
Who can benefit?
Organizations that communicate critical information to broad audiences, such as financial services organizations and government agencies, are struggling to deal with increasing trends — from phishing to document forgery — that can erode customer confidence and cause liability issues. Now with CDS, individuals and organizations can send certified Adobe PDF documents and forms with the added assurance of identity validation and information integrity.
Examples include:
- Financial services and research organizations that publish valuable analyst reports
- Government organizations that publish policies, legislation, forms, and other critical documents
- Manufacturing organizations that publish manuals, operating documents, and other critical documents
- Public companies that publish financial documents
Who's using CDS?
A number of entities across a wide range of industries — including higher education, biopharmaceutical, regulatory, standards, and government — are currently using CDS certificates to assure recipients that their documents came from a trusted source. One key success story is Pennsylvania State University. Penn State is using a CDS solution developed by Adobe's partners and VeriSign, an Adobe CDS provider, to certify their electronic transcripts.
One issue of critical concern to Penn State officials was the proliferation of fake diplomas and falsified transcripts — annual sales of which total more than US$100 million worldwide. The falsified transcripts have become so advanced that they include watermarks, metallic strips, and other identifiers typically associated with helping to prevent fraud. With the prevalence of fraudulent transcripts on the rise, Penn State needed a reliable way to validate that transcripts came from the school's secure system and were not tampered with by anyone. Otherwise, Penn State could not provide electronic transcript services.
The group decided that CDS with Adobe LiveCycle® Digital Signatures ES software and digital IDs from VeriSign/GeoTrust provided the requisite capabilities. When recipients open a certified PDF transcript in either Reader or Acrobat, a validation message is displayed. If the certification was applied with a CDS digital ID from VeriSign/GeoTrust, the message provides assurance that the transcript came from Penn State and that its contents have not been changed. This offers peace of mind for the alumnus, school administrators, and the recipient. If a transcript was altered, an error or warning message appears as soon as the file is opened.
Penn State expects a quick return on investment. Staff once dedicated to printing and mailing transcripts can now focus on other student services such as handling student payments and issues with class schedules. At the same time, the university's printing and mailing costs can be decreased by tens of thousands of dollars annually. And alumni benefit from near-instant delivery of transcripts to intended recipients, without having to pay extra delivery charges for overnight shipping.
For more details, visit the customer showcase.
Desktop-based document certification
Documents can be certified in client- and server-based workflows. In a client environment, a CDS provider issues a digital credential to an individual or an organizational role, which is stored on a USB token or smart card. The individual then uses Acrobat or Reader to sign the document.
Find out more about certified documents.
Server-based document certification
LiveCycle Digital Signatures ES allows organizations to quickly certify and validate large volumes of Adobe PDF files, such as bank statements or financial reports. In this case, a CDS provider issues an organization a digital credential, which is stored on a server-based key management system for added protection. The credential is accessed by LiveCycle Digital Signatures ES to apply the digital signature. The PDF file automatically validates when opened in Reader or Acrobat (version 6.0 or later).
How does my organization purchase CDS signature credentials?
Please contact one of the following CDS providers.
CDS providers
With TC Business ID for Adobe, ChosenSecurity expands its product portfolio with a solution for verifying the authenticity and integrity of PDF documents and forms. If you want to sign either individual PDF documents using Acrobat Pro or lots of PDF documents using LiveCycle Digital Signatures, then all you need is the TC Business ID for Adobe (either on Token or HSM) to digitally sign your PDF documents. Possible uses include the certification or signing of product documentation, application forms, or routing slips. With the new Adobe certificate, ChosenSecurity is addressing in particular the needs of financial institutions, insurance companies, and government authorities.
For more information, visit the ChosenSecurity website and the TC TrustCenter website.
Offering trusted security for less, Entrust Certificates for Adobe CDS enable organizations to digitally sign Adobe PDF files with confidence. These certificates can be managed individually or through Entrust's Certificate Management Service (CMS), which provides tools to easily manage and deploy multiple certificates. Entrust Certificates for Adobe CDS are available for individual users, group users, and enterprise users. Rather than being licensed by the number of times used — which can be difficult to track — Entrust certificates offer unlimited signing and are available for ad hoc or automatic (LiveCycle) use.
For more information, visit the Entrust website.
GlobalSign operates under a stringent set of policies and standards developed by Adobe, which allows GlobalSign to issue CDS certificates, branded as DocumentSign Digital IDs, to individuals and departments within organizations. Such holders of DocumentSign Digital IDs can add certifying and approval signatures to PDF files. DocumentSign for Adobe PDF uniquely addresses all segments of the market by offering solutions for low- and medium-volume signings through fully automated implementation models capable of scaling to extremely high volumes. The flexibility for organizations to scale their document signing solutions between relatively small and large rollouts as their demand for PDF security grows is a key benefit offered by DocumentSign.
For more information, visit the GlobalSign website.
KEYNECTIS offers a wide range of solutions for secure digital identity management as well as digital documents and transactional security for government bodies, financial institutions, and corporate entities worldwide. With more than 20 million digital identities protected and over 450 million digital transactions secured every year, KEYNECTIS is the European leader in information security technology. As a result of the Adobe CDS program and Adobe's products, KEYNECTIS digital signature solutions attest to the legal execution of PDF-based contracts, transactions, and bills of sale (processing digital signatures, timestamping, real-time validation, and third-party archiving of documents).
For more information, visit the KEYNECTIS website.
VeriSign (formerly GeoTrust) True Credentials for Adobe Acrobat and My Credential for Adobe Acrobat allow authors to create Adobe PDF documents that clearly certify to the recipient that the author's identity has been verified by a trusted organization and that the document has not been altered. This solution allows organizations to engage in more secure, reliable electronic document exchange.
For more information, visit the VeriSign website.
Post.Trust certificates for Adobe CDS provide organizations with a unique digital credential for signing Adobe PDF documents. Post.Trust signing solutions combine the essential attributes of security, integrity, authentication, and trust. Potential applications include contracts, invoicing, licensing, and general business transactional correspondence. The exchange of electronic documents with legally binding signatures allows inefficient, paper-based processes reliant on a handwritten signature to be replaced. The recipient can trust in the integrity of the PDF document and the identity of the author, as it is automatically validated within Adobe Acrobat and Reader. Post.Trust is the leading Certification Services Provider in Ireland.
For more information, visit the Post.Trust website.
Other security solution partners
In partnership with Adobe, security vendors worldwide have enabled security solutions for authenticating identity, approving electronic documents, and protecting digital assets. Find out more about the Adobe Security Partner Community.
