What is a Digital Certificate? Distinguishing between Digital Certificates and Digital Signatures
A digital certificate is an important concept in electronic transactions, but not everyone clearly understands how a digital certificate differs from a digital signature. In this article, you will get a clear understanding of the concept, its role, and an easy way to differentiate them.
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1. What is a digital certificate?
A Digital Certificate (CTS) is a type of electronic certificate issued by a digital signature service provider. A digital certificate is like a national ID card or citizen ID card for a business, with the function of identifying the business in the electronic environment (according to the 2005 Law on Electronic Transactions). A CTS serves to prove the validity and legality of a digital signature signed by a business, individual, or organization.
A CTS is an encrypted key pair containing company information & the business’s tax code, used to sign in place of a regular signature, applied to various types of digital documents and files such as: Word, Excel, PDF, etc. These documents are used for online tax filing, electronic customs declarations, and other electronic transactions.
A valid digital certificate must contain the following information:
- Subscriber name: this is the name of the owner
- Serial number
- Validity period of the digital certificate
- Name of the Certification Authority (CA)
- Digital signature of the Certification Authority
- Purpose and scope of use limitations
- Responsibilities of the Certification Authority service provider
- Cryptographic algorithm
Other necessary information as regulated by the Ministry of Information and Communications
2. The relationship between a digital certificate and a digital signature
Many people wonder if a CTS and a digital signature are the same thing. The answer is no. Although both support the digital signing process, a digital signature and a CTS have different characteristics and functions. The certificate is the basis for the recipient to verify if the digital signature is authentic, while the digital signature acts on behalf of the individual or organization to commit to or confirm the information presented in the document.
The relationship between a CTS and a digital signature is mutually supportive. A digital signature is only considered a secure electronic signature if it is created during the validity period of the digital certificate, and can be verified using the public key contained within the CTS.
3. The role of a digital certificate
A CTS is used as an electronic tool to identify the identity of individuals and organizations participating in e-commerce transactions. A digital certificate helps ensure security for the user during the transaction process.
In addition, a digital certificate also plays the following roles:
- Helps verify the identity of the digital signature user when logging into a new system.
- Supports the digital signing of various documents, materials, contracts, invoices, etc., in doc, pdf, or other file formats.
- Encrypts information to ensure confidentiality between the sender and receiver over the internet.
- Is the legal validity of the provided digital certificate guaranteed?
- Do the digital signatures and certificates help streamline workflows and speed up document approvals?
- Does this provider offer options for bulk digital signatures and certificates to automate the signing process for hundreds of documents?
- For new customers: Get a free 3-MONTH digital signature service
- For existing 1Office customers: Free use of the Digital Signature UNTIL THE END OF 2021
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4.2. Verifying the registration application
The digital signature provider will receive the information and proceed with verification.
After successful verification, the provider will accept the registration request. Concurrently, the entity requiring the digital signature will pay the necessary fees for the issuance of the digital certificate (CTS) and the creation of the digital signature.
4.3. Issuing the digital certificate
After the information is verified and all obligations for creating the digital signature are fulfilled, the individual or business will be provided with a digital certificate (CTS).
The provider will notify the subscriber that the digital certificate has been created and allow them to access the CTS as soon as it becomes effective.
4.4. Accepting and publishing the digital certificate
The provider will publish information about the issued digital certificate on its database after the subscriber confirms its accuracy.
Things to consider when choosing a digital certificate provider
When choosing a provider for digital signatures and digital certificates, you need to consider the following 3 issues:
1Office is one of the leading reputable providers of digital signatures and CTS on the market, trusted by a community of over 3,500 businesses. Both CTS and digital signatures are integrated into the comprehensive management software, helping businesses optimize operations, paperwork, and more. For your business to utilize the digital signature and CTS features, please leave your information by registering for a consultation. The team of experts at 1Office will contact and advise you today:
5. Conclusion
“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” – Winston Churchill
(Translation: To improve, we need to change. To be perfect, we need to change often.)
Grasping and effectively applying new technology features is crucial for businesses in the Industry 4.0 era. However, managers need to clearly understand existing challenges and implement digital transformation platforms that are suitable for their business. We hope that with these insights from 1Office, you will have a better understanding of digital signatures and digital certificates, enabling you to choose a reputable provider.
Read more: Corporate Digital Signatures and Top Benefits Not Everyone Knows: Here
Special Promotion
The 1CA digital signature solution was launched during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic to help businesses overcome the challenge of being unable to sign contracts in person, ensuring continuous operations and business breakthroughs.
To support Vietnamese businesses during this difficult period and to widely promote the 1CA Digital Signature feature, 1Office is launching a special promotion:
To experience the digital signature service and receive this offer, please click the “Register for a trial” button below or call 0834 838888 to receive the fastest consultation and support from our Digital Signature Solution experts.
