DocuSign

Overview

DocuSign is an American company headquartered in San Francisco, California that provides electronic signature technology and digital transaction management services for facilitating electronic exchanges of contracts and signed documents. DocuSign's features include authentication services, user identity management, and workflow automation. The company has a user base of over 500,000 companies and hundreds of millions of users in more than 180 countries.

A logo of DocuSign, featuring the company's name in blue lettering.

History

DocuSign was founded in 2003 by Tom Gonser, Court Lorenzini, and Eric Ranft. The company was created to provide a method for securely signing electronic documents, a need that was growing with the increasing digitization of business and personal transactions. The company launched its first electronic signature service in 2005, and by 2010, it had over 2 million users.

Products and Services

DocuSign offers a suite of services related to digital transaction management and electronic signatures. These include:

DocuSign eSignature: This is the company's core service, which allows users to upload documents, add the names and email addresses of signers and other recipients, place fields and tags on the document, and send it out for signature.

DocuSign CLM: This service automates the entire lifecycle of a contract, from initiation and negotiation to agreement and renewal.

DocuSign Insight: This service uses artificial intelligence to analyze contracts and provide insights into risks and opportunities.

DocuSign Notary: This service enables remote online notarization, allowing notaries to conduct online notarial acts using video and audio technology.

DocuSign ID Verification: This service verifies the identity of signers through government-issued IDs and European eIDs.

Technology

DocuSign's technology is based on the principles of public key infrastructure (PKI), which is a set of roles, policies, hardware, software and procedures needed to create, manage, distribute, use, store, and revoke digital certificates and manage public-key encryption. DocuSign's technology includes features for authentication, user identity management, and workflow automation. The company's technology is compliant with the ESIGN Act and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act in the U.S., as well as similar laws in other countries.

Business Model

DocuSign operates on a subscription-based business model, with customers paying a recurring fee to access the company's services. The company offers different pricing tiers based on the number of users and the level of functionality required. DocuSign's customers range from individual users to large enterprises, and the company has a strong presence in industries such as real estate, financial services, healthcare, and government.

Impact

DocuSign's services have had a significant impact on the way businesses and individuals conduct transactions. The company's electronic signature technology has simplified the process of signing documents, making it faster and more convenient. This has led to increased efficiency and cost savings for businesses, as well as improved customer experience. Furthermore, DocuSign's services have contributed to the reduction of paper usage, thereby promoting environmental sustainability.