Dr. Fahd Al-Sultan, secretary-general of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CSCCI), told Arab News that the new electronic system is undergoing a trial run for the last month within the three main chambers (Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar) and will officially be implemented next month. “It’s actually a unique system which will be introduced for the first time in the Middle East. Mainly, it enables users to write, sign and get documents attested by government agencies or private organizations, all from the comfort of their office or home or even outside the Kingdom. Provided through the Internet, the system offers the added convenience of being available around the clock.”
Dr. Al-Sultan commended the system which was invented by a Saudi engineer. “The authentication and attestation system is considered a positive step toward e-government. The new system will save money, time and provide security to its users,” he said.
Speaking about the new system, Mohammed Alawi Geoffrey, CEO of House of Development (HOD) and inventor of the system, said when the system was introduced on a trial basis at CSCCI, the overwhelmingly positive feedback led them to implement the system at its offices nationwide, making it one of the first public entities in Saudi Arabia to offer e-government services.
“It took us around two years to build and develop the system. It uses Oracle’s database and application server on a Linux operation system, providing high-level encryption for dynamic and static signature verification.” he said.
Geoffrey emphasized that the electronic stamp within the bar code on each document ensures the authenticity of the data beyond commonly accepted security standards.
Ahmed Badrees, marketing manager of HOD, said the system makes it extremely difficult to forge signatures.
“It is impossible for two people to have the same signature characteristics. The authentication system checks for main characteristics such as the speed of signing, pressure of the pen and even the pen’s angle,” he said.
Badrees pointed out that many ministries and private companies have already started studying the new system. It will be introduced for the first time in Middle East at the upcoming GITEX Dubai 2004, he added.
Autor: Saleh Fareed
Quelle: Arab News, 15.09.2004
