“Electronic document certification will surely go a long way in simplifying our procedures, making them more accessible and user-friendly than before,” an official at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry said yesterday. The move is also intended to ensure greater security of electronic signatures of members. A major initiative has already been taken by the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce & Industry (CSCCI). Independent software vendor House of Development has used the Oracle technology platform to develop a solution for real-time signature legalization and verification enabling Kingdom-based companies to apply for legalized documents online at their convenience.
The previous process by which documents were authenticated in Saudi Arabia included paper-based preparation of the document, application of the company seal, in-person presentation at the relevant chamber of commerce, and record retention at that individual location. Under the new scheme, documents can be prepared and submitted online, authenticated and legalized, and then stored in a centralized database for future access. Members of each chamber of commerce can maintain their legalized documents, company seal and authorized signatures in a secure environment that is continuously available online. “The trend in public services globally is toward greater efficiency and ease of interaction, said CSCCI’s Information Technology General Manager Fahad Al-Askar. “Our new Oracle-based system for document legalization not only saves considerable time and effort on behalf of our Chambers and their member organizations but also creates a streamlined process and an availability of public services that is unprecedented in the Kingdom,” he said.
“This is a good move. We members will surely benefit from it, as it ensures greater peace of mind for all of us about the security of our electronic signatures,” said Hisham M. Ibrahim, a local businessman.
House of Development, which used the Oracle database, application server and developer in building the electronic certification solution, has now registered its offering for a patent from the Saudi government. The company anticipates considerable demand for its online certification solution as the Kingdom moves toward adopting wider e-government principles.
“This is a revolutionary approach taken by the CSCCI in order to improve its services to the public. We certainly hope that this experience will encourage more government bodies to adopt the Internet and Oracle technology to improve public services,” said Abdulrahman Al-Thehaiban, managing director of Oracle in Saudi Arabia. “Both public and private sector users in Saudi Arabia are now increasingly accepting online business processes, especially when they realize the benefits in terms of time, effort and money saved through services like online legalization of records,” House of Development’s Marketing Manager Ahmed Saeed Badrais said.
In addition to Oracle software, the new document certification solution also includes components from Softpro, a handwriting verification company, and Wacom, a pen-based signature capturing organization.
Autor: K.S. Ramkumar
Quelle: Arab News, 28.01.2005
