Word 2002 and above comes with features for digitally signing documents. However, in order to get the most out of this feature, you must first obtain a digital certificate from an approved vendor. For example, you can easily enough follow the prompts to add a digital signature to your documents but unless you have a Digital ID, you won’t get very far.
Let me demonstrate. In Word 2007, click on the Office button and then click on Prepare. See the Add a Digital Signature link? If you click this link, you’ll be prompted to go to the Microsoft Marketplace to obtain a Digital ID if you don’t already have one. If you opt not to purchase a Digital ID, you can still sign your document electronically but the electronic signature is only valid when the document is viewed on your computer. This doesn’t do much good in most cases. After all, you’re likely to need a digital signature for signing contracts and I doubt you’d be willing to give the other party your computer, would you?
If you need the ability to digitally sign documents, Word will let you do so once you have a compatible Digital ID. As an example, let’s look at one of Microsoft’s suggested Digital ID providers, GlobalSign.com. GlobalSign offers several different Digital IDs for personal, and business use. Before Digital IDs are issued, your identity (and employment status if applying for a business Digital ID) is verified. Pricing ranges from $80 for three years for the personal Digital ID to $563 for enterprise level macro signing certificates.
With a Digital ID, you can prove authorship as well as prevent others from manipulating your document. You can also use your Digital ID for encrypting e-mail messages and as authentication for certain Web sites. Depending on the type of Digital ID certificate you purchase, you may also be able to specify how users can interact with your documents. For example, do you want viewers to be able to print your document? Copy it? Do you want access to expire?
If these protections are important to you, it makes sense to go ahead and buy a Digital ID. Like any computer product, it pays to shop around and compare prices. If you simply want to encrypt e-mail messages, you can buy an inexpensive personal Digital ID from VeriSign. If you want the ultimate in control over how viewers can interact with your Word documents, you’ll need a more full-featured Digital ID.
Once you have purchased and installed your Digital ID, signing your Microsoft Word 2007 documents is a snap. Simply head over to the Office Button, click Prepare > Add a Digital Signature. Now, select the appropriate ID and follow the prompts.
In Word 2002, go to Tools > Options > Security. Here you’ll find a Digital Signatures button. Click this button and follow the prompts.
Celeste Stewart | June 30th, 2008
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