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Adobe (Acrobat) Sign - Digital Signature
Adobe Sign is a cloud-based, enterprise-class e-signature service that offers an alternative to paper-based forms with fully automated electronic signature workflows. Instead of completing and signing forms by hand, digital signature software allows users to complete and sign forms electronically. With it, you can easily send, sign, track, and manage signature processes using a browser or mobile device.
Digital signature software enables you to create, automate, and distribute custom forms to collect information and signatures from one or multiple recipients through a streamlined workflow:
- Create: Design a custom digital form.
- Send & Route: Distribute the form, specifying whether recipients receive it all at once (parallel) or in a specific order (serial).
- Track & Manage: The system provides a central dashboard to monitor progress. You receive instant notifications upon signing and can set automated reminders to keep the process on track.
Importantly, digital signatures are legally binding in most industrialized nations, having the same legal status as a handwritten signature.
Getting started
- Request Access to Adobe Sign
- Review Rice Policy 849 - Use of Electronic Signatures and Rice Policy 810 Signature and Approval Authority
- Review the Adobe Sign Get Started Guide
- Adobe Sign: How to Sign In
Using Adobe Acrobat Sign
- Get others to sign a document
- Fill and sign a document yourself
- Add form fields to documents
- Manage agreements
Get help
- Submit a helpdesk ticket
- Call: 713-348-4357 or Ext. 4357
- You can read more about FAQS on the Adobe support site.
- Reach out to the Adobe Sign Administrator:
- Gihan Semine, Business System Analyst
420-12 Cambridge Office Building, MS-97
713-348-5925, gns1@rice.edu
- Gihan Semine, Business System Analyst
Features
- Create custom forms quickly and easily - adding signature and form fields as needed
- Send to multiple recipients - allowing people to sign in parallel or serial order
- Track the status of a document in real time
- Available as a desktop application, web portal, and on mobile devices
- Integrates with common productivity tools such as Microsoft Word and Salesforce
- Send documents to individuals who are not affiliated with Stanford
- A "Groups" feature which allows you to have separate subsets of users that have access to different Library Documents and settings
- Learn more about Adobe Administrative roles
- Learn how to create and manage Groups
Difference between Adobe Acrobat and Adobe (Acrobat) Sign
Adobe Acrobat Pro and Adobe Sign are two separate software programs. While both can be used for signatures, there are many differences. Both are part of the Adobe Creative Cloud and are accessed using your NetID@rice.edu email and NetID Password to log in.
Adobe Sign, as its name suggests, is for sending and receiving documents for signatures. The documents are filed in the cloud in the user’s account. Adobe Sign supports a wide range of file types, enabling users to insert signature fields into documents. They are sent to the user’s email address. Once in Adobe Sign, the document cannot be edited. All editing must be completed before opening in Adobe Sign. Essentially, Adobe Sign is software for signing documents, which are then stored in the cloud and accessible only by the account owner.
Adobe Acrobat Pro can not only send documents out for signature, but after a file is saved as a PDF, it can be edited, the pages rearranged, files combined, forms created, scanned for accessibility, and many other features. The documents are saved by the user onto their computer or server. Signatures are set up within Adobe Acrobat on the user’s computer. Once the signature fields are in place, the document can be sent out for signing. This is done in Adobe Acrobat by using one of the many tools included in the program.
Both Adobe Acrobat Pro and Adobe Sign are used for signing documents and sending out documents to be signed. Adobe Acrobat Pro documents are saved by the user to their computer or server. Adobe Sign documents are saved in the cloud within the Adobe Sign user’s account.
Critical Note: Adobe Creative Cloud includes Adobe Acrobat Pro, which is the basic version of Adobe Sign. This is not the same as Adobe Sign Enterprise. If you currently have an Adobe Acrobat Pro account, you may lose access to all agreements in this account. Please download and back up any agreements you have in your Adobe Acrobat Pro account before requesting access, as any agreements lost cannot be recovered.
How to access Adobe Sign Enterprise
Access Adobe Sign here: https://riceuniversity.na1.documents.adobe.com/account/homeJS?dc_remove=true
How to Sign In
1. Once you arrive at the login screen, you will need to sign in with your Rice NetID email address (NetId@rice.edu). Then select Continue.
2. Select the Company of the School Account.
3. You may be requested to login to Rice Identity Provider, using your NetID and password.
4. You will be directed to your Adobe Sign Home page.
(Please note: if you do not see the Rice logo in the upper left corner of the dashboard, then you are not in the right Adobe Sign Account; contact the OIT Help Desk to request Adobe Sign access.)
Designed for
- Faculty and Staff
Service Use Requirements
Adobe Sign is currently the only e-signature service approved for Rice Business Documents, and only those individuals who have been granted signature authority may sign documents using this service. See Rice Policy 810 Signature and Approval Authority for requirements. Any other eSignature service must be approved by the VP/CIO and the CISO.
Service users are required to have training on the proper use and management of Adobe Sign.
Service users are required to have an Adobe Creative Cloud account to access Adobe Sign Enterprise.
Service users must have read and acknowledged their responsibilities under Rice Policy 810 Signature and Approval Authority and the Rice Policy 849 Use of Electronic Signatures, and that signature authority rules as defined in Rice Policy 810 apply to electronically signed documents.
Who will need an Adobe Sign Enterprise Account?
- No account needed: Individuals who only sign documents, such as students or faculty, do not require an Adobe Sign Enterprise account. They can simply sign their documents with their Rice email address, and Adobe Sign will verify their signature using email.
- Account needed: Staff members who will be creating/sending agreements will require an Adobe Sign Enterprise account. To send an agreement, you will require an Adobe Sign Enterprise account. Typical administrative staff will be given an account.
Procedure for accessing Rice Adobe Sign
When you are ready, create an OIT Help Desk ticket by emailing helpdesk@rice.edu (or contacting OIT Help Desk) requesting Adobe Sign Enterprise. Please include your NetID, name, and the department or group you would like to join.
Adobe Sign Groups
Why join or create an Adobe Sign group?
The Groups feature is designed to help members share reusable templates and workflows. If your department or institute has frequently used forms or workflows, it would be beneficial to join the existing group below or create a new one if needed. To join or create an Adobe Sign group, please contact the helpdesk@rice.edu
Reference Guide and Tutorials
Where can I find more information on Adobe Sign features?
TUTORIALS:
GETTING STARTED – How to log in and set up your account:
Log in to Adobe Sign
Set up your user account
Set up your Profile
Delegate Your Account
USING TEMPLATES and WORKFLOWS
Using a Shared Template from the Department or School
Send an Agreement for signature (template, form, document)
Fill and Sign a form
Using a Workflow
DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT
Manage and track documents sent for signature
Fill and Sign
Add an approver
Replace a signer on a transaction
Add a note to a transaction
Viewing the agreement audit trail
Share an agreement with another user
Add form fields to documents
Modify a transaction in-flight
Create a Reusable Template or Workflow
Start a Workflow
Create a template
Edit or delete a template
Add an approver
Send a MegaSign/Send in Bulk
Use an existing Webform
Adobe Sign for Students
Graduate and undergraduate students do not need an official Rice Adobe Sign account if asked to sign a form via Adobe Sign.
Please see the steps below for downloading Adobe Acrobat to sign your form.
FAQ
Yes.
E-signatures are legal in many countries around the world. For more information, please see our Global e-signature laws pages from the Adobe Trust Center.
Types of electronic signatures and seals available from Adobe include:
- Basic signatures – A basic signature is the simplest form of an electronic signature where the signer is primarily identified via an e-mail address. This type of signature may also include some additional signer authentication such as a one-time password (OTP) sent to a mobile phone. Basic signatures may be created by typing a name in a signature field, using an image of a handwritten signature, or by drawing on a touch screen.
- Verified signatures – A verified signature is an electronic signature that is created after the signer’s identity is verified or re-confirmed by a trusted 3rd party during the signing process. Verified signatures may include a wide range of identification experiences and levels of assurance (LoA), but all require the signer to engage with an identity provider (IdP) such as a bank, government, or other identity provider. Verified signatures are supported by a Signer Identification Report (SIR), which includes details from the IdP on a successful signer identification.
- Digital signatures – A digital signature is a more secure electronic signature that is generated using a digital certificate and cryptographically bound to the document using public key infrastructure (PKI). The digital certificate is unique to the signer and obtained from a trusted 3rd party such as a trust service provider (TSP) or certificate authority (CA) after verification of the signer’s identity.
- Cloud signatures – A cloud signature is a digital signature where the signer’s digital certificate is managed by a trust service provider (TSP) in the cloud. Cloud signatures rely on the global open standard created by the Cloud Signature Consortium (CSC). Compared to a traditional digital signature applied using a physical smart card or USB token, a cloud signature makes it easy to apply trusted digital signatures directly from a mobile device or a Web browser.
- Electronic seal – An electronic seal or e-seal is used by a legal entity such as a business or organization to certify the origin, authenticity, and integrity of documents. Electronic seals may provide strong legal evidence that the document has not been altered and originated from the entity identified by the digital sealing certificate.
For security information on Adobe Acrobat Sign as well as additional information on how Adobe protects your documents, data, and personal information, please visit the Adobe Trust Center.
For information on Acrobat Sign compliance, please see the Adobe Compliance Certifications, Standards, and Regulations list in the Adobe Trust Center.
For information on accessibility conformance, please view the accessibility conformance reports for Adobe solutions which are available in the Adobe Trust Center.
For digital signatures, Acrobat Sign supports the full range of secure signature creation devices such as USB tokens, smart cards, and digital certificates hosted in the cloud. Additionally, you can work with the trust service provider (TSP), certificate authority (CA), or timestamp authority of your choice from the European Union Trusted Lists (EUTL) and the Adobe Approved Trust List (AATL).
Acrobat Sign data centers are hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure in countries around the world. For more information, please see the Acrobat Sign data centers page.
Adobe Acrobat Sign Solutions are hosted on 2 or 3 simultaneously active datacenters in a multi-layered redundancy model that uses automated processes to redirect traffic away from an application server, database, or data center that is experiencing an outage. Additionally, in certain regions, passive data center configurations are maintained in to provide for disaster recovery. For more information, please view the Adobe Acrobat Sign Solutions data centers page.
When hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS), customer transaction data, documents, and metadata are securely stored in Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) and Elastic Block Store (EBS). When hosted by Microsoft Azure, customer transaction data, documents, and metadata are securely stored in Azure Zone Redundant Storage (ZRS) and Azure Local Redundant Storage (LRS). For more information, identify your company’s primary data center location and view the Adobe Acrobat Sign Solutions data centers page.
Acrobat Sign Solutions customers manage any personal data collected in connection to a signed document. To help ensure that all signers have the opportunity to download and save a copy of a fully executed agreement, customers can configure data governance to automatically delete completed agreements from the Adobe Acrobat Sign Solutions after 14 days. For more information on Adobe personal data policies, please view the Adobe Privacy Center.
Adobe’s global expertise, rigorous security practices, and continuous monitoring of the legal landscape helps our customers confidently maintain compliance with government and industry regulations around the world. Although unlikely, in case of a legal challenge Adobe may assist customers and defend the legality of its e-signatures. At the discretion of Adobe, assistance may include: