The paperless office is something that has been promised for decades. Did it happen? Well, sort of. We’re not quite there yet, but there is a definite move to storing document digitally rather than on paper. But what about documents that need to be signed? All too often they are printed out, signed, scanned and then stored again. DocuSign has a longstanding range of eSignature apps that help to digitize and speed up this process, and a new partnership with Microsoft means that this feature will be making its way to Office 365.
It makes perfect sense to integrate feature such as these directly into Office. Rather than requiring users to switch between apps to electronically sign documents, now it can all be done in the same program that is used to create and edit documents.
We’ll be able to see a demonstration of the DocuSign apps in action at Microsoft’s SharePoint 2014 Conference at the beginning of March, but ultimately we can expect to see integration with Outlook, Word, SharePoint Online and SharePoint Server 2013. There is also integration with OneDrive, as Microsoft’s cloud storage service will be used to store DocuSign documents.
Keith Krach, chairman and CEO of DocuSign, said “We believe Office 365 customers of all sizes will appreciate the seamless availability of DocuSign integrated into the applications they use every day. The combination of Microsoft and DocuSign further helps organizations keep business digital, and leverages the power of the cloud to help them focus on business results.”
Further reading: Microsoft, Office 365
