Signority’s Commitment to Canada and Post Acquisition Plans

Signority: A FileCloud Company. Commitment to Canada and Post Acquisitions Plans.
Signority’s Commitment to Canada and Post Acquisition Plans

June 11th, 2024

It’s been a week since we announced FileCloud’s acquisition of Signority! As we continue to navigate this transition, we want to assure all Signority customers of our commitment to them. We are focused on maintaining the transparent and open communication that we value so highly here at Signority. 

In the following blog post, Jane He, our founder and new SVP of the Signority Business Unit will address some of the concerns and questions our customers have brought to us, while outlining our strategies to continue ensuring excellence and reliability of Signority.

Data Sovereignty

With this acquisition, Signority remains committed to data sovereignty, particularly when it comes to hosting data centers in Canada. We understand the importance of local data handling for our Canadian customers, and we see this as a pivotal opportunity for our customers concerned with data sovereignty to also have the opportunity to leverage FileCloud’s robust on-premises deployment options. We remain dedicated to keeping your data secured within Canadian borders—aligning with regulatory requirements—while continuing to provide our customers with the peace of mind of knowing their data is protected.

Clarification of Signority’s Status

We want to clarify that Signority remains a proudly Canadian entity, fully operational within Canada, while functioning as a separate subsidiary of FileCloud. This status reinforces our foundational ties to Canadian values and business practices, ensuring that our operations, management, and data governance continue to meet the expectations and regulations specific to Canada.

Customer Support

We understand that our customers have a strong preference for local customer support, and we are committed to maintaining our Canadian-based customer support operations while also integrating with FileCloud’s 24/7 global support framework. This hybrid approach will enhance our responsiveness and ability to address your needs quickly and effectively, ensuring the support you need is available whenever and wherever you need it.

Moving Forward

In the coming weeks, the team at Signority will continue to engage with you through various channels. This will include a scheduled Product Marketing meeting in June (details to follow) led by Jason Dover—FileCloud’s CPO—  to discuss these topics in greater depth. We also plan to send out a detailed customer letter reiterating these points and more, ensuring that you remain fully informed and confident in the direction we are heading.

Thank you for your continued trust and partnership. We are excited about the future and are committed to growing together, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed your expectations.

Your success is our success, and we look forward to achieving great things together. 

Stay tuned for further updates, and as always, we value your feedback and welcome any questions you may have via our Contact Form.

Jane He
SVP, Signority Business Unit

The Story Behind Signority’s AI Development

The Story Behind Signority's AI Development

A challenging Ecosystem

Ontario is home to a thriving innovation ecosystem with numerous start-ups and SME’s working on cutting-edge technologies and highly focused on innovation within the Canadian industry. However, many of these innovators face severe challenges when it comes to securing funding to develop and scale their projects. As a Canadian start-up Signority, a key player in the eSignature industry, was no stranger to these challenges in 2022, when our paths crossed with the NCFDC.

 

“We’ve had plans to adopt AI technology to enhance the ease of use of our platform for some time, but funding restrictions prevented us from implementing it.”

 

Jane He, CEO and founder of Signority.

An Innovation Ally

The Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation (NCFDC) is an independent business development corporation dedicated to providing financing and strategy for entrepreneurs based in Ontario, Canada. The NCFDC is committed to supporting local innovators by providing them with the necessary funding to help bring their ideas to life. Through their programs and services, this organization is helping to drive innovation and economic growth in Ontario and in all of Canada, as this is one of its economic centers. They achieve their ultimate goal through a range of funding options, including grants, loans, and equity investments, to help innovators take their ideas to the next level.

 

There are five ongoing programs currently run by a group of passionate and experienced staff. Their goal is to help promote economic development and job creation in the region by providing support to innovative and promising business ideas.

We support innovation and entrepreneurship as a pathway to future prosperity.”

NCFDC

 

ThriveForward_image

thriveFORWARD: The Program that Revolutionized Signority

Signority specializes in providing secure and easy-to-use eSignature solutions to businesses of all sizes. It was founded by a team of entrepreneurs who saw an opportunity to streamline the signing process and reduce paper waste. That was only the beginning. Using this type of technologies, other companies in countless industries have been able to adopt innovation as part of their day to day. 

 

After 10 years of being a key player in the eSignature ecosystem it is key to keep Signority at the forefront of its field. Technology is ever evolving and so are our customer needs. There is one concept that in recent years has become common and furthermore, a synonym of innovation, productivity, and efficacy in the SaaS world: Artificial Intelligence. 

 

AI is a rapidly growing field, and many companies are looking for ways to incorporate AI into their products and services. The goal is to use it to overcome challenges that traditional technologies are not equipped to achieve. Here at Signority, we were at this very stage. 

 

The biggest challenge for companies when adopting eSignature solutions is an ever evolving user with habits that are not easy to change related to document sending and signing processes. This could include team permission hierarchy, different tags and behavior of those tags, messages for senders, types of senders, types of documents or even a mistrust of technology. Every single one of those setups must comply with legal acts, bylaws and privacy policies depending on the document sensitivity. This can be different for each organization or team. Thanks to AI technology, Signority has approached this challenge through an innovative framework.

However, developing AI technology can be a costly and time-consuming endeavor. This is where funding from organizations like NCFDC can be a game-changer. With thriveFORWARD we were able to revolutionize eSignature usability by leveraging AI technology. This translates to more value for users and a user experience taken to the next level.

 

The thriveFORWARD fund was a key aspect of this journey, becoming the fuel to an engine that allowed us to implement fundamental AI components to our platform and revolutionize eSigning. 

 

This achievement represents a critical milestone in Signority’s history, and we’re proud to have created many highly skilled jobs in Canada. We’re grateful to the NCFDC team for helping us realize our vision of building a strong Canadian tech company.” Jane He, CEO and Founder of Signority. 

Our NCFDC Experience

We are extremely grateful for the support we received from the NCFDC. The experience we have had at Signority for applying to the thriveForward SME fund has been highly efficient and pleasant, from the very first touchpoint to receiving the grant. 

 

Entrepreneurship is a wonderful journey but not an easy one. It is filled with long hours, sleepless nights and a lot of unknowns. Frustration is the word of the day almost everyday, for the modern entrepreneur. When an organization like NCFDC truly understands your needs, it can make all the difference in the world.

 

As processes go, lengthy, and confusing explanations were expected, as with any grant request (cue frustration). This is something that would inevitably delay the application process as we got acquainted with all that was required. However, from the very first step, the online application guides were clear and provided enough detail for us to understand what was expected. 

 

Things were looking up, could this be a company that understood what we needed and had a team of people actively working towards helping us achieve our goal? We decided not to get ahead of ourselves and enjoy the clarity and easy journey they offered. 

 

Requirements, eligibility, terms, conditions, and measurement were clear and concise as well transparent and understandable. This translated to a great beginning to our customer journey with them. The site was easy to navigate and finding information was simple, which helped avoid jumping around different pages and losing track of readings. 

 

As with any grant application, as the process continued moving forward questions arose and the need for a human touch was clear. This was when NCFDC proved that they do not only provide services, they provide a whole experience for their users. The staff and consultants were great listeners, they clearly knew their craft but beyond that, they were actively focused on providing the support needed at each stage. They answered all our questions within hours and were ready and willing to provide help regarding all topics needed. Sometimes those topics were not only questions about filling up forms, but a friend who actively reminded us of where we were going. Someone who continuously provided emotional and technical support throughout a tiring journey. 

 

Grants are not easy to apply for, anyone can tell you that. From lots of forms to a myriad of deep data is required to even fit the eligibility criteria. After writing for hours and staring blankly at documents with thousands of questions and spaces that need to be filled out, it can be refreshing to talk to someone who eases that path. There is not much anyone can do to avoid all those forms, but NCFDC proved to us that there is a lot an organization can do to make that journey lighter, calmer and even unique. 

 

The reporting stage was no different. Help was always easy to get, email reminders were constant but evenly spaced, allowing our team to work on the documents with enough time in hand. Not only that but by now we had built rapport with them, we felt we could talk freely and they would listen. By now we had a deeply ingrained belief that they cared about us and understood us. 

 

This made it clear to us this organization is run by highly trained professionals with a clear understanding of their brand vision and values, as well as their goal. As users, our entire experience felt unique, easy, and streamlined. NCFDC made us feel welcome and important. They are a customer centric organization that puts their customers at the center of everything they do. When you find a company that understands your needs more than any other, it’s natural to feel grateful. This feeling is a testament to the quality of their work which reverbated inside Signority. It is important to recognize the efforts of companies like NCFDC and appreciate them. With more companies like this we could all turn the world of business and tech into an even more nurturing and fulfilling experience than it already is. 

 

Our CEO and founder, Jane He, mentioned the following when talking about the experience:  

 

As a Canadian eSignature company competing in the global market, innovation is essential for us to remain a market leader. We’ve had plans to adopt AI technology to enhance the ease of use of our platform for some time, but funding restrictions prevented us from implementing it. Thanks to the thriveFORWARD fund, we were able to develop the fundamental components necessary to build interactive document preparation and improve our platform’s functionality before documents are sent for signatures. This achievement represents a critical milestone in Signority’s history, and we’re proud to have created many highly skilled jobs in Canada. We’re grateful to the NCFDC team for helping us realize our vision of building a strong Canadian tech company.

Canadian Privacy Acts At A Glance

Canadian Privacy Acts

Canadian Privacy Acts At A Glance

There are many blogs about government privacy acts. However, consumers – people – don’t see the connection between their daily lives and privacy acts.  Here, we will summarize Canadian privacy acts while sparing you the legal language.  

Canadian governments (federal and provincial) set the direction for Canadian organizations and businesses when adopting cloud technologies to protect consumers’ privacy. We can debate governmental restrictions and protections, but all in all, restrictions are imposed on organizations and businesses that collect sensitive information. As a technology company, we take a collaborative approach to complying  with legislation.  

There are two levels of Canadian privacy acts: federal and provincial levels. 

Federal Privacy Acts Regarding Data Residency

Two federal privacy laws are enforced by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada: 

  • The Privacy Act covers how the federal government handles personal information;
  • The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents (PIPEDA) covers how private-sector organizations handle personal information in the course of for-profit, commercial activities across Canada. 
  • Provincial privacy laws cover municipalities, public-sector organizations, crown corporations, and not-for-profit and charity groups. 

The federal government categorizes sensitive data into four protected information levels, Protected A, Protected B, Protected C, and Classified Information. 

For Protected B, Protected C, or Classified information. they must be stored “in a government of Canada approved data centre located within the geographic boundaries of Canada or the premises of a Government of Canada department located abroad such as a diplomatic or consular mission.” 

Refer to Direction for Electronic Data Residency.  

The white paper Data Sovereignty and Public Cloud from the Government of Canada website provides insights about data sovereignty with different cloud deployments, Public cloud, Hybrid Cloud, Private Cloud, and non-cloud. Here is the explanation of the cloud option through Wikipedia if you’d like to know the nitty and gritty details. 

The Treasury Board of Canada has provided valuable and detailed recommendations and use cases published on the Federal government’s website for public and private-sector organizations to follow.  

Provincial Privacy Acts Regarding Data Residency

Provinces either follow the federal PIPEDA or set their own privacy acts to guide public-sector organizations and healthcare providers who manage and process personal data. Provincial privacy acts differ from one to another and are constantly evolving with amendments to provide the best privacy protections while allowing the flexibility of adopting the best and the latest global technologies. Provinces have been debating data residency (whether to keep the data in-province or allow nationwide or outside of Canada storage) for their own public sector organizations, including healthcare providers. 

If any specific organization decides to host those sensitive information outside of Canada, the company must adhere to the provincial privacy acts, conduct a thorough Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) and must inform individuals, and have their consent. One example is the Ontario Physiotherapy Clinic’s terms of agreement, where they disclose what apps they are using and where your health data is stored.       

Nova Scotia defined the Personal Information International Disclosure Protection Act, PIIDPA. Under PIIDPA, public bodies and municipalities are required to ensure that any personal information held by them (or any service provider acting on their behalf), remains in Canada, is accessed, and is disclosed only in Canada, unless certain circumstances exist. This FAQ provides the context of  data sovereignty under PIIDPA. 

Both the federal and provincial governments have specific legislation concerning data location. We have seen the outline of such legislation. Now, if you are responsible for a lot of your customer’s data, one hopes you will do the due diligence, and select your technology partners responsibly.  

References for Canadian Provincial Privacy Laws