Microsoft Office 365 Adds DocuSign Electronic Signatures

Microsoft is to integrate DocuSign electronic signature applications into its cloud-based Microsoft Office 365 suite, allowing business customers to sign documents without the need to print paper versions or use fax machines.

Documents can be signed without leaving Outlook or Word, Sharepoint Online or SharePoint Server 2013, and are stored automatically on the soon-to-be-renamed OneDrive for Business cloud storage service.

DocuSign applications will be available from the Office Store from March and promise to be easy to use and install, with a single sign-on supported through the use of Windows Azure Active Directory.

DocuSign Office 365

“This partnership with DocuSign helps our customers keep transactions digital and manage eSignatures seamlessly from within Office 365, where they already communicate, collaborate and create,” says John Case, vice president of Marketing, Microsoft Office.

“We believe Office 365 customers of all sizes will appreciate the seamless availability of DocuSign integrated into the applications they use every day,” adds Keith Krach, chairman and CEO, DocuSign. “The combination of Microsoft and DocuSign further helps organisations keep business digital, and leverages the power of the cloud to help them focus on business results.”

DocuSign allows multiple people to sign multiple documents by packaging them into an ‘envelope’, which is then sent to each participant’s email address. This saves the amount of paper required to complete transactions and speeds up the process as documents can be signed on mobile devices and in real time.

The firm’s technology is used by the likes of HP and Vodafone, while it also has high profile customers in the US sports industry, including the NFL Players Association (NFLPA). The firm told TechWeekEurope earlier this month that it is planning a major push into Europe, with the UK among its main targets, and highlighted the potential use of its applications in football transfers.

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