Adobe Systems Inc.’s strategy for competing in the crowded document management segment rests on two pillars. The first is the ubiquitous Acrobat family of PDF editing tools, and the other is Adobe Sign, the company’s electronic signature service, which is receiving major update today.

The biggest enhancement focuses on signature verification. Specifically, the upgraded Adobe Sign will let companies take more steps to affirm the validity of their documents.

The service now makes it possible to require that users re-enter their login credentials before providing a signature, which should help reduce the risk of session hijacking to break into a computer system. A company can also ask an individual to specify why they’re signing for added measure. The latter feature is designed to let organizations ensure that users fully understand what they’re agreeing to for legal purposes.  

Adobe built the verification features mainly with the life sciences industry in mind. The update makes Adobe Sign compatible with the Food and Drug Administration’s Title 21 CFR Part 11 regulation, expanding upon its existing support for the SAFE-BioPharma standard. But the new features should also come handy for enterprises in other areas that simply want to go the extra mile to validate their documents.

The second major enhancement introduced in the update is integration with PayPal Holdings Inc.’s Braintree payment service. According to Adobe, it aims to help companies speed up multistep transactions that require the customer to sign a document.

Rounding out the update is yet another industry-specific integration. At enterprises that rely on SAP SE’s popular SuccessFactors human resources platform, staffers can now use Adobe Sign to send out documents such as offer letters which require an employee signature. Files are automatically stored in SuccessFactors once the recipient completes the necessary steps.

Adobe is no doubt counting on the new vertical-specific features to give it an edge over competing electronic signature providers, which have been steadily growing their market share. One of the fastest-rising players is HelloSign Inc., a startup that raised $16 million in funding last year to fuel its expansion.

Image: Adobe