Adobe buys EchoSign PDF e-signature tech

By Richi Jennings (@richi ) - July 18, 2011.

Adobe Systems (NASDAQ:ADBE) is buying EchoSign, maker of an electronic signature service. Adobe plans to integrate the technology into its Acrobat family of PDF document services. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers ponder the paperless office... again.

Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment. Not to mention: What Rupert Murdoch was really thinking
(according to Danger Moose)...

John Ribeiro reports:

Adobe plans to add EchoSign's electronic signature technology...to reduce the time, cost, and complexity associated with having a document signed...[and] plans to discontinue...a cloud-based electronic signature service, called eSignatures or eSign, that it released in May last year.
...
The EchoSign technology...currently used by over 3 million users...will be integrated with other Adobe document services including SendNow...FormsCentral...and CreatePDF. ... EchoSign provides a subscription-based service...assisting the signature process and automatically storing and managing...signed documents.   

   
Dean Takahashi opines "it could finally kill paper contracts":

Paperless offices were predicted long ago, but we’re killing more trees than ever with legal documents. ... EchoSign’s goal...is to reduce the time and cost...accelerate sales cycles, improve tracking, and centralize the management of signed agreements.
...
[A] user sends the document for signature using EchoSign. The receiving party can sign it electronically. ... Everyone receives a signed copy and then EchoSign handles the filing.   

Mike Magee's anonymous minion adds:

Although Adobe has taken flak for security in the past, it assures us that EchoSign's whole deal is a secure option from small businesses through to the enterprise.
...
[A]n excitable EchoSign said...it's only a matter of time before electronic signatures become the de facto medium to sign stuff...doing away with the indecipherable charm of the John Hancock. ...Adobe boasts its new plaything has clients in high profile business like Salesforce and NetSuite.
...
All the lucky full-time EchoStar employees will find themself routed in Adobe from now on.   

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry says, "It makes sense":

...Adobe owns Acrobat, which is what a lot of people read and edit PDFs through. Since most legal documents are sent as PDFs, [the acquisition] makes sense.
...
Most of us send contracts and other legal documents as PDFs, print them out, sign them, scan them, and then send them back as PDFs, which is as ridiculous as it gets.   

  

And Finally...
What Rupert Murdoch was really thinking
[according to Danger Moose]
  
 
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Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and security. He's the creator and main author of Computerworld's IT Blogwatch -- for which he has won American Society of Business Publication Editors and Jesse H. Neal awards on behalf of Computerworld. He also writes The Long View for IDG Enterprise. A cross-functional IT geek since 1985, you can follow him as @richi on Twitter, pretend to be richij's friend on Facebook, or just use good old email: itbw@richij.com. You can also read Richi's full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.