"Electronic Seal Solution DSS byGMO" Begins Integration with "TechSign"

GMO GlobalSign Co., Ltd. (President: Katsuo Nakajo), a member of the GMO Internet Group, announced that its "Electronic Seal Solution DSS byGMO" has begun integration with "TechSign", an electronic signature and business infrastructure solution for accredited testing laboratories provided by TechChao Co., Ltd. (President: Heima Igarashi).

Through this integration, accredited testing laboratories will be able to affix electronic signatures in their own name to test reports and calibration certificates. By digitizing certificate issuance operations on a scale of up to 150,000 documents per year, this partnership supports improved reliability through issuer verification and tamper detection, as well as increased efficiency in issuance operations that previously relied on paper stamps and mailing.

[Background]
In recent years, institutional frameworks for the electronic issuance of test reports and calibration certificates have been advancing. Electronic issuance offers benefits such as reducing costs associated with paper and postage, simplifying internal procedures like stamping and mailing, improving certificate management efficiency, lowering the risk of damage, loss, or soiling of paper documents, and enabling faster delivery to customers.

However, simply converting paper documents to PDF is insufficient for electronic issuance that complies with accreditation systems. Accredited testing laboratories and calibration organizations are required to operate electronic issuance that can verify the correctness of the issuer of test reports and calibration certificates and confirm that the content has not been altered after issuance, based on compliance with the international standard ISO/IEC 17025 and the requirements of domestic accreditation systems JNLA and JCSS. Therefore, an operational design is needed that can seamlessly integrate mechanisms to clarify the issuer of electronically issued certificates and to verify post-issuance tampering into existing workflows.

Against this background, GMO GlobalSign and TechChao have established a framework to integrally support compliant electronic issuance and operational efficiency by linking the electronic signature infrastructure with the business system for accredited testing laboratories.

[Features of this Integration]
1. Electronic Signatures in the Laboratory's Own Name: Electronic signatures enable issuer verification and tamper detection. This integration allows accredited testing laboratories to affix electronic signatures in their own name to test reports and calibration certificates, clarifying the issuing entity while enabling verification of the document creator and whether tampering has occurred after issuance.
2. Support for Large-Scale Issuance of Up to 150,000 Documents Annually: "DSS byGMO" is a service that provides electronic signature functions via API. It supports electronic signatures on PDF files and handles large volumes, such as 1,000 signatures per day. Through this integration, "TechSign" can offer a stable electronic signature infrastructure capable of handling large-scale, high-volume batch issuance.
3. Digitization Without Changing Existing Operations: "TechSign" is an electronic signature and business infrastructure solution for accredited testing laboratories and calibration organizations. Integrated with "DSS byGMO", it supports the entire workflow from creating, reviewing, and electronically signing test reports and calibration certificates to issuance. Accredited testing laboratories and calibration organizations have varying types of tests/calibrations, forms used, approval workflows, and delivery methods to customers. "TechSign" supports the use of existing forms and customization according to each organization's workflow, enabling a transition to electronic issuance without relying on paper stamps or mailing, without major changes to existing operations. This allows it to meet a wide range of implementation needs, from laboratories requiring high-volume issuance to those looking to digitize specific operations step by step.

This integration has already been implemented at the Construction Materials Testing Laboratory of the Japan Testing Center for Construction Materials (JTCCM). Test reports issued by this laboratory are important documents whose reliability must be verified not only by the applicant but also by the recipient and storage location. Therefore, for electronic issuance, it is crucial that the issuer is clear and that the content has not been tampered with after issuance. By implementing this integrated solution, electronic signatures can be affixed in the laboratory's own name, supporting the enhanced reliability of electronic reports as a new means of certification replacing stamps on traditional paper reports. Furthermore, with operations planned to handle a large scale of approximately 150,000 signatures per year, this makes digitization a realistic option even for accredited testing laboratories that issue large volumes of test reports and calibration certificates.

GMO GlobalSign and TechChao aim to leverage the knowledge gained through this implementation to expand to other accredited testing laboratories and calibration organizations facing similar challenges.

[Future Developments]
While many general witness-type electronic signature services affix signature information in the name of a third-party provider, this integrated solution allows laboratories to affix electronic signatures in their own name. This ensures clarity of the issuing entity and enables the issuance of electronically signed documents in a form suitable for accreditation system operations. This integrated solution enables electronic signatures in the laboratory's own name, high-volume batch issuance, and customization according to existing workflows, achieving both security and operational efficiency. Both companies will continue to support the secure electronic issuance of test reports and calibration certificates for accredited testing laboratories and calibration organizations. They will also promote the digitization of important documents and the strengthening of security and operational efficiency through electronic signatures for enterprise companies and organizations that require high-volume issuance, strict management, and clear identification of issuers for certificates and important documents.

[About TechSign]
"TechSign" is an electronic signature and business infrastructure solution designed for accredited testing laboratories. It supports the electronic issuance of test reports and calibration certificates without significantly changing the workflows necessary for laboratory operations. By utilizing electronic signatures, it enables operations that can verify the correctness of the document issuer and confirm that the content has not been altered after issuance. It also supports the transition to electronic operations using existing forms and offers flexible customization according to each laboratory's workflow. This achieves practical digitization tailored to the field operations of accredited testing laboratories.

[About TechChao Co., Ltd.]
TechChao Co., Ltd. operates with the mission of "bridging people and technology as a technological bridge, providing essential value to all involved." The company provides cloud services, including "TechSign," and develops and operates core business systems for enterprises. Its strength lies in its system development capabilities, handling everything from requirements definition to design, development, and operation, and it provides solutions for highly specialized industries such as accredited testing laboratories.