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Case Study

Aruba Enterprise for 01sistemi and italian caf (tax advice centers)

Graphometric Advanced Electronic Signatures and Remote Digital Signatures helping digitize Italian CAF processes: this is the project of Aruba Enterprise and FirmaSPID, the new innovation company from 01Sistemi.

The company

FirmaSPID is an innovative startup founded in 2018 by 01Sistemi S.r.l., a company that has been managing and developing the IT system for the Italian Farmers Confederation (Confederazione Italiana Agricoltori, CIA) for over 10 years, offering services to more than 800 local offices, some 4,000 operators and 800,000 associates, including companies and individuals, and – more generally – aims to support organizations across Italy, including businesses and public authorities.

FirmaSPID's aim is to design and produce software for processes and products in the field of digital identity. This has led to the creation of the Firmo Semplice (Simple Signature) platform, which incorporates different kinds of Advanced Electronic Signatures (so called FEA, Firma Elettronica Avanzata) - including Graphometric and Remote Digital Signatures, with identification via the SPID (Sistema Pubblico di Identità Digitale or public digital identity system) and CIEs (Carta d'Identità Elettronica or electronic ID cards).

Requirements

When offering tax advice, CAFs (Centri di Assistenza Fiscale or tax advice centers) work with the relevant Public Administration, via fully digitized processes, and at the same time offer services to citizens involving processes that are only partially digitized. Frequently, this results in a printout of a document with a handwritten signature, for example, which subsequently requires scanning and storage of hard copies.

More specifically, CAF CIA – the tax advice center supported by the Italian Famers Confederation – needed to optimize and digitize the processes that still involve non-digital processes - a requirement recognized by both CAFs and citizens alike.

To achieve this, such processes needed to be digitized using Graphometric Signature solutions, with the added benefit of being able to complete administrative processes and various bureaucratic procedures completely remotely without having to leave the house.

For this reason, FirmaSPID decided to turn to Aruba Enterprise to incorporate Graphometric Signature solutions into the Firmo Semplice platform, with the shared goal of giving CAF CIAs a comprehensive solution digitizing all the services it offers to citizens.

The Solution

The solution put forward involved the development of a single interface within the CIA's IT system capable of offering citizens using the Confederation's services two options for signing documents:

  • one process involving a Graphometric Signature, when physically present at the relevant CAF;
  • one process involving a Remote Signature added using Firmo Semplice, when not physically present.

The choice of which type of signature to use can be made on a case-by-case basis by the CAF operator, depending on the context and the citizen's preferences – if they are physically present, using the Graphometric Signature, otherwise remotely using the Firmo Semplice.


The two types of Electronic Signature are equivalent and allow the provider – i.e. the CAF CIA and the entire CIA system – to comprehensively meet the need for the complete digitization of processes as well as to offer citizens two digital signature options, which can be implemented in person or remotely, depending on their needs.

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Example of usage - Firmo Semplice for a 730 form

With the Firmo Semplice platform, a 730 form can be signed remotely, without leaving the house. This innovative new signature system makes it possible to comply with all the obligations that once required going to the relevant office and signing the original hard copy document.

This system – which is already up and running, thanks to the agreement with the CAF CIA and the INAC (Italian Farmers Confederation’s Tax Advice Center) – can be used simply and quickly by Public Administrations and Associations. It is a tool that makes it easier to create online documents; it also offers citizens the option to sign documents using their own digital SPID ID or Electronic ID card, thus making the remote Advanced Electronic Signature process even more powerful.

In addition, citizens and businesses who visit local CIA offices have the option to use the Graphometric Advanced Electronic Signature – the advanced signature solution, incorporated into the process through the development of an ad hoc project implemented by the Aruba Enterprise team - which makes it possible to identify the signatory using graphometric parameters, so-called 'graphometric vectors', which are unique and personal to the signatory. This particular form of Advanced Electronic Signature – as defined in the CAD – has the same legal validity as a handwritten signature.

Benefits

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The project with the CAF CIA and all the other organizations of the Italian Farmers Confederation arose from the need to digitize the entire process of issuing, signing and archiving documents. Thanks to the solutions that were implemented:

  • all processes are digitized and transmitted via Web application, both for in-house operators and for citizens and businesses;
  • everyone involved works online to share documents and produce statements, proxies and other useful documents.
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A number of goals have therefore been achieved:

  • these processes have been fully digitized, allowing the different individuals who use the CIA system to send documents directly to digital storage, without the resource-intensive process of scanning hard copies;
  • at the same time, citizens and businesses now have a remote signature tool, allowing them to carry on increasing output activities and processes directly online, streamlining processes and saving time and money.
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There are also clear benefits for CAFs and for Associations, which can now receive all documentation electronically, and thus store it digitally:

  • the entire process significantly reduces direct costs (for example relating to the storage space required for hard copies and the scanning process)
  • as well as saving time.

Taxpayers, citizens and companies also benefit, as they can sign documents on their smart devices, without having to physically visit an office.

Future Plans

Both the Firmo Semplice platform and the project to integrate Graphometric Signatures are currently being used for CAF CIA statements, and most notably they were used in the last campaign for filling in 730 forms and a number of INAC documents.

More specifically:
  • Firmo Semplice, currently being used for recognition purposes for SPID and CIEs, will be extended to other electronic documents such as passports, residence permits and other documents that use NFC (Near Field Communication) technology;
  • by the end of 2020, Graphometric Signature solutions will be extended to all documents produced by the integrated information systems used by the Italian Farmers Confederation, increasing the 200 signature points involved in the pilot project to around 2,500, thereby covering all offices across the country.
“The aim of the project is to simplify the processes that take place in CAFs, involving operators, taxpayers, citizens, businesses and PAs: Graphometric and Remote Digital Signature solutions and, in general, the collaboration between FirmaSPID and the Aruba Enterprise team shows how integrated, complementary solutions offer huge benefits in working towards digitization and dematerializing processes.” Alessandro Del Bene, CEO of FirmaSPID and 01Sistemi

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