The use of the electronic seal at BAM

What is an electronic seal?

The electronic seal is comparable to an organization's stamp, which confirms on paper documents that they really originated from the organization. The electronic seal performs this function for electronic documents (e.g. in PDF format).

BAM's electronic seal confirms that an electronic document

• was really issued by BAM,
• has not been changed afterwards.

This confirmation always refers to the electronic document as a whole, even if it is comprised of many pages.

The electronic seal must be distinguished from the electronic signature. The latter can always be traced back to a natural person, e.g. a BAM employee. This is not the case with the electronic seal. BAM is also examining the extent to which it can also use electronic signatures in the future.

What does BAM's electronic seal look like?

The electronic seal is actually an invisible addition to the electronic document. The electronic seal can be recognized above all by the display in common applications for the display of PDF documents, such as Acrobat Reader:

In addition, however, the electronic BAM seal is also displayed as an image of the previous BAM stamp:

However, the decisive factor is the visibility of the seal in the aplication for the display of eletronic documents. Only if the validity of the document is confirmed there can you be sure that the electronic document originates from BAM and has not been altered.

What are the advantages of an electronic seal?

• At BAM, the electronic seal enables a digital workflow without interruption - i.e. paper documents no longer have to be laboriously signed and then scanned, for example.
• Also, most customers today work digitally. When they receive electronic documents from BAM, they no longer need to be scanned in. The electronic seal still makes it possible to recognize that the document is genuine.
• An electronically sealed document can be copied and passed on. The electronic seal is retained on every copy. This enables BAM's customers and partners to pass on electronic documents issued by BAM, e.g. a findings summary, to third parties. They, too, can be sure that the electronic document is authentic.

What will change as a result of the introduction of the electronic seal?

As a rule, electronically sealed BAM documents will no longer bear the signatures of employees. However, the name of the employee responsible will still appear in text. Seeing as a handwritten signature on a scanned paper document does not have high evidentiary value, the use of an electronic seal is actually more secure.

For which documents does BAM use electronic seals?

BAM will gradually use the electronic seal on all electronic documents that provide technical findings, whose origins and integrity need to be proven and for which there are no special form requirements: e.g. findings statements such as certificates and test reports, expert opinions, licenses, etc.