London, U.K - Off-Blocks joins a wave of utility in blockchain, with the launch of a 2nd layer mobile app for digital signatures.
The eSignature industry is booming on the back of digital transformation programmes. But the rush to go paperless has led to an acceptance of its limitations.
Off-Blocks is the latest product sitting on top of the Factom blockchain, to deliver a real-world solution that transforms an industry.
Digital ID
Off-Blocks is predicated on digital IDs that expand the idea of a signature beyond only documents. It's this fundamental difference that will disrupt - with faster, cheaper, stronger signatures than ever before.
With an ID stored securely offline in your mobile device, it becomes usable as an extension of your physical self, allowing you to effectively reach out and interact with a digital world around you.”
Colin Campbell, CEO
Whilst going paperless is still a clear feature, the main advantage is versatility; being able to sign any type of data.
"Artists can sign creative work to secure their digital rights, a concept already being used as admissible evidence in court. Imagine a band signing their music, or a photographer signing their work before sharing", CEO Colin Campbell goes on to explain.
"Imagine capturing image/audio/video directly in-app and signing it at the point of creation, proving exactly who signed what and when. It bridges the gap between a claim and provable evidence that quickly resolves disputes.
An example would be in property damage for insurance claims, or social services witnessing a scene."
SaaS Platform
A web portal lets users send and track records more easily, through traditional features: A shared workspace, contact database and form templates with clickable fields.
Through partner Sphereon, Off-Blocks provides integrations with CMS such as Microsoft Sharepoint and Alfresco enabling organisations to stay within their own secure environment.
Traditional signature features
QuickSign
QuickSign turns data into a signable object - generating and displaying an interactive QR code of the underlying data registered on the Factom blockchain.
"The exciting potential is understood by first realising that anything can be represented by data; this could be a vote, a shipment, or login system. Then imagine where you can present this data; across both physical and digital mediums."
With a background in commercial aviation, the team at Off-Blocks originally invented QuickSign to tackle a problem in flight operations.
The technology was first debuted at Intelak, the Emirates Airline sponsored accelerator programme in Dubai.
“We wanted to securely sign documents sent through an aircraft’s integrated systems, to optimise turnaround times."
Maarten Boender, Sphereon
"Despite progress, the aviation industry still churns through millions of printed pages each day in the flight deck. It's an example of QuickSign transforming a process. By promoting a fully digital dispatch, we optimise turnaround times - reducing operational costs and environmental impact."
Another use case is the upcoming work with Factom, Inc. to develop a system of tracking raw material shipments for the U.S Department of Homeland Security.
Custom QR codes signed by authorised users
“Using W3C compliant Verifiable Credentials to issue an ID from an organisation onto the Off-Blocks mobile application creates a powerful Enterprise solution for authentication, applicable to a range of use cases in the field such as secure login, logistics, and voting as well as traditional signatures.”
"For end-users that could mean accepting your package delivery at the front door or signing a tenancy contract in person with your biometrics."
Signatures on Blockchain
Built on blockchain from the ground up, Off-Blocks provides a far more versatile signature solution at a fraction of the cost of legacy providers.
The beta version will shortly be available on the Apple and Google Play stores, with a phased release through January.
For more information, visit https://off-blocks.com
