Formation of CSC’s Advocacy Committee

By |

By Venkatraman Srinivasan

In an era where change is happening at a rapid pace, humanity is adopting digital technologies constantly and we are more digitally present that we have ever been. Under these circumstances, the need for cloud signatures and their value in contributing to our lifestyle cannot be underestimated. This shift in humanity, powered by technology, has been happening in parallel and in a fragmented manner in different regions of the world giving rise to disparate technical frameworks and policies around cloud signatures.

Nonetheless, there is one element of commonality to be noted in the fact that the interest levels and consequent adoption of cloud signatures has grown across the world which, in itself, exposes an opportunity to promote standardization around the security, identity, and technology frameworks that power such signature methodologies. Europe, has undoubtedly come to the forefront by establishing what we know to be the first, comprehensive framework around the adoption of Cloud Signatures at all hierarchies (Government, Enterprise, Personal).

Within this framework, the Cloud Signature Consortium (CSC) is playing a significant role in bringing global entities together to drive thought leadership, and, thus, innovation around cloud signature standardization which can have a global impact. As a body made up of many members across almost all different geographic regions, CSC has a strong source of knowledge to drive effective outputs in the standards that are defined for EU and global consumption.

The aim of the advocacy committee of CSC is really to ensure that this cycle is completed in its entirety. It is to ensure that the outputs derived from the joint experience of the consortium members are methodically and actively propagated to other region specific PKI and cloud signature related forums, and the standards developed by CSC are actively adopted in an increasing number of regions across the world. It is to ensure that over time, for the benefit of humanity, we can drive a reasonably interoperable cloud signature ecosystem that makes cross border transactions seamless, and yet, secure.

The committee will aim to engage in collaborative relationships with region or country-specific bodies within the domain, and drive knowledge dissemination through sponsorships, events, and knowledge sessions with regulators and key industry enablers across the globe. Consequently, the knowledge gained from such endeavors will also guide CSC standards to understand varied considerations in arriving at relevant frameworks that can help us move one step closer to standardization.

With a general shift towards cloud adoption over the past few years and Covid-19 in effect, the need for signing through a digital medium, and furthermore, the need for cloud signatures has undoubtedly increased. Further, the impact of this technology on personal convenience has been felt first-hand whether by choice, or by circumstance. Even now, I feel that we are only at the beginning of the growth curve. Advocacy for standardization of cloud signature methodologies is essential to the effective progress and growth of the global cloud signature ecosystem and as a leading consortium of industry members, CSC is optimally placed to help weave the common thread across the different pins on the map.

Interested in joining the new CSC Advocacy committee? Premium and Executive members are eligible. Terms of Reference for the Advocacy Committee may be found here.

Please contact the Secretariat at info@cloudsignatureconsortium.org for more information.