Users will need to configure the client with the appropriate credentials. Here, DocuSign offers tools to create valid electronic signature elements, which are protected by several layers of encryption. Digital signature credentials are managed by the product's "Role Sets" applet, which maintains digital signature associates and incorporates password protection to guarantee user identity. All workflow transactions have an auditable time line, which verifies who has routed what to whom and why.

One of the more interesting aspects of the routing process is the use of definable rules. Here, contract administrators have granular control over the progress of a contract, allowing certain steps to be accomplished only after the requirements of the defined rules are met. Those rules can be as simple as requiring a signature before routing or as complex as notifications combined with required form elements and time-sensitive actions.

While DocuSign makes perfect sense for the larger enterprise with a large contracts department, one can't help but notice how radical an impact the product could have on a very small business. It comes down to the fact that enterprises have always had the staff and budget to operate and fund the contracting process, while small businesses have always had to take an ad hoc approach to the contracting process.

When implemented in a small business environment, DocuSign can help with the checks and balances to keep transactions fully legal and create an appropriate audit trail. That gives the small business owner the same advantage that an enterprise has when it comes to maintaining and executing contracts.