Softpro

Infobox_Company
company_name = SOFTPRO GmbH
company_type = Private Ownership
company_slogan = The Signature Professionals
foundation = 1983
location = flagicon|Germany Böblingen, Germany
key_people = Heinz Reschke, CEO; Alain Sarraf, CTO
num_employees = 60
industry = Software
products = Software for capturing, maintaining and verification of handwritten signatures| area_served = Worldwide
homepage = [http://www.softpro.de/ www.softpro.de]

The Softpro Group is a specialized vendor in the niche of systems for capture and verification of handwritten signatures - one segment of Biometrics.

The company is based in Böblingen, Germany with local subsidiaries in North America (Bear, Delaware), the United Kingdom (London), and Asia-Pacific (Singapore). The group employs an international staff of 60 people.

Products

Softpro has two major product divisions: the "eSign Workflow" and "Fraud Prevention Solutions"

The "eSign Workflow" product line provides solutions for securing the authenticity and integrity of documents within electronic processes, such as those required for legal contracts. For this purpose, a unique signature technology is used to extract and evaluate both the static and dynamic (biometric) characteristics of handwritten signatures.
* Software Development Kit SignWare
* Document Security Software SignDoc
* Signature Capturing Device SignPad

"Fraud Prevention Solutions" allow to detect and prevent fraud in paper-based processes (such as payment transactions, in praticular cheque fraud), as well as increasing operational efficiency using signature management and verification solutions.
* Signature Database SignBase
* Automatic Signature Verification SignCheck

Company History

The company was founded in 1983 by Heinz Reschke. She initially developed individual software solutions for various industries. Visual comparison of signatures supported by PCs was started in 1987, triggered by growing demand from major financial institutions. Shortly afterwards the development of automatic signature verification started along with IBM's labs in nearby Schönaich and APP Informatik Davos from Switzerland. The automatic verification is based on a neural network and fuzzy logic. The first automatic verification went into production in 1994 at Credit Suisse. Intellectual property rights for the automatic signature verification were acquired from IBM in 1998.

In recent years SOFTPRO extended its product range through a check fraud prevention suite branded FraudOne and products to create electronic signatures based on the use and verification of dynamic (biometric) characteristics of signatures.

Management

Founder Heinz Reschke returned as CEO in early 2008. [cite web|url=http://www.signplus.com/en/press/releases/2008-04-01_softpro_ceo_reschke.php|title=Founder Heinz Reschke returns as CEO |publisher=Softpro|date=2008-04-01|accessdate=2008-10-06] Alain Sarraf was named new CTO in April 2008 [cite web|url=http://www.signplus.com/en/press/releases/2008-04-01_softpro_ceo_reschke.php|title=Alain Sarraf named new CTO|publisher=Softpro|date=2008-04-01|accessdate=2008-10-06]

hareholders

GE Capital, AdCapital, founders and management.

References

External links

* [http://www.softpro.de Company website]
* [http://partners.adobe.com/public/developer/security/index_security_partners.html Adobe: Description of partners for security software]
* [http://www.world-of-photonics.net/link/en/18884493 World of Photonics: The usage of handwritten biometric signatures in the digital world and its implications]
* [http://www.newsdesk.se/view/pressrelease/wacom-lcd-signaturplatta-saeker-loesning-foer-digitala-signaturer-paa-berliner-sparkasse-177276 Newsdesk Sweden: Wacom LCD-signaturplatta: Säker lösning för digitala signaturer på Berliner Sparkasse] 2007-11-01
* [http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/press-release.pag?docid=109643824 Analyst Frost and Sullivan about SOFTPRO] 2007-10-17
* [http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2004/dec04/12-01TabletPCWinnerPR.mspx Microsoft: Microsoft Announces Winners of Tablet PC Developer Application Contest] 2004-12-01
* [http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms812501.aspx Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN): Digital Ink Signatures - Concepts and Technologies] 2004-10
* [http://www.tabletpctalk.com/press_releases/softpro.shtml Tablet PC Talk: SOFTPRO wins Tablet PC Challenge] 2004-02-25