Process integrity is important in resource and risk management by ensuring that standard operating procedures are observed diligently. This means working with accurate and complete business data and following through on predetermined steps without compromising process or quality.

Accredify’s verifiable documents are immutable and ensure your process integrity is kept intact through secure storing on the blockchain using cryptographic hashing. A “hash” is an alphanumerical string of characters that functions as a “fingerprint” of the document. The actual contents of the document are not uploaded onto the blockchain.

A hash is first created when a verifiable document is issued and recorded onto the blockchain. When someone tries to verify the document, it undergoes hashing again to generate an alphanumerical string of characters. The verification process then compares the generated hash of the document that is being verified with the original hash of the document that has been recorded onto the blockchain. If that document has been tampered with, the hash will not match the original and so the document will be deemed unverified and/or tampered with. This way, you can be sure that your verifiable documents always are true-to-source.

To strengthen your process integrity in processes that involve several stakeholders, verifiable documents can be built with data requirements that ensure SOPs are adhered to at every stage of production. This helps keep your process integrity intact as verifiable data and documents make it easy to spot whether there is compliance with SOPs at every stage of production – enabling businesses to quickly target any errors and discrepancies.

2. Increasing information security with blockchain technology

In today’s day and age where most businesses’ operational processes are digitised, data privacy and secure information sharing have become great priorities.

When storing information on the blockchain with verifiable documents, information security is enhanced in two ways:

1) Off-chain data becomes immutable so records cannot be falsified
2) On-chain data is cryptographically hashed, so records cannot be read by other blockchain participants

With verifiable documents, your business can safely distribute Accredify’s verifiable documents without worrying about the tampering of critical business information.

To further secure your document’s contents, owners of verifiable documents issued through Accredify can choose which data points verifiers can access and how long they can access that information for to protect their data. Processes can also be built to secure sensitive information to an even greater degree by utilising Zero-Knowledge Proofs.

Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) improve KYC processes by making it possible to verify identities without disclosing any sensitive data. E.g. if a bar needs to check whether a customer is at least 18 years old, ZKPs can return a Yes/ No answer to prove whether they are old enough to purchase alcohol without disclosing any personal information such as their date of birth, identification number, or current age. ZKPs are particularly useful for high-risk industries such as banking, healthcare and civil engineering where identity theft, fake certifications, and scams can result in the endangerment of people or valuable assets.

With Accredify’s solution, data holders can choose to only provide Yes/No answers to the verifier based on what they need to know. Such information could be e.g. whether an individual has permission to access certain information or to initiate certain actions within a business context.

3. Easier information sharing with data portability

Accredify’s verifiable documents have the added benefit of data portability. This means that your documents are compatible with any system, enabling easy data sharing with anyone.

Data portability is important because it allows anyone to easily verify and access the contents of the verifiable document with the permission of the owner, unlike traditional data formats that typically are stored in a ‘siloed’ system where only users of that specific system can read or access the document.

With verifiable documents, your business can share data points across various stakeholders who may all be utilising different systems to process data (e.g. CMS, LMS, SMS), enabling open information sharing.

The unrestricted sharing that is enabled by data portability of verifiable documents can add great value to businesses through

1. True-to-source data sharing across complex supply chains: Data portability from verifiable documents allows easy cross-party sharing of data points, to e.g. verify a product’s origin, production dates, freight details, storage conditions etc.

2. Simplified cross-border sharing for international businesses: By making your data portable, verifiable documents enable your business to share true-to-source information with anyone, anywhere. Using verifiable documents for your key business information makes it quick and easy to share sensitive data across borders without compromising on security.

3. Quick and secure information sharing between siloed departments: Accredify’s verifiable documents enable sharing and verification of specific data points in your documents without sharing confidential information that is limited to one department.

With Accredify’s solution, third parties can easily verify documents by scanning a QR code, eliminating the time required for issuers (e.g. educational institutions) to authenticate or verify their documents. Data portability enhances this, as any third-party verifier will be able to read and verify any document issued through Accredify to further improve process efficiency.

4. Easy adoption with systems interoperability

To make verifiable documents as easy to use, find and organise as possible, Accredify’s solution is systems interoperable and can be easily integrated with your business’ existing systems with APIs, using just a couple of lines of code.

With system interoperability, your business does not have to overhaul entire information management systems, retrain staff or go through the hassle of pulling together different workplace apps and systems to work as an integrated whole just to use Accredify.

Instead, we fit into what you already have so you can get started with verifiable documents easily. Our solution can be integrated with e.g. your SMS, CMS and LMS systems to issue and distribute documents automatically, using information that already is stored in your systems.

5. Verification insights to optimise your business offerings

With physical and digital documents, you typically lose insights into how they are used after they have been distributed to your recipients. However, verifiable documents turn static data points into live documents that leave an audit trail of all verifications. This provides valuable insights for your business, with information about where, when and how often your documents are getting verified by third parties.

With Accredify, you gain access to historical verification insights and trends. This enables your business to identify trends and gaps in the market, so you can reassess your products and services with offerings that are in demand in your operating market.

The screenshot above shows Accredify’s analytics dashboard, with historical insights into verification volumes for issued documents from educational courses.

If your business e.g. sells products to consumers, verification insights can give you a closer look at how your product is performing in the market. Imagine a situation in which a specific product’s provenance information experiences a high volume of verifications, and yet, sales volume of the product is low. This can reveal a market interest in the product that unfortunately does not translate into sales.

This gap suggests that it could be worthwhile reviewing your production processes to understand why interest is not translating into conversions. It could be e.g. because the product data does not match the product label or marketing statements, or even that the product is not produced sustainably enough.

Issuing verifiable documents with Accredify

Verifiable documents offer many benefits to your business by improving resource management, information security and sharing, while offering valuable verification insights.

Accredify has empowered over 600 enterprises in nine markets to simplify complex processes and discover new frontiers of efficiency. The applications of verifiable documents are endless and can be used to e.g. automate HR processes and optimise L&D opportunities, provide transparency and traceability for shipping and logistics, enhance event efficiency and attendee privacy, and more.

Request a demo today to learn more about how you can apply verifiable documents to your business to optimise your operational processes, enable data portability and save big on resources.