Implement knowledge based authentication (KBA) signature for sharepoint online documents

Question

i need to have my clients sign some forms. the electronic signature must be with KBA / knowledge based authentication.

I want to initiate signature requests from within the teams interface, and also want them to sign a form during onboarding.

What are the possible options (within Office 365 or third party tools), to implement KBA signature for documents inside SharePoint sites? for client inside the US and outside the US.

Thanks

Answer 1

Hi john,

Traditional Knowledge-Based Authentication relies on US public-record data, so it generally cannot be used for clients outside the United States. Therefore, the most practical design is to use a third-party e-signature provider integrated with Microsoft 365, with KBA for eligible US signers and government- or electronic-ID verification for international signers.

There are some options you can consider:

1/ Docusign

Docusign is a strong option when the requirement includes SharePoint storage, onboarding forms, and KBA:

• Docusign for SharePoint allows users to send documents from a SharePoint document library and automatically save completed agreements back to SharePoint. It offers both organization-level and site-level connectors.
• Docusign can also be used with Microsoft Teams, although the exact sending and authentication features available inside Teams should be validated against the selected Docusign plan.
• Docusign PowerForms can provide a self-service onboarding link that clients open to complete and sign a standard form without the organization manually creating every request.
• However, Docusign KBA is available only to US citizens or US residents with a valid Social Security number and sufficient US public-record history. It is not an international identity-verification method.

For references:

• Docusign: Knowledge-Based Authentication
• Docusign eSignature for Microsoft SharePoint

2/ Adobe Acrobat Sign

Adobe Acrobat Sign also provides the required Microsoft integrations:

• The Adobe Acrobat Sign app for Microsoft Teams allows users to send, sign, track, and manage agreements from the Teams interface, including agreements that require secondary authentication.
• Its SharePoint integration supports sending documents from SharePoint, tracking status, storing completed files, and creating onboarding workflows.
• Adobe web forms can be used for client-initiated onboarding, and collected web-form information can be mapped to SharePoint Online lists.
• Adobe KBA is an Enterprise-plan feature, is charged per use, and is only applicable to US-based recipients.
• For international clients, Adobe offers other authentication methods, including SMS and government-ID verification. Availability can depend on the recipient’s country and the purchased Adobe plan.

For references:

• Adobe Acrobat Sign: Knowledge-Based Authentication
• Adobe Acrobat Sign for Microsoft 365
• Adobe Acrobat Sign integration with SharePoint

(Note: all of these articles are non-Microsoft websites. The pages appear to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Product). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.)   

Hope this will help. Should you need further assistance, please feel free to reach out again in the comments on this post. I'm happy to help.