Cegedim and CIC partner for high-security dematerialization

Cegedim's innovative MAEA software suite, which complies both with SEPA requirements and the European Commission's Payment Services Directive, and which allows enterprises to maintain their existing subscription and collection processes with minimum impact on their IT infrastructures, coupled with CIC's electronic signature technology represents an elegant and easy to integrate solution that delivers full dematerialization for enterprises.

Initially focused on direct debits, which have become the second most widely used payment method in Europe (after bank cards), with 20 billion transactions in 2010, of which 3.4 billion in France, MAEA provides a complete solution for the management of SEPA electronic mandates ("eMandates"), or authorizations, and related payment transactions. CIC's electronic signature solution is accessed for completion of a valid eMandate and is available now for immediate deployment through MAEA as a high security service bureau that completes each eMandate with a separate and valid electronic signature.

"With the European Parliament's recently set deadline of February 1, 2014, for full migration to SEPA, it is imperative that enterprises commence the migration process immediately," stated Jean-Marie Simon, Director of Cegedim Global Payments. "Cegedim anticipated this accelerated schedule and, as one of the only available SEPA compliant platforms, has already started to work on a number of MAEA implementations."

"Electronic signatures represent a cornerstone of the drive towards dematerialization and of the proven cost savings afforded by straight-through electronic processing," continued Mr. Simon. "We conducted an extensive search for the ideal electronic signature provider to partner with and chose Silicon Valley-based CIC due to its commitment to high-security electronic solutions and its leadership position in biometric signature verification. CIC has a long and successful track record in solving the high volume electronic signature requirements for several leading financial institution and insurance carrier enterprises, for which signature authenticity and validity represents an indispensable condition for the adoption of an electronic signature solution."

"Cegedim's MAEA platform is a world class, elegant solution that solves the significant SEPA challenge faced by European enterprises today, and is a perfect fit to CIC's one-to-many, partner integration strategy," stated William Keiper, CIC's President and Chief Operating Officer. "CIC has delivered tangible ROI to our end users in their dematerialization efforts, and is confident that the SEPA migration represents a unique opportunity for adopters of MAEA to generate immediate cost savings and to manage their businesses more efficiently."

"We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Cegedim," continued Mr. Keiper. "MAEA is only the first step in a wider opportunity that will deliver electronic signature solutions and straight-through processing to Cegedim's CRM and other businesses and to their respective clients."

MAEA supports all the legal requirements and needs for timely SEPA migration, and is targeted to major European creditors in all business sectors. For more information on MAEA and Cegedim's related solutions, including its Sign & Archive and CEGEPass services, please visit http://www.cegedim.fr/solutions/tous-secteurs/Pages/Migration-SEPA.aspx.

Cegedim also offers new payment methods for the settlement of electronic invoices, using its direct debit management solutions and relying on CIC's electronic signature technology. Without such critical solutions, related development prospects for enterprises are daunting, considering the February 1, 2016, date for final elimination of all paper-based payment methods.

SOURCE Communication Intelligence Corporation