An electronic signature is any electronic process indicating acceptance of an agreement or record. Unlike a wet signature on paper, an electronic signature can be a typed name, a drawn signature on a touchscreen, or a click on an 'I agree' button — provided the underlying audit trail records who signed, when, from where, and what they consented to.
Electronic signatures are court-enforceable in most jurisdictions. In the EU, the eIDAS regulation defines three tiers: simple electronic signature (SES), advanced electronic signature (AES), and qualified electronic signature (QES). In the US, ESIGN (federal, 2000) and UETA (49 states + DC) establish that electronic signatures have the same legal weight as handwritten ones when the parties consented to do business electronically.
For regulated workflows, life-sciences customers should look for 21 CFR Part 11 support (audit trails, electronic signature manifests, intent-to-sign attestations).