In any large company, the workflow is represented by a large amount of documents, many of which are stored and transmitted electronically. To eliminate the possibility of forgery and protect your data, an electronic signature is used, which is an analogue of a handwritten signature on paper. Only if everything is relatively simple with a paper signature, then in order to ensure the security of electronic documents, you will have to obtain an electronic signature that meets state standards, which is issued by a certification center or certification center. Currently, such organizations are formed by entrepreneurs who develop an electronic digital signature for their clients, but before starting such work, you need to obtain a license to carry out their activities. This line of business is, of course, very promising,
It would seem that this is a very good idea for your undertaking, but not many companies seek to do business in this area. But here it should be noted right away that opening a certification center can be relevant in two different cases. Many companies open such a center in order to manage documents within their enterprise and branches, as well as exchange documents with partner organizations. That is, the center is opened exclusively for their own needs. Several companies can unite in order to arrange the transfer of documents only among themselves and allocate funds for one to open a certification center based on one enterprise (it makes no sense to open a center based on each company). From a legal point of view, in this case, in general, it seems like it is not necessary to obtain a license, however, then there are many risks … Another case is entrepreneurial activity for the development and issuance of an electronic signature to third-party customers. There is no need for licenses here. This is an important point, and now we will dwell in more detail on the process of registration and licensing of our activities.
So, first you need to register as a business entity. It is better to immediately register a legal entity, the preferred form is a limited liability company. It’s already a good idea to have in the state or just contact a competent lawyer who will help with registration and the choice of a taxation system. Activity code – (OKPD 2) 62.09 Other information technology services and computer services, although additional encodings may be needed depending on the list of services offered. After passing the registration stage, you can apply for a license. In fact, the license for issuing electronic signatures is issued by the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation (Minkomsvyaz of Russia) and its territorial branches, or rather, this is not even a license,
It is relatively easy to get accreditation, because in order to obtain permits, you need to provide three documents – the application itself, a sample contract with the client, and, most importantly, a document confirming the conclusion of a liability insurance contract. In the field of information security, there are big risks, which, among other things, can lead to serious material damage to the customer, so you cannot do without insurance for your activities. If all this is available, then the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications must issue a license.
However, there is another significant difficulty. Work in the field of information security requires obtaining a license from the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) for (literally) “activities for the development, production, distribution of encryption (cryptographic) means, information systems and telecommunications systems protected using encryption (cryptographic) means, the implementation works, provision of services in the field of information encryption, maintenance of encryption (cryptographic) means, information systems and telecommunication systems protected using encryption (cryptographic) means (except if the maintenance of encryption (cryptographic) means, information systems and telecommunication systems , protected using encryption (cryptographic) means, is carried out to meet the own needs of a legal entity or an individual entrepreneur)”. The last point is especially important – that is, if you work only to secure yourself with an electronic signature, then a license is not needed (however, there may be some claims from the FSB, which very carefully monitors the activities of companies working in the field of cryptography).
Otherwise, in order to one day not receive masked guests in your office, you need to apply to the FSB for a license. This stage can be called the most difficult and costly. In total, there are 28 types of activities that are subject to licensing, the certification center is unlikely to need to deal with the entire list of these types of activities, but the exact list depends on the format of work and the algorithms used. In general, at this stage it is desirable to work with programmers who will be employed by the enterprise in the future, because they will be able to decide exactly what they need and in what direction they should move.
Depending on the number of types of licensed activities, the cost of a license is determined, it may also depend on the region, but in any case it will be quite expensive – about several hundred thousand rubles. There are companies that help in obtaining a license, but they will also charge extra for their services.
To obtain an FSB license, it is necessary that the organization has some capabilities. First you need to find a leader who has the appropriate higher professional education in the field of training “Information Security” or simply retrained in one of the specialties in this area. His work experience must be at least three years, and in some cases even at least five years, depending on the list of services provided.
Further, it will be necessary to provide all documents that confirm that the license applicant has the right of ownership or some other legal basis for the possession and use of premises, structures, any equipment and other objects that are necessary for the implementation of the licensed activity. The company must have at least two specialists who also have the appropriate education, here we mean directly the performers who will be involved in software development, cryptography and other work in the field of information security.
Regarding the equipment, it should be noted that it is necessary to have special computers and databases that will be necessary for the work, as well as special instruments and equipment that have been tested and calibrated. You can find out more precisely the requirements directly from the licensing authority, because in each case there may be their own conditions and restrictions. On the other hand, before starting work, all the necessary requirements can be voiced by the employees of the enterprise, because they know exactly what they will have to deal with. The entrepreneur must collect a complete package of documents, which confirms the availability of all the necessary equipment and the conclusion of employment contracts with specialists. The process of obtaining all licenses and other permits can be very time consuming,
The next stage is the location of your enterprise. It is not particularly important here exactly where the office will be located, although, of course, it is most preferable in the city center, since the customer must apply in person to obtain an electronic signature, which means that he will have to travel across the city if the company is located on the outskirts. According to the law, it is impossible to obtain an electronic signature without a personal appeal, and this applies not only to legal entities, but also to ordinary people who wish to have an electronic signature for their personal needs. The size of the premises depends on the planned scope of work, at least the office should have three workplaces – two for each specialist and one for the manager. You will also need a technical room to accommodate the equipment.
In general, it is possible to transfer some functions to ensure the performance of your enterprise to outsourcing, namely, to IT outsourcing. The company with which the cooperation will be established will perform equipment maintenance and other duties that are not directly related to the creation of electronic signatures. That is, the office should be relatively large, and it is unlikely that it will be possible to be located somewhere on the territory of a business center. The cost of rent depends on a huge number of factors, but first of all, it is affected by the location and even the city of work.
In order to be able to engage in such activities, it is necessary to purchase powerful computing equipment, it can be not only computers, but also related equipment, for example, powerful servers. An average amount of about 500 thousand rubles will have to be allocated for equipment, of course, there is an opportunity to save money if you purchase not so powerful or even used equipment. But the amount can also be several times higher if it is planned to open a center that is focused on working with a huge number of consumers and fulfills a large number of orders at the same time as a result. In general, the entrepreneur himself decides how much money he needs to allocate for equipment, but we must not forget that work in this area requires only good machines,
Next is the staff. In general, a simple center can easily get by with two employees if you outsource all third-party duties and do not count on a large number of consumers. Experienced programmers who know everything necessary about cryptography and algorithms for creating electronic signatures should work. At present, finding professionals in this field in a big city is relatively easy, but you need to understand that such a person will expect an appropriate salary. As for the manager, it can be somewhat more complicated if the entrepreneur himself is not a specialist in this field. In addition, it may be necessary to hire people to take care of administrative and organizational matters. This is due to the need to find customers, negotiate with them, and counseling and other related services. Business processes that are not related to the organization’s profit making are best outsourced. This includes bookkeeping, legal and tax advice, as well as security, for which you should contact a private security organization. And, as already noted, some issues related to programming or maintenance of equipment are transferred to outsourcing, which are inappropriate to perform independently.
Next, you should worry about finding customers for your business. In most cases, an electronic signature is still needed by the heads of organizations or just for the operation of an enterprise, individuals apply for an electronic signature of the city less often, the reasons for this, I think, are understandable. In this regard, the vast majority of companies that develop and issue electronic signatures are focused primarily on working with legal entities or individual entrepreneurs, however, the process of issuing an electronic signature to both a legal entity and an individual does not differ much, they just require different documents from customer to complete the order. However, the areas of application of the electronic signature are also taken into account, because for a simple workflow and exchange of documents with various counterparties, it is enough to have one type of electronic signature, but if it is necessary to provide reports to government agencies, the information is entered in a separate register, in addition, an electronic signature can be developed for trading on special platforms. So, an individual must provide only a passport, email address and SNILS number. A qualified electronic signature certificate will be issued to a legal entity only upon submission of constituent documents with a document on entering information about the enterprise into a single register and a certificate of registration with the tax authority. in addition, an electronic signature can be developed for trading on special platforms. So, an individual must provide only a passport, email address and SNILS number. A qualified electronic signature certificate will be issued to a legal entity only upon submission of constituent documents with a document on entering information about the enterprise into a single register and a certificate of registration with the tax authority. in addition, an electronic signature can be developed for trading on special platforms. So, an individual must provide only a passport, email address and SNILS number. A qualified electronic signature certificate will be issued to a legal entity only upon submission of constituent documents with a document on entering information about the enterprise into a single register and a certificate of registration with the tax authority.
A significant number of clients will apply on their own initiative, and here the organization must make information about itself in all local media. It can be portals on the Internet, as well as creating your own website. In some cases, it makes sense to contact the company yourself with your proposal for the development of electronic signatures, although this may be relevant only for the first time of work in order to find regular customers. Yes, in the course of your work you will have to directly cooperate with the Ministry of Communications, because it is there that all information about those who received an electronic signature is transferred, and it will not be possible to store data only at home. However, this is not such a serious limitation that it could somehow affect the conduct of business.
This type of business is distinguished by a fairly large amount of initial investment, because the purchase of powerful and productive equipment will cost several hundred thousand rubles, and at the same time, an amount approximately comparable to this will have to be allocated to obtain a license from the FSB.
Only specialists who are well versed in cryptography and programming should work in the company, and they will receive a lot of money. The average salary of one employee is 50 thousand rubles, that is, 100 thousand will have to be allocated for both programmers, and at least another 20 thousand for outsourcing services.
Maintaining your office and equipment, along with rent, will cost a considerable amount every month, here you need to count on about 100 thousand rubles, because complex equipment must be modernized and repaired on time.
With all this, it is impossible to say that the issuance of an electronic signature is an overly expensive service; on average, for an individual, obtaining an EDS costs about a thousand rubles, for organizations it can be somewhat more expensive. The key that is used in electronic auctions will cost 7 thousand rubles on average. The company itself sets prices, but the presence of competitors may force them to keep them at a certain level. Therefore, this business will be successful if it is possible to work with a very large number of consumers. That is, in order to cover your expenses, you will have to draw up at least 110 signatures for individuals per month, but if you take into account the most expensive signature, then the number of required orders is reduced to 32.
At the same time, the center also makes money by providing some additional services: preparing a document, analyzing and processing information, reissuing and updating signatures, and accreditation. In general, we can expect an increase in demand for such services with the development of technology, business, and with the gradual transition of most companies to electronic document management. You can simplify your task if you open a certification center initially for your own needs, teaming up with your business partners, and then start offering your services to everyone.