Document management with Alfresco + PAdES signature
Open Enterprise Content Management platform to organize, control and give legal validity to your document repository — with PAdES digital signature embedded in the PDF itself, long-term validity (LTV), workflows and a complete audit trail, deployed and supported by OpenTechs.
What ECM, Alfresco and PAdES signature are
Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is the discipline and technology for capturing, organizing, versioning, protecting and managing the lifecycle of all of an organization’s unstructured content — contracts, minutes, reports, medical records, case files, emails and scanned documents. Instead of files scattered across network folders, personal drives and emails, ECM creates a single, governed and auditable repository, with metadata, version control and retention policies.
Alfresco is the open-source, enterprise-grade ECM platform that brings this discipline to life: content repository, records management, approval workflows, role-based access control, enterprise search and open APIs to integrate with the systems the company already uses. It is the foundation on which to build modern, sovereign document management with no vendor lock-in.
The PAdES (PDF Advanced Electronic Signatures) signature is the ETSI standard for digital signatures embedded inside the PDF itself — the signature, the certificate and the evidence travel together with the document. Unlike detached signatures (in a separate file), PAdES makes the PDF self-contained and verifiable in any compatible reader, with support for long-term validity (LTV): the document remains verifiable for decades, even after the original certificate expires.
Centralized on-premise or sovereign cloud? Alfresco does both
There is no “right” architecture — only the one suited to your governance and infrastructure. Alfresco supports both the centralized on-premise repository, fully under your control, and the hybrid / sovereign cloud model, with distributed components and object storage. OpenTechs helps you choose and size it.
Centralized repository (on-premise)
All layers run on your infrastructure in a layered model: from the client to the Alfresco application, and from it to content and the database. Full control and sovereignty.
Hybrid / sovereign cloud
Components are distributed across specialized nodes — application, database and object storage — backed by a content pool and search index. Horizontal scale and resilience, while keeping data sovereignty.
When to use each
- Centralized repository (on-premise) — when sovereignty, confidentiality or compliance requirements demand that the entire repository remain on your infrastructure, under your jurisdiction and direct control.
- Hybrid / sovereign cloud — when you need horizontal scale, high availability and storage elasticity, while keeping data in a sovereign cloud or national data center.
- Combined hybrid — Alfresco lets you keep the repository and metadata on-premise and route only the binary storage to object storage, balancing cost, sovereignty and scale.
How PAdES signature works in Alfresco
Capture and workflow
The document enters the repository — by upload, scanning or system integration — receives metadata and follows a configurable approval workflow: review, validation and routing for signature. Each step is recorded, with owners and deadlines.
Embedded PAdES signature
At the signature step, the signer’s certificate (including ICP-Brasil) is applied and the signature is embedded in the PDF itself following the PAdES (ETSI) standard. The document becomes self-contained: certificate, chain and evidence travel inside the file, verifiable in any compatible reader.
Timestamp and LTV
A timestamp from a trusted authority attests to the exact moment of signature, and validation information is embedded to ensure long-term validity (LTV). This way the PDF remains verifiable for decades, even after the certificate that signed it has expired.
Audit trail and RBAC
Every action — creation, reading, editing, signing, download — is recorded in an immutable audit trail. Access is controlled by roles (RBAC), with authentication integrated with LDAP/AD, ensuring each person sees and does only what their role allows.
From repository to corporate signature platform
The deployment is sized according to your document-management maturity and your need for legal validity. Start with an organized repository and evolve into a complete ECM platform with PAdES signature and high availability. OpenTechs deploys, integrates and supports each stage.
Essential Deployment
- Alfresco Community deployed and configured
- Central document repository
- Basic approval workflows
- Enterprise search and versioning
- Ideal for leaving network folders behind
Alfresco + PAdES
- PAdES signature embedded in the PDF
- ICP-Brasil certificates and eIDAS alignment
- Timestamp and long-term validity (LTV)
- Audit trail and RBAC
- Support in English, with an SLA
ECM Enterprise
- Everything in Alfresco + PAdES
- High availability and contingency
- Integrations with ERP, HR, legal and document management
- Migration of legacy repositories
- Intelligent capture with OCR and indexing
Why embedded signature (PAdES)
| Criterion | Detached / third-party signature | Alfresco + PAdES (OpenTechs) |
|---|---|---|
| Long-term validity | Limited / depends on the service | Native LTV — verifiable for decades |
| Integrity within the document | Separate signature file | Embedded in the PDF itself, self-contained |
| ICP-Brasil certificate | Not always supported | Native ICP-Brasil support |
| Data sovereignty | Documents in a third-party cloud | Full, on your infrastructure |
| Auditing | Partial / external | Complete, immutable trail in Alfresco |
| Recurring cost | Per signature / per user | No cost per signed document |
| Local support | Limited | OpenTechs deployment and support with an SLA |
Where Alfresco + PAdES delivers value
Contracts
Generation, approval and digital signing of contracts with legal validity, versioning and secure storage — from draft to signature, paperless.
Minutes and processes
Meeting minutes, internal processes and resolutions signed and archived with an audit trail, ready for reference and future evidence.
HR and onboarding
Onboarding documents, employment contracts and terms signed digitally, organized by employee, with compliance and confidentiality.
Legal
Petitions, opinions and contracts with PAdES signature and LTV, ensuring integrity and validity throughout the entire case lifecycle.
Healthcare and reports
Reports, medical records and consent forms signed and auditable, with role-based access control and LGPD compliance.
Public sector
Official documents, administrative processes and acts signed with ICP-Brasil, meeting transparency and archiving requirements.
What changes for leadership
- Paperless — an end to printing, notarization and the physical logistics of documents.
- Legal validity — a PAdES signature with ICP-Brasil is equivalent to a handwritten signature.
- LGPD compliance — access control, confidentiality and traceability of data processing.
- Productivity — automated workflows and enterprise search eliminate hours of searching and rework.
- Traceability — an immutable audit trail of everything that happens to each document.
- Sovereignty — repository and signatures on your infrastructure, under your jurisdiction, with no lock-in.
Frequently asked questions
Is the signature legally valid?
Does it work with an ICP-Brasil certificate?
Does it integrate with my current systems?
Can I migrate my current repository?
Does OpenTechs train and provide support?
Shall we modernize your document management?
Get an assessment of your current repository and a proposal to deploy Alfresco with PAdES signature and legal validity. No obligation.
Request a proposal
Disponível em: 
Português (Portuguese (Brazil))
English
Español (Spanish)