India is driving our product innovation and growth: Docusign CTO

American software company, Docusign which offers businesses solutions to manage electronic signatures, has over 1.5 million customers and more than 1 billion users in more than 180 markets across the world. The company which expanded in India with a new technology centre in Bengaluru last month, expanded to over 200 employees within the past year and is targeting substantial growth in the next 12 months across its engineering, technology, and professional services teams. In an interview with TechCircle, Sagnik Nandy, Chief Technology Officer at Docusign, explains how Docusign India will drive product innovation development, focusing on creating global impact in areas such as data platform, partner integrations, artificial intelligence/machine learning, and cloud engineering. Edited excerpts:

What have been the key industry trends in the contract management space and how have dynamics changed in the last 5 years?

We have observed a shift towards digital transformation of agreements, with many processes that were previously done on paper now being conducted digitally. The pandemic accelerated this shift, as remote work changed how companies operate. There has been a proliferation of software and vendors, adding complexity to clauses in the field of document management and e-signatures. Clients often deal with multi-party agreements, leading to back-and-forth negotiations among different groups within an organisation. This transformation not only allows for agreements to be prepared, signed, and managed from anywhere, but also increases speed and efficiency compared to manual, paper-based processes. This shift has also led to a greater reliance on the cloud and the adoption of online services as the norm. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is playing an increasing role in contract analytics, with tools like Docusign Analyzer providing automated analysis to streamline contract review and negotiation processes.
 
Since you consider India a strategic market for Docusign, how many of your key products are being developed in India and what role does India play in the company’s overall strategy?

As India is a strategic market for Docusign, many key products are developed in India, contributing to the company's overall strategy. The Indian market is crucial for our growth, with offerings like the intelligent agreement management (IAM) platform and e-signature solutions being developed in India. The market is one of the fastest-growing regions for DocuSign, with diverse customer bases in sectors like biotechnology, technology, non-banking financial institutions, and manufacturing. We expect continued expansion in India and are focused on hiring top technology talent to strengthen our presence in the country. Only last month, we opened a technology centre of excellence in Bengaluru, where our tech teams will handle the entire value chain of product development — from ideation and creation to testing and deployment, as we build new solutions to modernise the entire agreement management process for businesses.

In what way is Docusign leveraging emerging technologies such as AI/ML and cloud engineering to innovate its products and services?

We’re leveraging emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning (ML), and cloud engineering to innovate our products and services. AI-driven contract analytics streamline negotiations and improve efficiency, while acquisitions like Seal Software and Lexion enhance our capabilities in AI contract analytics. The integration of AI throughout the agreement lifecycle, including tools like Docusign Analyzer, improves negotiation processes and saves time and costs for customers. Generative AI (GenAI) is further reshaping contract management, automating contract creation, enhancing analysis and streamlining negotiations.

Given the sensitive nature of documentation processes, how does Docusign ensure the protection and privacy of customer data?

To ensure the protection and privacy of customer data, Docusign is committed to data safety, trust, and transparency. Stringent data protection measures, including encryption and access controls, are in place to safeguard customer data while utilising AI capabilities. Customer data is de-identified and anonymised before engaging in any training processes, and explicit consent is obtained for using customer data in training. Additionally, customers have control over their data retention policies, allowing them to delete online documents at any time. That said, DocuSign utilises an envelope purging process to permanently delete documents and associated data from completed and voided envelopes after a specified retention period.

How are you planning to stay ahead of the competition in this space such as Adobe and Dropbox?

The current vendors in the market concentrate on various aspects of the agreement process. Docusign currently serves 1.5 million customers and manages over 1 billion agreements, providing it with a competitive edge. Furthermore, the company's proficiency in interpreting signatures and agreement data, along with its AI-driven data models and specialised expertise in assisting customers with agreements, positions it as uniquely qualified and significantly advantageous compared to conventional content management or storage firms.