On-line signature verification is typically carried out with the use of digitizing tablets specifically designed for the aim. So far, stand-alone systems have been mainly inspected, but the current distributed/cloud scenario and the amount of mobile devices in everyday life is calling for a new challenge. Within this scenario, signatures are acquired around the world with different kinds of devices and processed on multiple platforms in order to be verified. Through the paper, the different phases of the signature verification process in the new scenario are presented and the most valuable results are discussed considering the following aspects: accessibility and usability, interoperability, security and performance. Achievements as well as weakness are focused to highlight promising directions for further research and technology development.