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Integrated network faxing key to improved productivity and information security
Network faxing reduces labor costs and increases information security
With an integrated network faxing solution, you can save thousands of dollars in labor costs alone and improve your productivity. At the same time your faxes can be readily prepared, more professional in appearance and add an air of professionalism to your organization's business communications. By leveraging existing word processing and messaging applications, you can expand your use of these applications at no additional software or training costs. Higher productivity and lower costs sound like attractive options? Read this white paper for more info!
Introduction
This white paper describes the benefits of network integrated faxing in business communications and the resulting more cost-effective and efficient form of fax system when compared to traditional fax machines and email. It also explains why integrated network faxing is the best approach to take in dealing with issues of security, compliance with privacy regulations, reducing overhead and increasing productivity, all at no real cost. While ordinary fax machines and email messaging will remain important, they cannot match the benefits that integrated network faxing brings to the fax needs of an enterprise.
The state of the fax
It wasn't that long ago that faxes seemed to bedestined to go the way of the dinosaur and the dodo bird. Faxes, the transmission of paper documents by electronic means in the twinkling of an eye, were an exceptional technology for their time, said the pundits. However, they continued, the growing ubiquitous email systems would soon make them passe, or at best reduce faxes to a small niche where email couldn't yet match the capabilities of a fax machine.
As so often happens, the pundits and doomsayers were wrong. Faxing didn't go away and continues to be an important means of business communication. In fact, email didn't really ever come close to supplanting faxes, and fax technology, it turns out, may be a better solution in an increasing number of situations.
Problems with email messaging
It was once thought that standalone fax machines would be replaced with email messaging which, in many instances, allows documents to be sent as attachments and be printed locally, losing little of their integrity.
But, unless the right safeguards are deployed everywhere all the time, email quickly showed it was not as up to the task as hoped because it could not always guarantee to be as a secure form of communication as faxing (for example an email message and its content might be stored on any number of servers). Email transmission of information also runs into problems with compliance agencies and regulations, such as HIPAA, that require greater security.
Besides, unlike emails, a fax can't carry a virus; a fax can't be used to phish; and a fax can't be used to harm your company's network security.
It is estimated that there are about 120 million fax machines in use in the world today, and close to 6 million new purchases each year. One of the reasons that fax machines have continued to be around is that they are simple to use and an easy way to receive documents quickly, safely and securely. While there are no exact numbers on it, many if not most, companies worldwide still continue to rely on traditional manual faxing from a dedicated fax machine. While this might be acceptable in a small office or where the ability to receive or send faxes is sporadic, sending faxes manually is clearly out of date, and costing you money.
Problems with manual faxing
One of the biggest problems with manual faxing is the time it takes to send one - time that could be put to better use elsewhere.
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