Many of us grew up in a time when fax machines represented a huge step forward in technology. The ability to send a printed form anywhere in the world that had a receiving fax machine took the world by storm. Not long after the fax machine became part of a normal office, technology advanced into the digital world. With the new technology came the ability to send faxes from computer to computer over the Internet. Fax machines in their usual form disappeared in favor of Internet or online faxing. Many offices of today still use legacy fax machines but their use is fading and online faxing will soon take their place. The digital world ushered in solid advances in communication technology with innovations appearing almost daily. The new world of technology opened a new avenue for cyber thieves to steal vital information from companies and individuals. Cybercrime escalated in recent years to where businesses and individuals keep constant vigils over their documents and files. Hacking and data breaches appear in news stories with some reaching historic proportions. The worldwide struggle to protect sensitive documents has an ally in online faxing. Security is the reason faxing will never fade into obsolescence. Some favor email, but it is easy to hack and the false security of encryption is child’s play in the hands of an experienced cyber thief. Email platforms such as Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook do not present a problem to determined thieves.
Business Faxing Holds the Answer
Vulnerabilities present within email platforms don’t exist when faxing a document. A fax transmission happens at a specific time and to intercept the information, the hacker needs to know in advance the exact time of the transmission to have any chance of affecting it. Modern fax technology (online faxing) has its own security measures and protocols not widely known by hackers, making online faxing safe compared to other forms of electronic communication.
Industry Requires Original Documents
Faxing critical documents that many industries require such as lawyers, government agencies, and hospitals means that faxing won’t go away soon. The safety of faxing is the reason these industries fax most of their documents. Cybercrime is a real, substantiated fear that solidifies the reason faxing will remain the link between companies and suppliers in different parts of the world to minimize the threat.
Protection from hackers and other cybercrime allows sensitive documents with original signatures to flow between companies that otherwise would risk their information intercepted by hackers. Faxed and signed documents between courts and lawyers are accepted in a court of law. E-signatures, while handy, get hacked and forged so they’re not accepted by everyone. Faxes have time stamps that provide proof of receipt between parties, especially when they’re time sensitive.
Cloud Faxing
Internet, or cloud faxing, is fast and safe compared to its email counterpart. Aside from the security concerns with email, attachments are downloaded, printed, and uploaded before sending, taking up valuable time. Cloud faxing requires only a brief interruption of the flow and the return documents are on their way.
A distinct advantage of cloud faxing is saving documents securely to the Cloud. They are accessible across the devices connected to the account which saves time and effort. Anyone with proper permissions can send and receive faxes from anywhere in the world. The benefit of using the Cloud in business faxing means faster turnaround for documents with minimum safety worries.
Questions and Answers
Q: What’s the difference between online faxing and a fax machine?
A: Online faxing is performed over the Internet. A fax machine is an office machine connected to a phone line that scans documents and sends them to a receiving fax machine.
Q: What costs are involved with online faxing?
A: Online faxing requires an Internet connection and a subscription to a Cloud faxing provider.
Q: How are online faxes received?
A: They are received on your computer through the Cloud faxing program.
Q: How are online faxes sent?
A: It’s simple. Upload an existing document from your computer to the faxing program. Prepare your cover page, add your message, and click send.
Q: Is there a limit on the number of pages I can send or receive?
A: No. If you send or receive pages over the amount included in your subscription, you might incur overage charges.
Q: How do I sign up for online faxing?
A: Many choices exist online. Use your favorite search engine to get some suggestions.
Q: How is the quality of the faxes I send and receive?
A: The quality depends on the scanned document, but is generally quite good when sent via digital means.
Q: Is there any limit to the number of faxes saved to the Cloud?
A: Your faxing plan has storage limits based on your needs.
