Sending documents by fax is critical to the way many workers do business. Many organizations consider this form of communication a reliable way to send reports, invoices, and contracts from one place to another, especially to businesses with spotty internet connections. The costs of using ink and paper for a traditional fax machine add up, not to mention repairs and replacement to the machine itself. Plus, processing and filing paper faxes can take time away from your skilled workers. These distractions decrease your company’s chances to respond quickly to an ever-changing, competitive environment. Consider making the switch to cloud faxing instead.
Why should my organization transition to cloud faxing?
Sending and receiving faxes through the cloud, instead of a conventional machine, is an easier, more efficient solution. The reasons to transition to cloud faxing include:
- Increased productivity: Imagine the amount of time you wasted waiting in line with the fax machine, handling the paper, waiting for the delivery report, and looking for lost faxes. With an e-faxing service, such as MyFax, you can stay at your desk and send the fax by email instead. Also, when incoming faxes arrive, you can attach text, insert checkmarks, and add a legal signature without the use of a scanner. You can use these saved pockets of time for more critical business-growing tasks.
- Compatibility with traditional fax machines: You can route cloud faxes to a standard fax machine so that your late-adopting partners will get documents in the format they prefer. Plus, your company can reroute your existing fax number to your cloud faxing service, ensuring there’s minimal interruption to the fax communication flow.
- Supports compliance efforts: Many organizations working with confidential information must stay compliant with industry regulations, such as Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, local legislation, and much more. These regulations require the affected organizations to send documents through a highly secure method. Breaches in privacy can result in a fine of hundreds of thousands of dollars. A cloud fax program, such as Xerox iXware Online Fax Service, can secure this process by sending an encrypted document to a computer, instead of an unmonitored fax tray.
- Digitized paper trail: Thumbing through file cabinets for a single report can take hours. Storing faxes as a digital file, such as a PDF, TIFF, or JPEG, can speed up this process by allowing you to search through captured and tagged text. Then, you can archive these digital files in a database that you can retrieve easily in case of an audit or court order.
- Reduced costs: To set up a conventional fax system, companies must pay for hardware, set up, supplies, and repair. Cloud faxing eliminates the cost of hardware and supplies while providing a tested and approved system that is ready to use. Also, cloud faxing providers, such as MyFax, can offer a service at a fraction of the cost by charging companies per user.
- Anywhere access to faxes: When you deliver a fax as an email attachment or to a cloud location, the recipient has an opportunity to view the document on any device they prefer. Desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, you name it. Some vendors, such as Hello Fax, can allow you to retrieve faxes through Google Drive, Dropbox, SkyDrive, and Evernote.
If you are interested in transitioning to cloud faxing, SwiftTech Solutions can help. We will review your IT infrastructure and develop a project plan that meets your business requirements. Contact SwiftTech Solutions by calling 877-794-3811 or emailing info@swifttechsolutions.com for a free consultation.
SOURCES:
MyFax. Migrating from Fax Servers to the Cloud. (2010). Retrieved from: http://www.myfax.com/resources/pdf/whitepaper_migrating_from_fax_servers_to_the_cloud.pdf
Wilson, J. Send2Fax (Spring 2011). (2011, May 20). Retrieved from: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1841667,00.asp
Pinola, M. Free Fax Services. (2011, June 19). Retrieved from: http://mobileoffice.about.com/od/softwarewebapps/tp/free-fax-services.htm
WiseGeek. What Is a Digital Fax. Retrieved from: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-digital-fax.htm
Null, C. Why the fax still lives (and how to kill it). (2014, January 13). Retrieved from: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2083980/why-the-fax-still-lives-and-how-to-kill-it.html
Xerox. iXware Online Fax Service. Retrieved from: http://www.office.xerox.com/software-solutions/ixware-online-fax-service/enus.html
eFax Corporate. Making the case for digital faxing. (2007). Retrieved from: http://www.efaxcorporate.com/scorp/resources/j2corporate2/en2/eFax_Corporate_for_law_offices_07.pdf