Fax machines are easy to make fun of because they look out of place in the modern office. Yet there they sit, collecting dust and even churning out the occasional paper fax. While some office workers may cling to their fax machine due to a misplaced emotional attachment, many offices will keep fax machines out of compliance to communication laws.
One example of this is the healthcare industry; it has made faxing the preferred and legal mode to communicate due to security concerns. While the majority of organizations will not think twice about using e-mail to send private communications, healthcare has different standards because they are dealing with the most privatist of private matters, a person's body. Therefore, communication laws have been enacted deeming that a discussion regarding someone's bones, and cartilage, and stuff, is too risky to send to a third party e-mail hosting company before it hits the eyes of the intended doctor.
Lawmakers are less concerned about the inefficiency of fax machines, and more concerned about the security of the message. What makes fax machines more secure than regular e-mail is that faxes transmit data from point-to-point, thus eliminating the need for a third party to process the communication. Despite the fact that these communication regulations only apply to a handful of industries, regulation in one field is enough to convince other organizations to hold on to their fax machines.
Companies that are clinging to fax machines in order to be compliant may be surprised to learn that there is a better way! A network fax server solution is a great way to securely and digitally send and receive faxes while still being compliant with government regulations regarding privacy.
In fact, in regards to any communication, not just messages that apply to patient health, a fax server solution offers a great way for businesses to securely communicate. One use for a network fax server solution is to integrate with your business-line applications. This option will be an appealing solution for companies that might be gun-shy about exchanging sensitive information over cloud services that are big, impersonal, and well-known by hackers.
Fax server solutions have the ability to send and receive faxes straight to your e-mail inbox, but that does not mean that sending faxes over the Internet is any less secure. A fax server solution sends faxes over the Internet by using a registration database, encryption, and digital signatures. In addition to fax messages, encrypted files (most commonly PDFs, but any file type will work) can also be sent via secure e-mail to fax with certified delivery. Another security advantage is that fax servers give you the ability to prove who the sender of the message is with a universal fax communications archive that is tamper-proof.
In addition to providing your company a way to transmit data point-to-point, a network fax server solution will also provide your business with several other obvious advantages over using a traditional fax machine:
- Go green by saving paper.
- No need to buy expensive ink toner.
- Free up space on your desk.
- Store digital data on your servers instead of in a file cabinet.
- Digital files can be retrieved faster than paper files stored in cabinets.
- No more paper jams!
If you would like to know more about how a network fax server solution can help your business securely send messages while being in compliance with government regulations, then call National Technologies Group at +61295186000 and let us show you how faxing doesn't have to be taxing!
