DM Jul-Aug 2021

TECHNOLOGY: FAX Dm
"WHEREAS LEGACY FAX SERVER TECHNOLOGY IS NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE, A DRAIN ON RESOURCES AND A WEAK
LINK IN CORPORATE CYBER SECURITY, DIGITAL CLOUD FAX IS NONE OF THOSE THINGS. IT ALLOWS THE ENTIRE
FAX PROCESS TO BE HANDLED DIGITALLY VIA THE WEB, USING A COMPANY'S EMAIL APPLICATION, WORKFLOW
SOLUTION, MOBILE APPLICATION OR SECURE WEB-PORTAL. EMPLOYEES CAN SEND AND RECEIVE FAXES,
MEETING REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS, WITH THE SAME DEVICE THEY USE FOR EMAIL."
businesses in healthcare, real estate,
financial services and many other
highly regulated sectors, where data
protection and privacy regulations
have increased the need for documents
containing personally identifiable
information to be securely handled.
But where does fax sit within a digital,
flexible and hybrid model of working?
Say faxing to most people and they will
think of an underused machine in the
middle of the office, occasionally
whirring and emitting a dial tone,
before spitting out reams of paper that
someone may eventually collect. That
hardware may be some form of multifunction
printer, or it could be a
standalone device, but either way it will
rely upon an on-premise fax server. In
other words, legacy technology unfit
for the digital era.
It is a setup that is outdated, insecure
and expensive; exactly what UK IT
decision-makers think in the results of
our survey. When asked what their top
challenges are when using on-premise
fax servers, the majority (66%) say they
are outdated legacy technology (e.g.
with limited functionality). Nearly half
(49%) say they are insecure, followed
by 43% saying they are expensive, (to
install, run, maintain and upgrade). In
addition, a significant proportion (31%)
felt they were unfit for the resilient and
regulatory demands of today.
No wonder then that, as
organisations make that shift to hybrid
working, a clear majority (89%) of
respondents expect their employer to
move away from a reliance on the
technology. Ultimately, a new hybrid
workforce needs to be enabled to send
and sign vital documents and
paperwork and do all this securely,
regardless of when or where they are
working.
A SECURE, FLEXIBLE REPLACEMENT
This is all very well, but if businesses
are going to scrap fax servers, they
need to make sure the alternative is fit
for purpose - secure, flexible and easily
integrated into current operating
processes and workflows.
It needs to be secure because a
hybrid model is by its very nature
digital, and that means increasing the
potential for cyber-attacks. The
solution needs to be fully encrypted
and able to withstand a variety of
threats, including those targeting the
return to work and the ongoing
confusion of the pandemic crisis.
It needs to be flexible because
employees are going to be much more
location fluid. They need to be able to
share documentation wherever they
are, and not wait until they are in the
office to fax something.
Finally, it needs to adapt and
integrate into workflows. This is often
overlooked in the implementation of
technology - traditional fax is itself
notoriously bad for productivity,
forcing employees to use a separate
machine to send and receive
documentation. Any replacement
needs to fit seamlessly with the
hundred and one other things workers
need to accomplish, and not sit
outside of their usual applications,
services and processes.
One option that covers all three areas
is digital cloud faxing. It might be
referred to as internet faxing, cloud
faxing, faxing by email, or digital fax
solutions, but ultimately it all means the
same thing - faxing for the digital era.
Whereas legacy fax server technology
is not fit for purpose, a drain on
resources and a weak link in corporate
cyber security, digital cloud fax is none
of those things. It allows the entire fax
process to be handled digitally via the
web, using a company's email
application, workflow solution, mobile
application or secure web-portal.
Employees can send and receive faxes,
meeting regulatory requirements, with
the same device they use for email.
DIGITALISING VITAL
COMMUNICATIONS
Despite the assumption that fax is a
relic, it remains a vital part of the
communications infrastructure for
many organisations needing to quickly
exchange and retrieve documents and
authorisation.
However, for fax to be a critical part
of a hybrid workforce, companies need
to scrap on-premise fax servers, and
move to digital cloud fax. Businesses
need communications that support,
not hinder, new ways of working. The
solution they choose must provide the
flexibility, adaptability and security
required to successfully implement
hybrid working.
More info: www.scraptheserver.com
www.document-manager.com
July/August 2021
@DMMagAndAwards
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