Faxing has traditionally played a prominent role in the healthcare industry. One private survey suggests that faxing accounts for up to 75% of medical communications. Many insurance companies require claim submission by fax, even though this technology is outdated and often frustrating for healthcare providers to work with because of its inefficiencies and security vulnerabilities.

Cloud faxing offers an appealing technological solution. It enhances the efficient and secure exchange of data to help different healthcare partners communicate more reliably.

One of cloud faxing’s main benefits is the interoperability it allows. Because of their centralized nature and broad compatibility, cloud fax services allow different healthcare providers to exchange information seamlessly across various digital platforms and software.

8 Ways Cloud Fax Boosts Interoperability in Healthcare

Cloud fax and interoperability in healthcare go hand in hand. Migrating to a cloud service helps boost interoperability over different technological platforms in several critical ways:

1. Facilitating Communication Between EHRs

In the last couple of decades, healthcare facilities have increasingly adopted the use of electronic health records (EHRs) as secure, private ways of recording and storing sensitive patient information. The design of cloud faxing services makes them compatible with a range of different EHR systems and allows for effective electronic communication and a seamless exchange of vital patient data.

Ideally, EHRs would function as examples of beneficial interoperability technologies, enhancing communications between providers. But despite the widespread adoption of individual EHRs in healthcare, interoperability challenges remain. According to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, as of 2017, only 41% of U.S. hospitals could send, receive, find and integrate patient information electronically to and from outside providers.

This low figure persists even though 96% of all hospitals have adopted a certified EHR. However, the use of easy-to-integrate cloud faxing technology is a promising step toward convenient, widespread interfacility communication.

2. Enabling Direct Embedding Into EHRs

One of the reasons cloud faxing works so well to provide interoperability between different EHR systems is that it enables healthcare providers to embed the cloud faxing system directly into their EHRs. Specific application programming interfaces (APIs) exist to integrate data from faxes automatically into the EHR.

When multiple healthcare facilities have cloud faxing embedded in their EHRs, they gain the ability to send, receive and store faxes easily within their systems and send data to others while keeping files secure. They can deliver documents like clinical summaries and lab results without requiring providers to print paper documents or send them over unsecured lines. They can even add bar codes to their transmissions for more convenient and secure routing.

3. Centralizing Data Storage

Cloud fax technology enables providers to view user healthcare documentation in a single centralized repository. This centralization allows for the timely use of data and streamlines access for users as long as they have the correct authorization. Especially in smaller or more rural practices that may not yet have implemented EHRs, using a centralized cloud faxing system can allow some of the same access and data-sharing capabilities. The additional benefit is that cloud fax services are generally much easier to implement and learn than EHR platforms.

4. Enabling Multi-Device Access

Because cloud fax systems store their data in the secure cloud, this information is accessible from various authorized devices, from desktops to laptops to tablets. This flexibility increases interoperability by allowing healthcare providers to work with the service regardless of the type of technology they use in their practices.

5. Providing Structured Data

One of the shortcomings of traditional communications is their lack of consistent structure. Incompatible pieces of infrastructure, whether physical or digital, can impede effective information transmission. One facility may not have the necessary hardware to communicate with the next, or paper and digital communication and storage systems may not integrate. Cloud faxing systems’ consistently compatible structures ensure a range of facilities can access and use the same information.

6. Increasing Efficiency

When multiple healthcare systems need to work together, maximizing efficiency is essential for streamlining processes and keeping one system from holding up information exchange. Cloud fax systems are highly efficient. They minimize the need for physical record keeping, scanning, filing and waiting, as well as manual data integration and the destruction of sensitive hard-copy records. Their integration capabilities also help reduce the inefficiencies that occur when facilities must expend extensive time and effort figuring out how to get one system to work with another.

7. Ensuring Security of Sensitive Information

A healthcare facility that prides itself on full Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance may be reluctant to transmit data to a less compliant system. The second facility may have some privacy protections in place, for instance, but be unable to ensure complete end-to-end encryption of sensitive data because it uses traditional faxing. Communication delays between the two may occur as the facilities attempt to provide an acceptable level of patient data security in their transmissions.

Cloud faxing systems are fully HIPAA-compliant and ensure end-to-end encryption of sensitive data. They can restrict access to authorized users and provide audit access only to official IT departments. Providers that work within a network of these systems gain the peace of mind of knowing they’re doing their part to protect patient privacy by promoting secure data exchange in healthcare.

8. Archiving Information for Future Use

Cloud fax systems archive all data that passes through them. Authorized users can search for the information at any time using keywords, tags, dates or other identifying information. In the past, having to call or fax another facility might have represented a barrier to information access. Providers might have let these tasks slip through the cracks because of time pressures, making cooperation between healthcare partners more difficult. Centralized cloud fax services make access to old data much easier and promote information sharing.

Make Softlinx Your Trusted Source for Healthcare Cloud Faxing

To see the benefits of secure, reliable cloud fax solutions in your healthcare practice, contact Softlinx.

Our fully HIPAA-compliant healthcare cloud faxing services provide secure communication options to help you make your information management more efficient. We can help you meet your security compliance requirements while increasing interoperability between your practice and other facilities you communicate with. You can focus less of your energy on transmitting data and more on the critical work of patient care.

Our responsive, knowledgeable service teams offer customer service and support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We offer a free 30-day trial service so you can try our cloud faxing platform before you buy it. We can also provide a free consultation for your business — we’ll help develop a cost-benefit analysis of migrating to a cloud service so you can weigh the pros and cons before committing.

Get a quote today, or contact us to learn more about how cloud faxing can help you upgrade your technology and secure healthcare data sharing.

Though many may believe that faxes are dying out, the truth is that they are evolving. Cloud faxing falls under many different names, including virtual faxing, online faxing and web faxing. More and more businesses are turning to cloud solutions for storage and communication, and faxing is no exception. According to a 2017 survey from the International Data Corporation (IDC), 90 percent of fax users have integrated or are evaluating the integration of fax with other technologies, like cloud usage. It’s become the new norm for faxing, which is still used by many businesses as a means of secure communication.

Cloud faxing is incredibly easy to use and often is no more complicated than sending an email. Due to its simplicity, reliability and cost-effectiveness, sending a fax over the internet is becoming more and more popular as a safe and efficient solution for a variety of business needs.

But what exactly does cloud faxing entail? What kinds of materials do you need, and how do you send an online fax in the first place? We’ll go over all of this and more so that you know how to send a fax over the web and what it’s all about.

What Is the Cloud?

The cloud means various things to different companies, and it is the foundation for many of them. Traditionally, when you need to access or store a file, you store it on a local server. This storage could be the hard drive in your computer or a network that business computers are linked up to. In either case, the connection is often hard-wired.

In the cloud, this is all stored elsewhere. Someone else manages and maintains the servers, which could be halfway across the world. Many businesses opt to outsource their storage solutions, and others, mainly large enterprises, will keep a data center for many locations. Then, when you need to access something, you start up a series of protocols over your internet connection to call up the files you need. Usually, on the user’s end, those protocols are as simple as clicking on a preview picture of the document you want. Think about using Google Docs and selecting an image to open it. Clicking on it pulls the file from storage in a server far, far away and displays it through your Internet connection.

Google Docs, Amazon Photos, Apple’s iCloud, e-mail and even Netflix are all examples of cloud-based services. They are typically straightforward to use, and the experience is almost no different for the user than if the data was on a local server. Not only does cloud computing free up space on local servers, but it also makes your information more accessible. Documents and photos are available from any device that has an Internet connection. This flexibility is part of the appeal of a cloud-based fax system — you can send or receive a fax over the cloud from nearly any device at any time.

Why Fax Over the Cloud?

So what does the cloud mean for faxing? One of the primary reasons that businesses use fax is because faxing is a secure, legal method of communication perfect for sending and receiving sensitive documents. Cloud-based faxing is also cost-effective, as you don’t need to overburden IT personnel to take care of a server or worry about the up-front expense of the necessary hardware.

Cisco found that cloud data centers will process 94 percent of workloads and compute instances by 2021. The cloud’s compatibility and simplicity make it an excellent solution for many businesses. Some of the draws for enterprises include the fact that the system is easy to archive and scalable. Since faxes deliver as an image, documents are archivable, and you can access your history of deliveries through any internet connection. Cloud systems are also scalable, so if a company is growing, the cloud can quickly adopt new members. Adding new users is simple.

On a user level, faxing over the cloud is often preferable for several reasons. It is:

• Simple: An email-integrated fax system that is more accessible and easier to use was the most-cited reason for growth in fax usage, according to the IDC. The ease of use helps reduce the need for extensive training.
• Accessible: Not only does a cloud-based system streamline the process in an office, but it also allows for more accessibility. People working remotely often don’t have access to separate fax networks, so faxing over email makes it a viable option.
• Reliable: With cloud faxing, you can still get secure, reliable faxing without a cumbersome process or extensive costs. If you have the internet, you have faxes. This availability also allows you to get away from busy signals and connection issues. Softlinx, for example, has nearly 100 percent uptime, making faxing much less frustrating.
• Secure: There are different levels of security with cloud faxing, and sensitive documents need a dedicated method of secure transfer. Secure faxes are sent more safely, through encryption and a protected server that keeps your information safe, whether it is incoming or outgoing. This security means that you can send confidential records, test results, purchase orders and other sensitive documents with confidence. Your file itself is also protected from prying eyes. In a crowded office, it is easy for faxes to get lost or for passersby to see them accidentally. With cloud faxing, your document goes straight to its recipient, who sometimes needs to log in with a dedicated username and password.
• Trackable: Each fax gets tracking data that you can follow up on, and you can receive notifications when your documents are opened and delivered. This information makes it easy to keep an eye on important details.
• Archivable: Another bonus is that faxed documents are simple to archive since they typically save as an image file. When received, the fax server decodes these signals into something that you can read, usually an image file. What this means is that you can save the documents easily to your local network or in the cloud if you need to. All of your data is logged, and you can view your transmission history as well.

What Do You Need to Fax Over the Cloud?

Sending a fax over the cloud requires three things: a device with an internet connection, an email address and a cloud-based fax service.

Softlinx offers several access options. Email is the simplest one. When you register your email with our service, you can then send faxes from any mail client. From a web browser like Chrome or Firefox, you can access our ReplixFax application, where you can send and receive secure faxes. You can also download a desktop program or integrate our code into existing business applications. By integrating ReplixFax, you can streamline the process further, making it fast and straightforward to fax off a document securely.

If you need to send a printed document, you can use a multifunction printer that has fax over internet protocol (FoIP) capabilities to digitally fax it. Sending faxes between two FoIP machines is comparable to sending an email.

How to Send a Fax Online

Sending a fax online is a simple process and is often as easy as sending an email, but there are several different ways you can do it. Your data can range from scanned papers to Excel documents, and you can open them via a wide range of access options.

1. Email

Before trying to send a fax via email, it’s important to remember that the link must be supporting TLS/SSL encryption to ensure the security of email-based fax job submission. Otherwise, the fax job transmission may not be secure or suitable for sensitive documents, such as patient records, payment information and other confidential data. With that said, email-to-fax is one of the fastest, easiest methods for faxing a document, and you can even send them from a mobile device.

If you’re sending a fax using an email-to-fax interface, you can attach native files such as the ones listed below if the cloud fax server is capable of converting attachment documents in native file formats:

• Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)
• Microsoft Office Word (DOC, DOCX), PowerPoint (PPT, PPTX) and Excel (XLS, XLSX)
• Plain text (TXT)
• Tagged Image Format (TIF)
• Hypertext Markup Langauge (HTML)
• Rich Text Format (RTF)
• Postscript (PS)
• JPEG (JPG)
• Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)
• Bitmap (BMP)

The next step is to enter in the information of your recipient. The formatting may differ from service to service, but most are similar. With ReplixFax, you address a new email to (fax_number)@(org_id).rpxfax.com. (Fax number) is the fax number of the person you wish to send your fax to, and the (org_id) is your organization’s name. Then, attach the document you want to fax and hit send. The fax request is submitted to the cloud fax service, where it is translated into a format that the recipient’s system can read. Regardless of the method that your recipient uses to receive faxes, you can be sure that your document will reach them with this process.

You’ll typically receive an email notification when your fax is successfully delivered. If you want to check up on your fax, you may also search and view it using your web fax client application.

2. Print to Fax

Another way to fax is to install a Print2Fax driver. These drivers make the faxing process similar to printing a document. On a Windows PC, Print2Fax installs as an application and appears in the list of printers. When you’re ready to fax something, hit print and select the ReplixFax Print2Fax printer. This selection converts the document to a fax file and opens the application. From here, you can enter your recipient’s fax number, along with any cover pages, additional documents or scheduled delivery times.

In the Print2Fax application, you can check in on the fax status and review your delivery history as well.

3. Web Fax

From a web browser, you can securely log in to your ReplixFax web portal through www.rpxfax.com and navigate the interface. You’ll be prompted to upload your document, enter the recipient’s number and select your cover page. The web client also allows you to view your sent faxes and their statuses, along with a personal phonebook.

4. Broadcast/Mail-Merge Fax

If you need to send a fax to multiple recipients, a broadcast fax is the way to go. This feature is available through the ReplixFax web portal and can send a document to thousands of people at once. Under the “Broadcast” tab, upload your fax recipient file and the file you need to send. Once sent, you can view the statuses of the faxes and download an Excel file with the job details. ReplixFax Mail-Merge feature is also available for you to fax a customized document for each recipient to thousands of people at once.

5. Folder Fax for Outbound Faxing

A feature like folder faxing allows you to automate the process of faxing documents using a Fax Loader utility program. This program polls designated network folders and looks for fax parameters like a recipient number and fax documents to submit to the cloud service. You can configure this tool to work with a variety of options to automate outbound faxing with no manual intervention.

6. Delivering Inbound Faxes to Network Folders

ReplixFax enables you to get your inbound faxes delivered to network folders with the ReplixFax Delivery Manager utility. This program allows you to establish fax document delivery rules in a flexible way to create network folders and file names based on selected fax metadata.

7. Secure Faxing

Part of the reason faxing became so popular is because of its security, and online faxing doesn’t skimp on this feature. It’s also crucial for operations in industries like healthcare and finance, where you need to stay compliant. Softlinx offers a cloud fax service that is compliant with HIPAA and PCI DSS, uses encryption to protect your data and hosts your information in the cloud at a secure data center that are annually audited and publishes SOC 2 reports for security, reliability and compliance.

Secure faxing is simple and can be done through email, business applications via fax APIs, a web portal, a multi-function printer or a Windows desktop application. The submission to Softlinx is encrypted to keep your information safe. Both outgoing and inbound faxes are secure and encrypted. They can be delivered via the web portal, Windows applications, business applications through fax APIs and your email inbox. You can also receive secure faxes directly to your shared network folders, safely behind firewalls.

Partner with Softlinx for Reliable Online Faxing

Online faxing has grown in recent years — and for good reason. It is fast, efficient and simple, making it easy for any employee, whether they grew up in the digital age or have just purchased their first smartphone, to jump in right away. Users can send files from any internet-connected device and send a variety of data types with fewer reliability problems. Online faxing is also secure. Softlinx is entirely HIPAA compliant and boasts robust security protocols for all secure documents.

Moving faxes to the cloud has a wide variety of benefits for both businesses and their employees. We’ve worked with some of the biggest names in technology, like Dialogic, Microsoft, Dell, Cisco and IBM, to bring state-of-the-art secure fax solutions to businesses of all sizes. For more information on how to fax over the cloud or assistance with Softlinx programs, please reach out today.

Cloud faxing solutions eliminate your dependence on paper-based manual faxing method, which is not only inefficient but also exposes your business to security and compliance risks, or an in-house fax server system, which requires internal IT resources for continued system maintenance and managing telecommunication lines.

Yet it’s not only the glistening potential to communicate in a contemporary manner that explains the appeal of corporate cloud faxing. Using cloud faxing services brings quantifiable benefits to organizations — and in most cases, costs less while actually increasing fax functionality and service flexibility.

Make an informed decision on your organization’s preferred faxing method by reviewing the pros and cons of outdated faxing methods, which relies on physical fax machines and/or on-premise fax servers vs. state-of-the-art cloud-based faxing.

Pros and Cons of Traditional, On-Premise Fax Machines and Fax Servers

On-premise fax machines use phone lines to send analog-based signals of files to its recipient. And while the inspiration for this model dates back to the mid-1800s, its modern interpretation in today’s physical fax machines isn’t without a few advantages. On-premise fax server has been widely used by most business organizations to increase office productivity and save costs, while reducing their dependence on manual fax machines and paper-based process.

Major pros and cons of using a manual fax machine or an on-premise fax server are:

1. Pro: A Physical Fax Line is More Sheltered From Cyberattacks

Fax machines sit rather low on the list of enterprise security threat vectors. 

Hackers attempting to overtake a physical fax line must attack the signal code at its point of transmission. This means they must somehow know the exact time a fax is being sent, down to its millisecond. Malicious attackers must also somehow gain access and override all three of the machine’s data, session and image/page layers to make signal changes and therefore alter files.

In total, the attack surface of a traditional fax machine is relatively narrow, especially when compared to lateral security threats introduced by the growing internet of things (IoT).

2. Pro: Considered Business Critical (and the Compliant Standard) in Other Countries

Corporate culture in countries like Japan and Israel, alongside many other Middle Eastern nations, continue to prioritize physical fax-based communications. Companies that conduct regular business or have clients in these countries may consider it a best practice to align their own faxing practices with their associates’.

This is particularly true for companies in fields reliant on large batches of paper transactions, such as healthcare, finance or law. Many official documents in these industries must still be received and submitted in a physical form to remain legally binding. Organizations wishing to “cover their backs” might simply prefer the subsequent liability security and peace of mind that comes with a paper trail.

3. Pro: Many Fax Machines Today Are “All-In-One”

In an attempt to evolve with the times, many contemporary fax machines contain other business-critical machine technologies. These “all-in-one” systems include everything from printers to state-of-the-art copiers. Businesses with these multifunctional machines may not see the rationale in parting with their convenient tech systems — or may have only recently installed the technology altogether.

4. Con: Initial Capital Expenses

Any technology that’s decades old will naturally court some shortcomings. On-premise fax server systems come with a high initial cost to purchase and install. The costs continue to rise when you also factor in ongoing software maintenance, as well as upgrades to the hardware.

As to manual fax machines, even the fax’s ink and paper are more expensive than their conventional counterparts. Most on-premise fax equipment uses low-thermal printing that burns images into special thermal paper. This thermal paper comes in rolls, not your standard sheet packets, and can be anywhere from 2 to 2.5 cents more per page.

5. Con: Monthly Telephone Charges

Traditional on-premise fax machines and fax servers require hookup to phone lines. The phone lines come with regular monthly charges as well as extra charges for long-distance calls when faxes are sent to a long-distance number.

Current estimates for fax lines — which are typically extensions of analog phone lines — cost at a minimum $35 per line — and that’s for residential installation. Businesses can expect far higher monthly line billings for installing and operating their fax machines’ extra phone lines.

6. Con: IT Resources

With on-premise server systems, be prepared to provide increased IT staff and other resources to manage and maintain the fax server system, network and telephone lines.

7. Con: Limited Capacity

An on-premise fax server system with phone lines can only handle so much. These systems cannot handle a larger volume of faxes without incurring extra delays to send a fax or busy signal on their incoming fax line. And to scale the system larger, at a minimum, the business must either purchase additional fax server components with their own phone numbers or phone lines or add a phone number to existing lines through DRPD.

These upfront costs quickly translate into increased overhead expenditures, plus higher monthly telephone and electric bills. What’s more, they don’t provide a truly robust, scalable telecommunications solution, since each line can still only handle a single — not simultaneous — file transmissions.

8. Con: Lack of System Redundancy

There are several types of redundancy for fax server systems, but they are generally not available in an on-premise system. Redundancy can provide backup support to keep a business running. However, with a traditional fax server setup, a malfunctioning machine or phone line can cause delays and disruptions to the business.

Benefits of a Cloud Faxing

Migrating from analog-line reliance to cloud-based faxing introduces organizations to a few key advantages.

1. Eliminates Capital Expenditures

Cloud faxing reduces the expenses previously allocated to buying, maintaining and servicing operational on-premise fax equipment.

Upfront capital expenditures are only one piece of the equation. Cloud-based faxing eliminates paper, ink and toner costs for manual fax machines and on-going IT support and system maintenance costs for on-premise fax servers, as well as allows your business to cut ties with expensive and often fee-laden monthly telephone contracts supporting legacy fax lines.

With cloud faxing, you streamline the net capital expenses of your entire faxing infrastructure. Migrating from on-premise to cloud-based faxing can dramatically reduce the total cost of ownership.

2. Introduces Scalability

Adding virtual fax phone numbers to your business takes minutes and costs a fraction of the amount of acquiring new analog lines and numbers. As your company grows, new team members can easily acquire their own faxing line, then access it quickly and conveniently from the fax server software installed on their computers, laptops and smartphones.

3. Implements Modern, Robust Communications Security

Compromising a traditional fax machine is difficult enough, given the need for point-of-transmission entrance. However, attacking a cloud-based fax solution is even more challenging.

Cloud-based fax MSPs layer all transmissions with data encryption as well as additional cybersecurity features tailored to the platform. It is unlikely most hackers will be fluent in these fax-cloud cybersecurity systems, given their distinct nature.

4. Gets Rid of the Busy Fax Tone

The dreaded busy tone of a repeatedly in-use fax line is enough to make anyone’s head pound. While most fax machines will automatically redial the number upon receiving a busy signal, employees are still left in file-sharing limbo, waiting until the recipient’s line frees. This reduces productivity and causes document-sharing chokepoints in collaborative workflows, ones without immediate remedy.

5. Complements Compliance Efforts

Contrary to certain pervasive cloud myths, cloud-based faxing is in full compliance with the regulatory standards set for many industries. This includes highly monitored fields like healthcare, financial services, insurance, higher education, government agencies and contractors relying on secure document delivery.

6. Enhances Reliability

Cloud-based faxing eliminates many of the pain points associated with maintaining a legacy fax machine, including:

• Machine paper jams
• Machine failure and subsequent repair downtimes
• In-house fax server crashes
• Power outages
• Telecom provider analog line failures

These issues bring faxing to a halt. Cloud-based servers’ expedite the process speeds to send and receive a fax, and they simplify the process of doing so. Cloud software comes fully integrated into the everyday technologies employees already use, meaning everyone can transmit documents in a few clicks without ever leaving their desks.

7. Implements Disaster Recovery

Cloud-based faxing servers store all relayed files in a secure document management system. That system contains access controls yet still permits relevant individuals to enter and review document paper trails, re-access information and conduct file audits.

These fax-inclusive document management systems are particularly vital during disaster recovery incidents, where everything from cyberattacks to natural disasters to human error may have damaged on-premise servers or permanently wiped their stored data.

8. Reduces IT Headaches

Exporting fax operations to the cloud relieves your internal IT staff from overseeing your fax system’s server, network and telephony connections. They’ll also no longer bear the brunt of frustrating equipment troubleshooting, which pulls your skilled IT personnel off higher-value activities.

9. Modernizes Your Office

Many software-based faxing programs allow users to e-sign documents to meet compliant “genuine signature” standards. They also integrate with camera and scanner technology, permitting digital versions of documents to be uploaded instantly into the system, whether sent or received. Finally, cloud-based faxing also allows for remote file sharing and in some cases even remote document-management system access.

Key Differences Between Cloud-Based and On-Premise Faxing

Detailed pros and cons aside, there are three fundamental differences between cloud-based faxing vs. on-premise method:

1. Input Expenses

Many fax machine cost calculations don’t account for system “externalities,” the input expenses involved in the physical faxing process that contribute to that process’ total price but are often forgotten. Faxing externalities include variables like:

• Ink cartridge expenses
• Fax machine paper expenses
• Shipment and delivery fees
• Machine maintenance costs
• Time walking to and from the fax machine
• Time waiting for an open fax machine
• Time waiting for a phone line to open up
• On-premise fax server glitches and downtimes

In total, the average business saves $720 per year, per fax phone line by switching to the cloud — plus eliminates the 2 to 2.5 cent cost per page previously spent on thermal laser paper.

2. Document Security

The average cloud-based fax server employs a 256-bit encryption method to secure transmitted files. That’s the same encryption industry gold standard mandated for government agencies, now at your disposal to protect your files, documents and data. With traditional faxes, these digital materials are only as secure as your current internal network and server defenses managed by your own IT team.

3. Infrastructure Speed and Scale

Cloud faxing software is instantly accessible, leading to quicker document deployments and increased file sharing outputs. Yet, more importantly, outsourcing faxing functions to an external cloud means your organization no longer must purchase new servers to scale — which, in turn, eliminates buying more load balancers, external database, SQL servers, gateways, expanding network security measures and more.

Which Fax Platform Should You Use?

So which faxing ecosystem is ultimately right for your organization?

Review the scenarios below to consider if cloud-based or on-premise aligns most with your business environment, bearing in mind the pros and cons detailed above.

Stick with traditional faxing when:

• You’re a small business. One with 50 or fewer total employees.
• You’re a light usage faxing customer. Your business sends and receives fewer than a hundred or so faxes a year.
• You still prefer hard paper trails for legal matters. Binding business documents, such as contracts, sales agreements and deeds, must contain genuine signatures to be legally recognized. While cloud-faxing today allows for e-signatures and provides document management history logs, some individuals may not want to deviate from legal convention. 
  

Opt for a cloud-based fax solution if:

• You’re a mid-to-large fax user (or growing to be one). One averaging 1,000 or more faxes a year, with trends showing businesses are actually increasing the number of faxes they send and receive, due primarily to the ease and convenience of cloud faxing.
• You want to be environmentally conscious. Conservative stats show switching just 5% of physical faxing to cloud faxing saves an estimated 1 million trees, 360 million gallons of water, 3 million pounds of air pollutants and 215 million kilowatt hours in energy — enough to power New York City for a month.
• You experience too much faxing congestion. It’s a business best practice to prorate one fax machine per 10 to 25 employees. Still, slow lines, slow machines, machine malfunctions or high fax flows can render even this ratio ill-functioning.
• You have compliance concerns or are in a highly regulated industry. This includes fields like healthcare, pharmaceuticals, government agencies and law firms. HIPAA, for example, condones faxing as the safest proprietary way to send and receive protected health information (PHI). Plus, it should be noted the majority of cloud-based fax services provide 256-bit encryption, date and time stamps on all document transmissions, therefore ensuring legal authenticity and additional security protecting against document discrepancies.
• You need to cut costs. The total labor cost to send and receive a single-page fax is $1.55 — and that’s just labor costs, not accounting for paper, ink, toner, electricity and machine maintenance expenditures. Corporate cloud faxing solutions has been shown to cut a fax’s total cost of ownership by more than half and accounts for both its labor and system overhead.

Know Your Options for Cloud-Based Faxing

Join the growing movement of companies shifting toward a cloud-based faxing — saving time, money and sanity along the way.

Softlinx provides secure cloud fax services with 24/7 service monitoring and customer support. Contact us today to get a no-obligation quote or schedule a free, custom product demo with cloud faxing today.