Cloud technology is a game changer. One of the biggest reasons that it is being so heavily leveraged is thanks to its transformative properties. Businesses are realizing that long-standing practices once thought to be as efficient as possible can be further improved by applying the cloud in some way.
"Investment in cloud computing is trending way up, emerging as a key technological tool for businesses around the globe," ITProPortal stated on its website. "More and more businesses are discovering the unique benefits of cloud – and you can too."
One of the most interesting areas where cloud has made waves is in communications. By now, plenty of people have heard about how, when paired with VoIP, the cloud makes office phone networks available from anywhere with an Internet connection. The idea here is that the channel itself can be re-purposed in a cloud environment for maximum accessibility.
This line of thinking is what has led the business world to another acronym – FoIP. Just like phone service, faxing has long been regulated to a siloed endpoint with no way to work alongside other channels. This had led many people to dismiss it as an outdated technology that's too reliant on paper to be of any use in the modern world.
But this is the kind of mindset that can inhibit innovation. Just like voice, fax services can be re-imagined as a software-defined tool. By leveraging a secure application and cloud-based functionality, it is possible to have an appropriate means of document transmission that is both well-protected and convenient.
No more attachments!
There are many people out there who wrongly believe that faxing died with the birth of the email attachment. This could not be further from the case. While email is commonly used on mobile devices due to its convenience, the channel is inherently weak in terms of security. This has led the sending and receiving of confidential or sensitive information via email to be banned by law in many industries, forcing them to rely on faxing to transmit documents.
But in an age where everything can seemingly be accomplished on a smartphone, having to use a fax machine can be cumbersome and waste time. The amount of printing and effort that goes into the faxing process is almost unreasonable when compared to the ease of use inherent in email. This has led a countless people to ignore protocol in the name of productivity – something that can inadvertently cause trouble.
There is a solution to these issues, however, in the form of cloud-based document management systems. Cloud fax marries the convenience of email with the security of fax machines.
Cloud trust issues must be overcome
While the cloud has enjoyed some enormous success, it has also been the subject of intense scrutiny. Some people believe that the cloud is a flawed technology and that it has no place in enterprises. But the thing about the cloud is that it is only as safe as the people maintaining it want it to be. There is no such thing as inherently-secure technology, which is why an inability to trust the cloud is so ludicrous.
Thankfully, more organizations are overcoming cloud stigmas and trust these systems with mission-critical applications. According ITProPortal contributor Tom Phelan, recent studies show that seven out of 10 companies have pushed some of their most essential software into cloud environments.
This is for good reason: More than 80 percent of businesses are reporting that their IT costs have been reduced as a result of using cloud services. Global cloud spending is expected to continue growing thanks to things like these, reaching $235.1 billion by 2017.
A cloudy future
The outlook for cloud-based document management systems is bright, especially considering all the different ways that it can be applied. What was once considered somewhat of a fringe technology has started to make itself at home as the new status quo of computing.
"Cloud computing has moved from the edge of IT and into the heart of how CIOs procure and deliver technology services," stated CIO contributor Byron Connolly.
One of the most interesting ways that cloud is being leveraged is in regard to faxing. People need faxing technology, whether they are aware of it or not. Sending things over email has proven time and again to be risky and is considered poor practice in a number of industries – yet it is still a rampant occurrence. The best course of action, however, is not to ban email, but provide a more effective solution in its place. Employees, for the most part, want to follow the rules – but not at the expense of productivity. This is why cloud-based faxing is such a viable workplace solution.
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