It may sound funny to some people, but faxing is alive and well. It may have become the butt of jokes over the years as newer technology has appeared alongside it, but there is still significant need for the fax machine in a number of industries. Email attachments can't be trusted with information of certain sensitivity, as the channel is one that's easily hacked and manipulated. As such, many fields require professionals to send documents via fax, which is considered much more secure.
But this doesn't mean that the fax machine needs to remain in play. The concept behind the technology is just as relevant as ever even if the hardware has fallen out of vogue. This is where the cloud comes into play. Cloud faxing solutions take fax servers and equip them to be compatible with things like smartphones. Documents can be sent in the same way that email attachments are, but with none of the risk to businesses.
"[P]rofessionals looking to get rid of that hunk of plastic and metal can do so relatively easily now, especially if the need is primarily to send faxes, not to receive them," wrote PCWorld contributor Christopher Null. "That solution is electronic or Internet faxing, where you send and receive documents in scanned format, generally PDFs, instead of on paper."
Cloud fax solutions can be a great asset to a number of different industries. Here is a look at some of the professions that still need to have faxing capabilities:
1) Healthcare
One of the most prominent areas where faxing is still essential is medicine. Healthcare organizations deal almost exclusively in confidential information. Patient records are of the utmost sensitivity, and as a result, numerous mandates have been put in place to protect this information. As such, faxing is still a regular occurrence thanks to regulations like the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
"Thanks to the HIPAA … documents transmitted between various doctors, labs, and insurers have to be 'secure,'"Null wrote. "The parlance of HIPAA is complex and poorly understood, but it requires only that doctors engage in 'reasonable safeguards' when sending messages, regardless of the medium. Over time, this has been interpreted by most doctors to mean that faxes are okay, while email generally isn't."
But just because there's a need for security doesn't mean that convenience has to fall by the wayside. Internet fax can help to keep doctors, nurses and other professionals mobile without endangering the well-being of their clients.
2) Finance
Banks try their hardest to keep money physically protected, but how good are they at cybersecurity? One of the most important aspects of protecting digital information is by removing possible opportunities for a breach – and that includes email. Leaving sensitive documents that contain things like client account info sitting around an inbox is a great way to end up with a significant breach – and serious loss of face with customers.
Here is another instance where cloud faxing can come in particularly good use. Banks are just like any other industry in that they are increasingly going mobile, and it's time for the fax machine to join them. Financial records remain protected and professionals have a greater chance at maximizing their productivity with corporate eFax – a win/win situation.
3) Law firms
Like the other entrants on this list, lawyers tend to have valuable information on their hands most of the time. This has actually gotten a number of legal professionals in trouble when it comes to email. Phishing scams are a surprisingly common – and successful – attempt to steal money from lawyers and their firms.
"Crafting elaborate stories that often involve real companies or properties, con artists say they live abroad and need help collecting money from a debtor or a legal settlement," wrote The Wall Street Journal contributor Jennifer Smith. "They ask the lawyers to wire the funds to bank accounts overseas, after taking a cut in fees for their services. The settlement checks mailed to lawyers' offices and accompanying documents, such as insurance paperwork, appear to be authentic. Phone numbers and other contact information on the documents lead back to scammers who pose as employees and vouch for their legitimacy, authorities say."
This really speaks to the overall, inherent effectiveness of email – regardless of where it is used and in what capacity. Fraud of this nature is constantly evolving, making it hard to spot 100 percent of the time. Cybercriminals have even been known to hack into email accounts in order to learn about the target and pose as a family member who needs money wired to them. If lawyers are falling for this, then it's safe to say that plenty of other people are, too. Just one more reason to make investments in cloud-based faxing today – if not for convenience then for security.
Enhance enterprise communication, collaboration and compliance efforts with a proven FoIP solution from FaxCore. Contact FaxCore today to learn more about their 'Partly-Cloudy' fax solutions.
