While fax machines have been thought by many to have been long-replaced by email, there are still plenty of reasons why people have not transitioned away from the technology. For one, faxing is considered more secure.
"Email is vulnerable to interception by unauthorized recipients who either receive a copy in error or who deliberately gain access to others' email accounts," wrote Demand Media contributor Clare Edwards. "Criminals can infect computer systems with malicious software that can steal passwords and login information or allow access to the whole computer system, permitting emails to be read."
As such, there are certain missives that are best sent through fax solutions. But this has caused complications in an enterprise world where communications are increasingly being unified. Voice, email, video and even social media have been combined into singular digital interfaces while the fax machine sits in the corner, segregated from the digital world. This has led a considerable number of people to believe that nobody uses fax machines anymore.
But these individuals probably do not work in industries that still require faxes. Healthcare, for instance, still frequently faxes medical records to doctors and pharmacies alike. Email is, in many instances, too unsafe to use for sensitive information. But if anything, this makes things worse – faxes are still essential, but cannot be leveraged alongside other channels.
Cloud-based fax services like FaxCore offer modern solutions to keep faxing up-to-date. By adapting the technology for use over IP channels, faxes can be sent and received online, making them easier to file and streamlining the process as a whole.
Security tantamount to success
But like any other IT advantage, there needs to be education and security in order to enjoy the full benefits. What's more, companies need to have an established cloud faxing service in place rather than trust their employees with consumer-grade applications. Creating a sense of unity will prevent breaches from occurring – according to BEC Technology Consultants contributor Dwight Morrison Jr., cloud-based faxing is – like other telecom platforms – ripe for exploitation. A new version of Cryptolocker is currently making the rounds, and it is being spread through an email link claiming to be an unopened fax.
"This is not the first time that cyber thieves have tried using legitimate services to release their malware," Morrison wrote. "They also use many free cloud services. The reason being is that, apparently, DropBox and other cloud-storage services don't scan their stored files for malware. If you use these services, you can be targeted for CryptoLocker, and your data can be held hostage for payment."
This is why organizations need to be on their guard and choose a legitimate service for enterprise use. Messages like this, in turn, can be easily disregarded as potential criminal ploys and threats like malware and ransomware can be prevented from ever entering the system.
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.
