Email has become a de facto channel for many enterprises – if not all of them. Because so many people are embracing advanced mobility these days, they naturally gravitate toward the connections that are easily leveraged on smartphones and tablets. While email fits this bill to a T, that does not necessarily make it a proper choice for business communications. Not only is email at the mercy of whatever encryption a user has in place but it can be easily blindsided by phishing attacks and links to malware downloads.
"Banks and social media firms have taken steps to protect their customers from email scams, according to recent research," wrote CIO contributor Jen Miller. "However, the travel and healthcare industries remain vulnerable. All the more troubling: Spam and phishing show no signs of going away."
The biggest issue with email safety is that there are no guarantees. It's as easy for auto-correct to send delicate data to an unintended party as it is for hackers to bust in unannounced and start rifling through company messages. This is why faxing is still mandated by law in many industries – including healthcare. Email might be okay for non-critical information, but trusting it with things like patient records is ill-advised. The only issue with faxing is that is has traditionally only been performed on siloed machines. But like other channels, faxing has found a second life in the cloud. Thanks to cloud-based faxing software operated through smartphone applications and desktop software, it is possible to have a secure connection without fear of data loss.
Strong email encryptions can be an issue, as well
It is possible to obtain email safety, but at what cost? According to Windows IT Pro contributor Jonathon Mahon, there can be complications that arise from the top-shelf methods of email encryption. As it turns out, not all companies have the server structures in place that support transport layer security encryption – and they might not even know it. This is an easy way for important and time-sensitive items to fall through the cracks. Additionally, if a company's architecture recognizes TLS encryption but does not support it, the message can be unlocked anyway, defeating the whole point and negating any security benefits.
Cloud-based fax enables streamlined operations
One of the biggest reasons that email is still so heavily used is thanks to the mobility factor. People are familiar with its potential as an asset for the smartphone-savvy. But rather than try to fit a square peg in a round hole and just accept email shortcomings and all, maybe it's time for more people to opt for a stronger solution – particularly, cloud-based email faxing software.
Cloud-based fax is a secure and easy way to send important documents to intended recipients. Rather than having to print something off of the computer in order to feed it through a fax machine, PDFs of files can be made and sent off without hassle. People can receive these missives on a desktop, tablet, and even the fax machines of days past. Should someone need to be included in the loop but does not have any kind of faxing immediately available, messages can also be forwarded to email accounts – when appropriate, of course.
Organizations need to accept that email is seriously flawed as an enterprise channel. As such, it will be important to supply workers with effective alternatives that don't skimp on security. By seeking out cloud-based email fax software solutions, this is easy to accomplish.
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