4 Reasons to Avoid Using a Fax Server and 3 Superior Alternatives
A fax server is a physical or virtual server utilized for handling the transmission, reception, and storage of faxes across digital or analog networks. Once a standard fixture in most business settings, fax servers have now become nearly obsolete.
Fortunately, there are numerous superior alternatives available today, rendering the use of fax servers unnecessary and alleviating associated difficulties.
Four reasons to steer clear of a fax server
1. Challenges in expanding fax infrastructure
Expanding your office communication setup at scale poses significant challenges. Dealing with fax servers can be especially troublesome, requiring intricate planning to prevent communication bottlenecks.
Moreover, scaling a fax server often demands substantial investments in new technology, such as additional fax boards, modems, and servers to manage the heightened fax traffic within your office.
Opting for online fax services eliminates this issue entirely, offering seamless scalability without the need for additional hardware expenses. Cloud-based services are better equipped to cater to a business’s expanding communication requirements.
2. Limited adaptability
Simply put, fax servers excel solely in sending and receiving faxes, making them inadequate for modern office communications which necessitate messaging across diverse platforms and devices.
As fax servers are ill-equipped to interact with today’s varied devices, they encounter major obstacles in office communications.
Forcing a fax server into your business operations can disrupt workflows or necessitate workarounds to accommodate outdated technology. It also poses the risk of losing track of documents not integrated into your cloud-based system.
In essence, maintaining compatibility with evolving technology standards and protocols proves to be a formidable challenge for fax servers, unworthy of undertaking.
Contrastingly, several online solutions offer significantly greater flexibility, enabling users to send and receive faxes via email, online platforms, and even applications. For instance, employees can dispatch a fax from an iPhone regardless of their location.
Online faxes are centrally stored and accessible to your team, simplifying file organization and access. Remote workers can retrieve required documents without visiting the office.
3. Maintenance expenses of fax servers
Due to their hardware dependency, fax servers necessitate ongoing maintenance that can strain budgets. Since this equipment is becoming outdated, not every technician can service it, requiring specialized assistance.
While neglecting fax server maintenance may seem cost-effective, it can lead to costly repercussions. System failures and downtime can disrupt business operations, resulting in additional expenses for troubleshooting and repairs.
Although fax communication doesn’t demand significant bandwidth, a stable connection is essential. Even minor delays or issues can prevent faxes from being sent or received.
Online fax solutions circumvent these issues by eliminating the need for dedicated hardware and offering predictable subscription-based pricing models with minimal initial investments.
4. Exposure to security threats
Outdated technologies are more susceptible to breaches or hacks, with vulnerabilities that increase the likelihood of compromise. Fax servers are no exception, having had ample time for exploitation and compromise.
Transmitting sensitive data over traditional phone lines and unsecured networks heightens the risk of interception and exploitation by hackers and fraudsters with traditional fax servers offering limited mitigation options.
Cloud-based and online fax solutions, on the other hand, while not impervious to security vulnerabilities, employ advanced security protocols and modern encryption methods to safeguard information.
Furthermore, many online fax solutions adhere to industry security regulations and receive regular updates to tackle emerging threats.
Three superior alternatives to an in-house fax server
1. Online fax solutions
Online fax solutions stand out as the leading replacement for fax servers. They enable businesses to perform fax-related functions akin to traditional setups but with enhanced security and convenience.
Termed internet faxing or virtual faxing, online faxing operates akin to email transmission. By accessing the software or platform, selecting the desired document, and clicking to dispatch to another fax machine or online fax service.
The primary advantages of online fax solutions encompass:
- Cost-effectiveness: Online fax services typically offer subscription or pay-as-you-go pricing schemes, proving more economical than procuring, maintaining, and updating hardware and software.
- Scalability: If additional lines are required for your online fax service, notifying the provider suffices. No need for new hardware installations or software purchases.
- Flexibility: The hallmark of online fax services is their “online” nature, enabling access to faxes wherever an internet connection is available.
- Security: Online fax services boast robust security features, including encryption protocols and data privacy measures. Certain options comply with industry-specific security regulations, like HIPAA.
2. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services facilitate internet-based calling and fax transmission, deviating from traditional phone line utilization. Digital data is sent to the recipient’s fax machine and may be converted into analog signals through their VoIP service or an analog telephone adapter (ATA), aiding fax machine comprehension.
Distinct from traditional fax machines, a VoIP fax service stores received data as a file in a cloud system, enabling access and printing from any location.
The key benefits of VoIP services include:
- Cost efficiency: Similar to online fax solutions, VoIP telephone services are generally cost-effective and often operate on a flexible subscription model that can be easily adjusted according to your requirements.
- Seamless synchronization: VoIP phone services offer comprehensive functionalities beyond just faxing, making them an ideal choice for businesses looking to streamline their operations. With VoIP phone services, your team can conveniently access phone services, faxing, document management, and more from a single platform.
- Advanced functionalities: VoIP phone services offer a diverse array of advanced features that enhance the efficiency of faxing, with the conversion of faxes to email being particularly beneficial. This means that your faxes can be directed to your email, allowing you to even respond to them. Many VoIP phone services also include online document signing features, which can be extremely handy when dealing with tasks like faxing contracts.
It is important to bear in mind that while many VoIP phone services include fax capabilities, not all of them do. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct thorough research to ensure that the service you choose offers all the features you require.
3. System for managing documents
Document management systems (DMS) are not explicitly tailored for faxing purposes, but they can frequently be utilized for faxing nonetheless, presenting a viable alternative to a fax server.
These systems operate in a similar manner to online fax services, allowing you to upload a document to the DMS and then transmit it as a virtual fax. Incoming faxes can also be seamlessly directed to your DMS for organization alongside your other files.
The primary advantages of DMS include:
- Efficiency: If you are already leveraging a DMS to oversee your documents and need to send faxes, leveraging the same platform for both purposes is a logical choice.
- Built-in compatibility: Faxes are sent and received directly from the DMS, eliminating the need to transfer files from a separate fax service or extract files from your DMS to send via a fax service.
- Simplified categorization: With an established structure in your DMS, faxes can easily be organized alongside your existing files, eliminating the need for additional processes.
While I have no personal vendetta against fax servers, I simply believe that for most offices, they are not the optimal solution for managing fax communications. There are far superior alternatives available in the market.
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