Are you feeling hesitant to migrate your legacy fax system over to IP? A lot of business owners fear that upgrading will be a hassle, and so their offices remain in the 90s.
Faxing is still a widely used form of confidential document transmission for small and medium sized companies. Like many processes, the analog method of fax has given way to a newer, faster technology. Here is what you need to know to determine if Fax-over-IP is right for you!
What Is Fax-over-IP (FoIP)? How Does It Work?
FoIP essentially mimics traditional fax in the same way that Voice over IP mimics traditional telephony. The “IP” stands for Internet Protocol, a series of steps that transmit data to its digital destination. While the conventional system relies on the Publicly Switched Telephone Network to send and receive documents, FoIP circumvents the PSTN. FoIP converts incoming faxes into PDF files and sends them by email. Incoming faxes can be converted into emails and sent directly to a single user inbox, team inbox or multiple addresses.
FoIP can leverage your existing VoIP network. You have the option to keep your classic fax machines or use a fax server. Your provider can determine which option suits your needs. IP faxes can be printed on any printer that is connected to a computer, which effectively reduces the amount of machines taking up space in your workplace.
What Are The Benefits of FoIP?
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Lower Cost
- FoIP is typically more cost efficient on a per-minute rate. FoIP users also save on the burdensome expenses of hardware maintenance.
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Better-quality Organization
- Fax documents can be easily sorted, stored and sent on a FoIP system. Staff can view a history of their most recent faxes and managers can export the logs for evaluation.
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Broader Reach
- Traditional faxing has limitations. There are many areas of the world that are unequipped with fax lines. FoIP eradicates this issue through the use of satellite Internet. This means you can do business efficiently no matter the location.
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Reliability
- FoIP is faster than traditional faxing. It can also be more secure when point-to- point encryption is enabled.
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Less Hassle
- FoIP increases office efficiency by removing fax boards, reducing maintenance time and simplifying disaster recovery.
With many recent improvements made to FoIP technology, there has never been a better time to make the switch. Contact our experts for more information!