According to research, the global online fax market is expected to cross $2.4 billion – growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 11 percent during the 2016-2022 period. While it may not be the first technology on every business’s list as they consider digital transformation, fax is still very much in play as an enterprise technology. Its growth is a result of innovations such as multi-functional devices that combine faxing, printing, and scanning. Fax has also made its way to the cloud with software-based solutions that help businesses eliminate paper from their fax processes.
These advancements in fax technology have produced dozens of enterprise fax solutions – it’s difficult for any business to sift through them to determine which is the right fit for their needs. Below, we offer some food for thought and actionable tips to help you choose the best enterprise fax solution for your business.
But First, What Is Enterprise Fax?
There are now many ways to process faxes in a business setting – from on-premise to cloud-based solutions. Many businesses still consider on-premise fax machines to be the most secure and reliable method, while others have migrated to hybrid fax and cloud fax.
Hybrid fax leverages virtual servers and cloud services while cloud fax completely eliminates phone lines and hardware. With both options, a business moves closer to a paperless environment.
Consider What Benefits You Need When Choosing the Best Enterprise Fax Solution
For many businesses, on-premise fax solutions may be the right move, but it’s more than likely that hybrid or cloud fax will deliver the efficiency and reliability you’re looking for. When choosing the best enterprise fax solution, think about which of the following benefits you could derive the most value from:
Secure Document Transfer and Assured Compliance
One of the top requirements of any modern fax solution is its ability to transfer documents securely and reliably. Hybrid and cloud fax solutions ensure encryption while documents are in transit and at rest, and they provide authenticated access and audit trails. Your files will stay compliant-ready and will be visible and accessible to only the appropriate people.
If your business needs to adhere to certain regulatory laws as well, look for an enterprise fax solution that offers HIPAA, SOX, and/or FERPA compliance.
Easy Deployment and Usage
The right enterprise fax solution will enable you to set it up rapidly. Cloud fax solutions are your best bet here since they don’t require hardware. If you also want employees to access documents across devices, cloud fax gives users access to faxing through web clients, mobile apps, desktop clients, and Microsoft Outlook/email add-ons.
Cost Savings and Control
Moving to a hybrid or cloud fax environment will help you eliminate paper, which will deliver cost-savings benefits upfront. Aside from going paperless, you’ll save on labor as employees will no longer need to spend time physically faxing, retrieving, and storing documents.
You’ll also enjoy centralized management of your fax-based processes if you go with a cloud-based environment, so you’ll have a 360 view of your fax environment. Certain solutions will enable you to integrate with existing applications through APIs so you can easily deploy, monitor, and manage fax services.
Get Expert Help Choosing the Best Enterprise Fax Solution for Your Business
If you sense you could use some help sifting through all the enterprise fax solutions out there, contact All Star Software today. We’ve been helping businesses like yours figure out which technology is right for them for years, and our experts are ready to talk.
