Seventeen billion faxes are sent every year across the globe, which is surprising given that people thought that digital transfer technologies like PDF and email would replace faxing. This so called ‘outdated’ technology is among the few that have refused to disappear and may not disappear any time soon, and there is a reason for this.
Using a fax machine is easy; you obtain a hard copy of a document, place it in a machine and the recipient gets their copy of the document. It is also incredibly cheaper to send a fax when you compare it with long distance telephone calls. Besides, today fax machines have been designed to be able to copy, scan and printing, which is why millions of corporate business use them today. However, there are more reasons it’s still relevant today.
They are secure
This is perhaps the number one reason why fax machines are relevant today. We live in a digital world with cloud-based technologies. The information we send through these technologies are perceived to be secure, but due to the nature of these technologies, hacking is a possibility. However, the fax is secure; it’s not vulnerable to hacking. For example, when Sony was hacked a while ago, losing more than 100 terabytes of data, they were forced to use fax machines to communicate. Since then, Sony has been using faxes to convey sensitive messages to its employees and senior executives. This is one of the main reason fax machines are used in the healthcare industry and law offices.
Faxing is quick
Faxing can be a really quick process; you can send faxes in seconds rather than minutes used using word processing programs. When sending important details using the cloud-based system, you have to print them out, sign them, fill them, and scan them back and then email them to the sender. Faxing makes it easy to send signature without worry, knowing it’s not going through a network and used for other purposes.
The traditional old-style fax machine requires a phone line, so as soon as the call is received, the device submitted the document. It is still an easy way to send document; it is also a hassle. Today, however, technology has improved this process with a virtual fax like the FaxBurner, you can just attach your document and send to another fax recipient without a hassle and on your smartphone.
Complete peace of mind
It is very common to find entrepreneurs worried about whether their client has received the invoice or the email. Facing machine eliminates these concerns; the machine often keeps a record of transmissions it makes. So anyone can use the log book and see whether the fax was received on the other end or not. You can also send or receive your fax when on the move with a smartphone.
Faxing may seem outdated, but it’s not; it gives businesses across the world the peace of mind they need when submitting documents and when sharing sensitive information. It has proven again and again that it’s the kind in the office, and it’s probably going surpass emerging technologies.
