What is Online Fax Service

Nearly every office in America has a fax machine. The technology, when it first came out, was nothing less than revolutionary, allowing people to send documents in real time anywhere in the world. But today, that revolutionary technology has taken a few twists. Online fax service is quickly replacing the analog model, and for several good reasons.

As an analog device, the fax machine itself is prone to failure. There are paper jams and other common problems. But the greatest downside of the office fax machine is the security problem. In most cases, an office has a single fax machine in a public area, perhaps in the copy room, or some other location with easy public access. When you need to receive a fax with sensitive information, the choice is either to stand by the machine and wait, so you can grab it before anybody else sees it; or just trust your luck. And finally, the downside of delay is significant. Fax is meant to be instantaneous, and it is in theory. However, in practice, it often is not. In the case of the office with a single fax machine in the copy room, fax distribution is a task often delegated to the mailroom clerk, and that important fax you've been expecting may not arrive at your desk until the end of the day.

The ability to fax online changes all that. Using your own on-premises fax server, or making use of an online fax service, allows for faxing instantly from your desk, directly from your computer. An online fax service creates a bridge so that a fax transmission can be turned into a digital file, which can then be easily sent via email or any other technology that can deliver the document directly to a computer desktop.

Online fax still uses a phone number, usually a separate dedicated line. But, when a fax comes in, the online fax service converts that received fax into a digital file, which can then be virtually routed eliminating the clunky dependence on the mailroom clerk. The fax online service does not require the sender to be using a digital service; it can receive any type of fax transmission.

Sending a fax online is similarly straightforward. Usually, the service integrates with your productivity applications, adding an icon that allows you to send a document via fax the same way you would send it to the printer. You simply call up the document on your computer, and fax it out with the click of a mouse. If you have a paper document that does not exist in your computer, this can still be sent with the online fax service. Simply scan the document into your desktop scanner, save it as an image file, and fax online.

There are many advantages. Besides the convenience and the added security of online fax service, the cost is remarkably low. In fact it is often lower than maintaining a dedicated fax line and fax machine which also often requires dedicating personnel to manage it. Online fax service can be managed by any user in the company, directly from every desktop; eliminating the need for a separate clerk to handle the fax function for the entire company.

When considering an online fax service, compare price and feature set before buying. Many are remarkably cheap and offer a free trial. Look for services that do not require a start-up fee and offer both send and receive functionality.