In this recent article by CNN Money, the faithful fax machine gets a bad wrap (again!). The fax machine is an easy target for the schoolyard bully. Not everyone “gets” the fact that faxing is still one of the most reliable, secure, widely recognized forms of document transmission out there. Email is great. We love email! Unfortunately, email can’t compete with faxing when it comes to 100% certainty that your document made it to the desired recipient (unless you miss-dialed, but that isn’t the fax machines fault!). Every single fax that leaves your fax machine, will be date and time stamped and a confirmation of receipt will accompany all successful transmissions.
Can email tell you without a doubt that your loan officer received your document locking your mortgage rate in? 
What about when your doctor needs to get a prescription over to your pharmacy, so you can pick up the medication for your baby who has a double ear infection?
Emailing private medical information is not HIPAA compliant and you are going to have more sleepless nights if you drive to Walgreens and they have no record of the doctors orders to dispense Zithromax for your little one. With fax they have compliance, security and peace of mind knowing that if the fax didn’t get through, they would know right away.
We’ve been selling fax server software for 15 years and we often joke that we could quit working if we had a nickel for every time someone said “faxing is dead” or dying. The reality is, that until there is a better way, faxing is the way! Your grandpa always said, “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” (we really like your grandpa!).
Leave a Reply