Pundits will have you believe that the fax is dead, that there’s no more use for it, that everything can be done with digital solutions and the days of the facsimile are over.
They’re half right. Digital is the way to go. Even phone companies are starting to replace their traditional TDM networks with networks that are IP-based at their core. Digital is the present and the future.
But the fax is going digital, too. With fax-over-IP (FoIP), the fax has moved to IP-based transmission the same as phone service has. Just as voice-over-IP is calling done through the Internet, so has fax moved in that direction with FoIP.
Why keep fax alive, you might ask?
There are several reasons, including existing business processes that rely on fax, partners that still use faxes, and many other reasons. But one of the big ones is that the fax is a good way to get signatures.
Yes, there are e-signatures. But the fax still is simpler for document signing.
“Although a lot of companies are now using ‘e-signature’ for document signing, fax is still used by many businesses because you can easily (and cheaply) capture a signature for legal documents,” wrote technology blog, The Pulse (News - Alert).
We all know how to use a fax, but honestly: How many of us know how to make a digital signature?
Even if we do (I actually sign a lot with Adobe (News - Alert) Acrobat), do we know if our method of digital signature holds up in court?
While there is no technical reason why e-signatures should not hold up in court, the fact of the matter is that there’s no uniform decision yet on how and in what circumstances e-signatures carry the force of law. Yes, some places they are as good as a paper signature. But not everywhere; the laws vary.
With fax-based signatures, however, there’s pretty clear precedent. Fax has been around a long time, so the courts know the fax and it is widely accepted as a means of document signing.
So there’s still a place for the fax.
But, this does not mean that businesses need to be in the dark ages with their faxing technology. They still should use FoIP technology to make their faxes run over the Internet. This drives cost savings and allows fax to be integrated with other digital workflows.
Solutions such as AudioCodes’ (News - Alert) fax ATA solution can make it easy for businesses to upgrade to FoIP, in that it lets businesses use their existing fax equipment while running the machines over the Internet like VoIP.
In many cases, it is the best of both worlds.
Long live the fax.
Edited by Rory J. Thompson