The first fax servers appeared in the late 1980’s and became widely deployed by the late 1990’s. Many products of that era have changed only a limited extent since that time. Although these products may say they link to other 21^st Century solutions like Exchange or SharePoint, they may require cumbersome connectors that most IT managers would prefer to avoid. 

For enterprises looking for full unified communications, certification for Exchange 2010 UM fax is another requirement, according to Max Schroeder (News - Alert) of Faxcore.

“A key to the reason that some products are slow to keep pace with 21^st century technologies like FoIP is their basic design or architecture. A FoIP fax server solution built on the Microsoft (News - Alert) .NET Framework allows for companion applications or technologies to be integrated easily,” he explained.

“The enterprise can gain greater operational flexibility as this technology is more flexible and extensible than traditional analog-based fax. Also, the SR-140 FoIP drivers from Dialogic are software which makes them future-proof for customers that implement the regular updates and upgrades,” Schroeder added. 

Paired with the Dialogic Media Gateways customers can have a very robust and scalable system by implementation of bundled solutions like FaxCore’s (News - Alert) award winning FoIP-Box series.

The primary consideration when selecting a fax server solution whether it be a fax appliance like the FoIP-Box, a hybrid fax solution, fax service or customer premise assembled component systems it to start with a list of critical or essential requirements, according to Schroeder. “Then pair these requirements with a product line that not only satisfies them now but will scale in the future and also keep pace with changes in the communications industry,” he said.

Of course, starting with a company that is already leading the way with solutions supporting virtual networks and other green technologies is a must these days. When contacting prospective vendors, Schroeder recommends also inquiring into their track record. When, for example did they deploy their first FoIP system? 

“This is always an important consideration as you will be relying on the experience of the vendor and their resellers,” he said.