Recently, TMCnet’s Erik Linask (News - Alert) sat down with Max Schroeder, senior vice president of Faxcore, at the ITEXO East to discuss the state of fax. So, just the fax, ma'am.
Linask asked Schroeder just why is fax so popular now. Schroeder said during the video interview the reason fax is still 'relevant' is because of 'the legal system.' Evidently, not just in North America, but around the world, a fax is considered a legal document unlike other forms of communications like e-mail.
So, for the healthcare industry, financial industry and any regulated sector that has to worry about things like HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, Schroeder said faxes qualify as legal documents.
And one key legal requirement, he explained, is that a fax has a date and time stamp, plus a requirement that the sending and receiving devices confirm that the transaction was completed successfully. E-mail does not have these requirements. Naturally, you can think of many situations where legal relevancy is a major concern.
Schroeder cited a study by Davidson Consulting finding that last year that said Fax over IP grew by 53 percent. We don't care what industry you're in. If it grew 53 percent last year, which wasn't the easiest economic year on record, you're doing something right.
In fact, Schroeder said, global sales for his firm were up 'even more than domestic sales,' finding that 'the global environment is driving the fax industry.'
Linask then asked a reasonable question: Why not simply scan a document and e-mail it? Why go to the trouble of faxing? Schroeder said yes, you can do that, and actually combine the technology: You can scan a document in, select a phone number, and produce a fax on the other end. No messing around with the fax at your end.
And Schroeder said with IP, fax is much more a part of a unified communications plan. Integration, he said, isn't the problem it used to be.
To listen to the full video interview, click here.
David Sims is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of David’s articles, please visit his columnist page. He also blogs for TMCnet here.
Edited by Amy Tierney