Do you Still Need a Fax Machine?

Although universally despised by most office goers, the fax machine and its contemporaries, are far from obsolescence. But why? In an era of self-driving cars and digital assistants, fax machines continue largely for a few reasons:

1. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) has necessitated the transference of mountains of paperwork between doctors, labs, and insurers in order to be “secure”. Although much of the regulations remain mysterious and poorly understood, most healthcare practitioners have interpreted this to mean – “use faxes over email.”

Lee Kim, Director of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, says, “a document which is being sent via fax is difficult to intercept if sent over an analog telephone line, as this requires special equipment. On the other hand, and unencrypted email may be easier to intercept in transit by eavesdropping on the network.”

2. Lawyers: in defense of faxes. Several attorneys also provide justification for the fax machine. Attorney A. Paul Genato of Princeton, New Jersey-based Archer and Griener, P.C., says, “I usually send letters out via regular mail and fax. I still use a fax machine because I don’t have everyone’s email address. Directories will generally list phone and fax numbers, but not email addresses. With fax, I also get confirmation that the letter was sent and received, whereas, with email, the person may choose not to send a read-receipt when they open the message. Also, some court rules accept fax signatures in lieu of original signatures and have not been updated to include signature copies sent via email.”

2. I’m a fax fan. So, there is a segment of the population that actually likes fax machines… who knew? According to author and publisher Mike Arman, “If you can dial a phone and press one button, you can send a fax.” That’s a far cry from the more convoluted method of printing, signing, scanning, and then emailing a document to someone as an attachment. Overall, says Arman, faxing is often simpler, faster, and – those infamous paper jams notwithstanding – less prone to technical problems. “Your computer doesn’t have to be on to send or receive a fax; faxes can arrive at 3 A.M. (and frequently do) and you’ll have them in the morning. Also, many places (domestic and overseas) may not have reliable power or internet service, but you can almost always find a working phone line.”

4. So, what’s the alternative? E-fax. There are several faxing options available today “SmartFax runs about $7 a month for 250 total inbound or outbound pages. MyFax gives you 100 outgoing and 200 incoming faxes for $10 per month. At eFax, 150 incoming and 150 outgoing faxes run about $17 monthly, plus a $10 setup fee. (All of these services include a dedicated inbound fax number.) If you’re sending or receiving only a couple of faxes a month, it probably makes more sense to use your local copy shop.” – PC World

We at Telx Telecom are now offering promotional pricing for our new eFax service: $20 for 300 faxes. Our plan guarantees a better deal than what some of the more established brands have been offering.