Fifteen years ago, fax machines were quintessential in sending copies of printed materials over the telephone system. It was quick, easy, and secure. Technology has advanced tremendously since the invention of the fax machine in 1846. The same documents can be sent over the Internet. So why would anyone still keep a bulky fax machine?
The benefit of using a fax machine is that their data transmissions are secure and free from foul play. The sender does not need to worry about confidential data being intercepted by third parties who are hacking into their systems. However, email can provide almost the same level of security. Confidential data can even be encrypted before it is sent.
Another reason is that some people or federal agencies require certain documents to be faxed. But that does not mean a fax machine is necessary. On the market, there are a lot of email-to-fax services (such as hellofax.com). For a low monthly subscription, you can fax documents by sending an email and receive all of your faxes in your email inbox. And if you seldom use fax, there are free options available (such as faxzero.com). They are simple to use and are even cheaper than a fax machine.
Depending on how technologically advanced you are and the amount of data security you need, a fax machine may still be appropriate. If your recipients are able to use encryption software, then sending documents over email is very secure. If you are not too worried about potential data breaches, the security features from email-to-fax services may be enough.
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