What is fax?
Fax is a method of encoding data and transmitting it over a regular telephone line so that it can be received in the form of hard copy. A fax machine scans an image (text, photograph, drawing, etc.) by reading one small area of the image at a time. Then the fax machine transmits that image to a remote facsimile receiver via telephone lines. There are currently over 50 million fax machines in use today and they have revolutionized everyday communications around the world.

What is a fax server?
A network fax server is a special form of computer-based faxing. These systems consist of software running on dedicated computers that connect to an organization’s local area network (LAN). They have special circuit boards (intelligent fax boards) that connect with the telephone network to handle very high volumes of inbound and outbound fax calls. The fax server allows all of the members of the organization to send and receive faxes at their personal workstations, multi-function peripheral devices (MFPs) or even traditional fax machines.

Why is fax such a big issue today - don’t we have email now?
Despite the proliferation of email, fax is still the communication medium of choice for millions of organizations worldwide. Fax messages provide a fast, reliable, secure and inexpensive way to transmit documents from place to place. Fax communication protocols have long been standardized, so every fax machine can talk to every other fax machine. Unlike email, faxes are also recognized as valid legal documents. Some other advantages of faxing include:

* Viruses - faxes can’t infect the receiving fax machine or carry damaging programs
* Security - faxes are transmitted directly to the recipient and cannot be read or copied in transit
* Reliability - guaranteed point-to-point communication over phone lines

While email has become a valuable tool for business, fax remains the best way to transmit documents quickly, reliably and legally. In the wake of the September 11th attacks, many companies are turning to fax as a backup system for both email and regular postal service.

How do network fax servers improve efficiency?
A network fax server lets users send and receive faxes directly from their workstations. Not only is this functionality a step towards the paperless office, it also allows a tremendous amount of workflow automation. Since all fax handling is electronic, faxes can be routed to the appropriate people, read, modified and faxed back with appended documents or any other printable files. Faxes can be sent to shared folders so that multiple users can read a single transmission. Accounting systems can automatically fax invoices to customers while maintaining an audit trail for every fax transaction.

How Does Biscom Help?
Biscom is the pioneer and long time leader in fax server and fax software technology. Our FAXCOM fax servers are the only fax management option for organizations seeking a full-service, enterprise-wide solution. Biscom supports a wide range of fax solutions - desktop PC fax, production fax, email to fax, workflow applications, automated custom fax applications - through the open architecture of our FAXCOM fax server.

We are also well known for our hands-on, customer-focused approach. Our specialists will gladly discuss your organization’s communications needs with you. We can help you identify specific operations where a FAXCOM solution could provide greater security, safety, and/or savings.

Need more answers about faxing and fax servers? Contact us!