Virtualization is the future of enterprise fax technology, and Google Cloud Platform™ (GCP) is often the public cloud provider of choice. Our clients consistently find that RightFax virtualization on Google:
- Cuts costs
- Streamlines administration and scaling
- Enables more modern telephony
- Bolsters security and disaster recovery
...all while preserving the granular control of their on-prem implementations.In this brief article, we'll address some common questions about migrating production RightFax environments to the Google cloud.
Does RightFax support GCP?
Yes. OpenText
explicitly supports VMware vSphere®, which is available through the Google Cloud VMware Engine. Note that OpenText does not officially support generic Google Cloud VMs.
Is RightFax GCP deployment difficult?
It is not fundamentally difficult to deploy RightFax on GCP. Over the years, OpenText and Google have both updated their software to make the process simpler and more reliable. However, there's a myriad of client-specific nuances—like around telephony and security, not to mention workflow integrations. It's generally best to work with a RightFax consultant who can translate those nuances into proper RightFax configuration.
What are the steps to deploy RightFax on Google Cloud?
At a very high level, you'll need to do the following:
- Verify the fax-friendliness of your SIP trunk provider (if applicable)
- Provision Google Cloud VMware Engine running vSphere 4.0 or later to host the RightFax server software
- Provision a GCP instance of SQL Server
- Configure a site-to-site VPN
- Deploy a virtual fax gateway on GCP
Detailed steps are beyond the scope of this article. They'll vary based on your current version (if any) of RightFax, application integrations, and other attributes that your consultant will assess.
What are the risks of GCP RightFax virtualization?
There are no unique risks to choosing Google Clouc for RightFax virtualization. It fully supports a successful and resilient RightFax environment. As with any cloud migration effort, good project planning is the most powerful factor in risk mitigation. For example:
- Do all stakeholders understand the time and effort involved?
- Are SMEs readily available for security implementation, third-party integrations, and the like?
- Has the compliance team already approved all new software and services (and signed BAAs where necessary)?
- Who will verify completion, and by what criteria?
- Is there clear ownership, whether internal or via a managed services partner?
- How will ROI be calculated? What are the baseline (pre-migration) faxing costs?
It's worth elaborating on ROI, which is both the most critical
and the most complicated metric attached to RightFax virtualization.
The ROI of RightFax on GCP
After migrating RightFax to Google services, ROI usually comes in three forms:
- Labor savings, since most server management becomes the cloud vendor's responsibility.
- Transmission savings, as IP fax telephony is generally much cheaper per document (and not subject to the drastic rate increases or deprecation of, e.g., copper lines).
- Operational savings thanks to increased uptime, centralized access, mobile fax capabilities, greater automation, and ultimately timelier information.
As you'd rightly expect, the status quo varies wildly from one environment to the next, and so does ROI. In some cases—think high-volume paper faxing with standalone, analog machines—we've seen payback periods measured in
weeks. For more a typical starting point, such as functional but dated on-prem fax architecture, savings may start to accrue around the one-year mark.
Next steps for GCP RightFax implementation
We eat, sleep, and breathe RightFax. That's been the case for well over two decades. In that time, we've learned a thing or two about how to make RightFax virtualization work. Not just during testing, not just across the go-live finish line, but for years on end. It goes deeper than knowing the right switches to flip. It's the result of having seen (and often fixed!) every RightFax setting, Google VMware options, telephony glitch, and workflow hiccup under the Sun. In other words,
smoothly moving RightFax to GCP takes a slightly odd confluence of expertise. Naturally, most orgs don't have that in house. We do.
If your RightFax–GCP endeavor would benefit from some been-there-done-that outside help, then reach out today.