The term “network fax server” is becoming more prevalent. We've put together this FAQ page to clarify what it means, why it matters, and what options it may open up for larger organizations.
Just as its name implies, this is a fax server accessible throughout the enterprise’s network. It can be either on-prem or in the cloud, so long as it's accessible from other devices on the network.
Any industry that faxes moderate to high volumes of business-critical documents is a good candidate. Network fax solutions like RightFax prevail in highly regulated settings like healthcare and finance, although our own clientele includes law firms, hospitals, financial institutions, and public agencies.
The needs (and benefits) are arguably strongest in healthcare. It's historically paper-intensive, with complex privacy requirements that grew enormously under HIPAA. Under the HITECH and Affordable Care Acts, many providers and insurers found that fax server integration changed from a welcome improvement to a virtual necessity.
A network fax server can integrate with any application that can print! In effect, practically all software can fax to some degree. However, mature enterprise solutions like RightFax offer fuller-featured native integrations with dozens of widely used applications. This enables sophisticated inbound and outbound fax capabilities, including deeper integration with workflows and various data storage and retrieval tools. A few of the most notable integrations include:
This is a very abbreviated list that highlights just some of the network fax integrations we see the most frequently. There are also multiple APIs and SDKs for custom integrations with countless other applications. Contact a consultant to learn more about specific integration possibilities for your own IT environment and roadmap.
Local, cloud/hosted, and hybrid each refer to different configurations of a network fax server. RightFax can be configured as any one of those three types.
A local fax server runs on the organization’s own premises and own hardware. Dedicated servers and virtual machines are both widely used, depending on the customer’s IT resources and requirements.
A hosted or cloud fax server is run by an outside party. Enterprise-grade services like RightFax OnDemand allow dedicated and secure access for each customer. The primary advantages include instant scalability, maximal uptime, and low demands on in-house expertise and resources.
A hybrid fax server combines a local server with hosted telecom, or a hosted fax server with in-house telecom. The latter option is growing especially quickly in popularity, and can be advantageous for organizations that want to outsource as much infrastructure as possible while maintaining direct, personal control over their network fax server itself.
Our fully managed Private Fax Cloud® architecture further eases RightFax implementation and adoption. It is designed from the ground up for organizations that need secure, compliant faxing without the overhead of on-premise infrastructure—and with 90% fewer outbound failures compared to a generic FoIP environment.
Reach out today to arrange a free consultation and a live, tailored demo. Our consulting and engineering teams have worked with almost every fax application across industries, and are always happy to share their insights.
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