For those of us who know how fax technology evolved and reached a stage where it completely transformed communications, we know fax played a key role in the growth we have seen in the last 50 years. No fax, no cross border trade, no communications, no way to make things faster, better speedier and so on. Over the years though, the fax industry has definitely changed. In some areas it has seen a decline from being the de-facto communication platform with the outside world while being overridden by email and in other areas by the proliferation of changing business needs where internet-driven collaboration technologies have created a huge gap.

What's Happening to Fax Server Technology?
Fax server technology is very alive and driving business in the places where it needs to. In terms of industries, Fax is heavily being used in healthcare, banking, finance and multiple other industries where it is continuing to be a proven and reliable method of communication. Fax overall is considered to be much secure than email, and has a component of instant transmission, reliability and stability than email. The current state of fax server technologies is in one way the same as it always has been. Fax continues to be an integral part of some industries where it may take over 20 to 30 years to be phased out. From our experience in the market for over 30 years, we have definitely seen the market shift and transform from being very small to being very big. Over the last decade with newer technologies such as email being available, some industries have taken a different route to communications than fax, while some have stayed the course due to their heavy reliability on fax to maintain compliance. Moreover the investment in enterprise-level fax technologies by larger enterprises is still bringing in ROI multiple times to justify a change to something new. Fax is still strong, transforming, but stable. We are seeing this everyday working with our existing customer base and new customers.

What About Cloud Fax?
Good point. Everything is moving towards the cloud and so is fax. Cloud is fast becoming a technology that is showing a high rate of adoption. Cloud-driven solutions are becoming faster, better, and are offering a much higher ROI and bang for the buck. Fax in the cloud is perhaps at least a decade old and with some of the existing players in the market has shown a tremendous amount of growth. As an alternate technology for industries that need a Faxing solution in place and for industries that still depend on Fax as one or as the main medium of communication, the cloud is a brilliant play. Low investment costs and high ROI are primary drivers for anyone moving to the cloud. One thing that needs to be kept in perspective is the application of cloud fax and the industries it serves. This plays a huge role in the overall success of the solution. Private, public, or hybrid cloud options are key in helping the customer decide the direction they want to take. We recently helped one of our large healthcare customers move to a private cloud fax server solution that offers all the security and reliability they need from the solution. Moreover they were also able to benefit from the interconnectivity to a secure privately hosted content management platform, essentially creating a solid link of communication and collaboration within their organization. The value for the customer in this case was to eliminate IT maintenance costs, get a better ROI, and essentially adopt the latest cloud technology with a higher quality of service. Essentially get more in less.

Endnote
Fax remains a key component of communications in many industries. Today Solgenia works with over 3500 organizations worldwide and helps them address not only their fax challenges but also their business needs on the cloud. Ask us about how we transform businesses through technology or tell us how you see technology transforming your business. Feel free to share your comments or feedback.

This blog first appeared on Solgenia at www.solgenia.com