Old Technology Compounds Vulnerability
One of the reasons IT consulting companies in West Palm Beach are so interested in advising clients to go the cloud fax route is because it is a much more secure system. You may not realize this, but approximately 17 to 100 billion pages are faxed annually. Still. In 2017. With the Internet, smartphones, and everything else that is available. These commonly take several minutes per fax and are notorious for being insecure. Weaknesses of traditional fax solutions include:
- Stored data in an insecure location
- Lack of built-in encryption protocols
- Unauthorized personnel retrieving sent documents--- "shoulder surfing"
- Eavesdropping fax hackers
Basically, when a fax is sent over the airwaves, the data is stored on the machine's hardware until another fax overwrites it. This means an enterprising hacker could sneak into the system and steal the information. This is made additionally simple because most fax machines have no encryption protocols or the ones they've got are so outdated that experienced hackers can easily get around them. Then there's "shoulder surfing," which happens when someone cruising through a given office grabs a fax before it reaches its intended party. The machine just prints them out, and oftentimes, such machines aren't securely attended. Lastly, faxes are essentially utilizing certain voice tones like a phone call for transmission, making it easy for skilled hackers to eavesdrop.
Advantages of Cloud Faxing
IT consulting firms in West Palm Beach today makes it possible to upgrade faxing protocols such that they exist on the cloud. Enterprise-class solutions facilitated through cloud networks store data in secure locations and delete it as necessary. There are even options for automated data deletion or retention as per a given client's needs. Additionally, protocols of the encrypted variety are at their peak. Usually, they are continuously updated, as continuous updates are the prerogative of IT companies providing services.
When it comes to cloud-based faxes, the data is usually sent via .PDF to a smartphone, computer, or other Internet-enabled devices. Basically, the physical paper is scanned in and sent to the intended user. At that point, the intended recipient can either print off the paper or store it digitally. In most cases, the latter will happen, meaning there is a decreased environmental footprint from cloud-based fax solutions.
Finally, there is no eavesdropping with cloud fax solutions--- at least, it takes much more effort and access privileges to do so. You'd almost have to have some kind of IT person gone bad within an IT agency's cloud support team. It's much more complex to intercept encrypted communications on a cloud computing network designed with the understanding that data will be sought by compromising hackers. When you compare that to a little old machine that may have been built in the 1980s, it's easy to see why cloud fax solutions have such a high quotient of dependability.
Your Cloud Fax Fix
IT consulting in West Palm Beach through Nexxen Technologies is a time saver that can help secure fax solutions while additionally saving resources and even assets. There are automated settings you can use, and while the human element can't be entirely curtailed, it can be diminished enough that you conserve many hours annually. Contact us for reliable cloud fax fixes.