Perhaps, one of the most asked questions about Internet or
online fax is this: how secure is online faxing? Is using
your computer and your Internet connection a safe way to
send and receive your sensitive faxes?
Actually, if you fully investigate the matter, online faxing
is much more secure than regular faxing from the old traditional
fax machine in the office. There are many reasons why this is so,
but the main one has to do with encryption. You can encrypt your
faxes so that only you and the receiver can view them. No one else
will see your sensitive faxes.
Many Internet Fax Providers use SSL and PGP encryption.
Most, if not all email service providers are compliant
with such privacy regulations as Gramm-Leach-Bliley & HIPAA
in the United States and PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection
and Electronic Documents Act) in Canada.
Compared to the old traditional fax machine in the office
where many prying eyes can view your faxes, online faxing
is much more secure. Furthermore, you can securely store your
faxes in your online account, although it is probably a good
business practice to delete any sensitive faxes once you have
read them if you want to keep them totally secret.
Keep in mind, most computer systems (no matter how secure)
may be cracked by any determined individuals who wish to do
us harm. So like any sensitive files you have on your computer,
it is probably wise to store your faxes securely by using an
encryption program or by using other means to make them u
navailable to the surfing public.
If security is of a great concern to you, always check out
any Internet Fax Service Provider before you sign up to discover
what encryption measures they take to protect your privacy.
Make sure any fax service you obtain does meet any privacy
issues that you may have. Since your chosen fax service will
act as an intermediary on your behalf to handle all your faxing,
do you due diligence and thoroughly check out any company
before signing on the dotted line. Make sure there hasn't
been any major privacy/security issues with past customers
or users.
Again, since we are talking about using your computer and
sending your faxes in emails as attachments, you must make
sure both aspects or components are secure. Fortunately,
computers are becoming much more secure and there are numerous
programs you can use to encrypt your data. Likewise, email also
has become more secure as web users have become cautious about
using email for sending sensitive information and have taken
steps to address this problem.
With a good high quality online fax service, the security
of your faxes should not be a major concern. Just take some
simple steps to ensure your faxes are quickly deleted and/or
stored in encrypted form, both on your computer and in your
online fax account. Always remember, an ounce of prevention
is worth a pound of cure, just make sure your faxes are handled
securely from the get-go and you shouldn't have any problems.
...
For more information on Internet Fax Services use this
handy online Comparison Guide to learn more about:
online faxing
Or if you want more detailed information on Internet Faxing
try here:
internet fax services.
Titus Hoskins Copyright © 2009. This article may be freely
distributed if this resource box stays attached.
