Archive for April, 2010

What Is A Virtual Online Fax Machine?

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

Recently, in one of the online business forums someone mentioned they were now using a virtual online fax machine instead of the old office fax machine. This brought a puzzled comment from one newcomer asking what exactly they meant by this?

This scenario brings home the point that the Internet or Online faxing is still a relatively new concept to many people. Which is understandable because not everyone has embraced the web or even computers for that matter. So some explanation may be needed to throw some light on this different way of faxing.

First, everyone probably realizes we are not talking about an actual physical fax machine but a virtual faxing system which replaces the old traditional office fax machine. In this case, your virtual fax machine is simply your online fax provider which lets you send and receive all your faxes via your email systems as attachments, mostly as a Tiff or Pdf file.

Online fax is a form of “cloud computing” where all your faxing is outsourced to a fax provider who acts as an intermediary to handle all your faxes.

Once you sign-up to one of these online fax providers you’re given an online account where you can log in to do all your faxing. Your faxes are also stored online here in your account. But there are numerous ways to send your faxes, you can send them directly through your email system or some providers have a desktop application which you download and place on your desktop to send and receive your faxes.

Online faxing has become extremely popular for many reasons, chief among these reasons being online fax is totally portable - you can fax from anywhere as long as you have Internet access. Plus, web or email faxing is cheaper, easier and much more convenient than the traditional way of faxing. In addition, you don’t have to install an extra fax phone line, there are no messy inks or toners and no more missed faxes because of busy signals.

Perhaps, one of their major selling points, especially for businesses, using an online fax services means you can send or receive your faxes 24/7, 365 days of the year. If your company depends upon faxing to bring in sales or to stay in contact with clients; one can easily see why having your business accessible around the clock may prove very beneficial.

Signing up to a fax provider can be done in minutes and most offer Free Trials so you can test-run their services without charge. If you decide to keep your fax service, your monthly fees will run around $7-$10 a month but this will depend upon your level of faxing and the fax plan you choose. There are cheaper pricing out there so it pays to shop around and get the service which perfectly matches your needs. Most of these providers are completely scalable for businesses so if you require a special corporate plan or service, you should be able to get it without any trouble.

So there is really nothing to stop anyone or any business from having their own virtual online fax machine. There may be a small learning curve, especially if you’re new to computers or the web, but before long you will be wondering how on earth did you survive without online faxing.



For more information on Internet Fax Services use this handy online Comparison Guide to get your own: online fax Or if you want more detailed information on Internet Faxing try here: internet fax services. Titus Hoskins Copyright. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

Send Fax Online - Just How Is It Done?

Monday, April 12th, 2010

For those who are used to the old fax machine in the office, sending a fax online may seem somewhat puzzling. Just how is it done? What equipment do you need? More importantly, why should I or my company switch over to online faxing?

All these questions are frequently asked by those considering this new way of faxing. Perhaps the best way to answer these questions is to fully explain what Internet fax is and how it is done.

First, you must realize online faxing is simply bringing all your faxing chores into the modern business workplace, one that is directly wired to computers and the Internet. Online fax is simply using your e-mail system and your web connection to send and receive all your faxes. It is as simple and as easy as sending an email.

We won’t bore you with all the technical details of exactly how it works, but we will give you the basics of how you go about setting up an online fax account or number. In order to use online faxing, you have to first sign-up to an online fax service provider who will give you your own Toll-free or Local fax number. Some companies will let you “port” your current fax number into their system, but you should check with the company first to see if they do this and how much it will cost you?

Once you have signed up to a fax provider, they will usually give you an online fax account or interface, where you can logon and send/receive all your faxes. Or many services have a desktop application you can download to your desktop and use this to send/receive your faxes. Still another way is to use your current Windows Outlook Express, as many providers have this as another way to send your faxes. Your faxes are sent as email attachments, usually as a Tiff or Pdf file, although there are many other different formats you can use, so check with your service provider first to see which ones.

What you have to understand, online faxing is a form of “cloud computing” where your faxing services are outsourced to a third-party. They act as your intermediary to handle all your faxes. There are some great advantages to doing this: you don’t need an extra fax phone line and you don’t need an actual fax machine. Plus, set-up is free and very immediate, within minutes you can have your own fax number. For a company or business just starting up your costs will be very minimum. And these fax services are completely scalable for businesses; so you can easily increase or decrease your number of fax numbers without the expense of buying extra hardware (fax machines and fax phone lines).

Another great benefit of using online fax - it is much more cheaper than using a fax machine. On average your monthly charges will run around $10, but there are cheaper services out there, so it pays to shop around. Also remember, since everything is done online, you don’t have the cost of an extra fax phone line, nor do you have the cost of buying a fax machine. In addition, since it is paperless faxing, you obviously don’t have the costs of papers, inks, toners or fax machine maintenance… all these expenses do add up over time.

There are many good quality Internet fax service providers and since this is usually a long term business expense, you should shop around and find the service that perfectly matches your needs. Thankfully, many of these major providers have 30 Day Free Trials so you can check out a service before you buy.

If your faxing is very minimum, then you can get a service for as little as $20 a month. If your company or business relies heavily upon faxing to bring in sales or for contacting clients, keep in mind, most of these services are completely scalable for businesses, so you can set up special arrangements with many of these providers to suit your own company’s faxing needs.

One last word, the reasons why online faxing have become so popular is mainly because it is easy to do, completely mobile, more convenient and much more cheaper than the regular fax machine. Moreover, it brings all your faxing into the modern world and the modern work environment. In no time at all, if anyone should ask you: Send fax online, how is that done? You will know the answer.



For more information on Internet Fax Services use this handy online Comparison Guide to: online fax Or if you want more detailed information on Internet Faxing try here: internet fax services. Titus Hoskins Copyright. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.