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Why Faxing Remains Relevant as Office Equipment

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We have email, which is fast and powerful. We have old fashioned snail mail, which remains reliable and tangible. But what about faxing? This venerable office technology is a classic that remains beneficial to businesses for good reason: it’s fast, easy, direct, secure, legal, and tangible. Read on for a few reasons why faxing is still a critical piece of office equipment for many small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs)

The Original Push Notification
There you are, going about your day, when a document appears that needs attention. That’s right, faxes are the original push notification. When a fax is received and a physical document is printed, that document serves as notice and reminder to the recipient—this is an item to be dealt with. Don’t have the time to stop and check your emails all day? Let the faxes come to you.

Dependability
Fax machines communicate through direct connections over a standard telephone line. Internet service down? No problem. Fax machines make it possible to send documents even if the recipient doesn’t have high-speed Internet. Moreover, with faxing you don’t have to worry about file compatibility issues. All that’s needed to access your faxed document is your recipient’s eyes.

Security
Unlike email, there’s a very low risk of interception when sending faxes, which is why they’re ideal for documents that need to stay safe and private. Fax machines cannot be ‘hacked’ like your email server can, and incoming documents are also secure—not vulnerable to the hidden malware and viruses that can come with email attachments.

Legality
While changes are underway regarding the validity of digital forms of signature, signatures on faxed documents have long been accepted as official signatures—as good as the original. Finance, retail, legal, real estate, medical — all of these industries recognize the validity of a faxed signature. Sending signed official documents by fax is still the standard.

Fast, secure, reliable, tangible. With these benefits, no wonder there’s still an important role for fax technology in today’s small and mid-sized businesses. If you’re looking for attention-getting communications that are secure and legally accepted, fax just might be the tool you need. From dedicated fax machines to integrated multi-function devices, contact Infomax Office Systems today to get all the facts about fax office equipment.

Why Leasing Office Technology Might Be Right for You

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When it comes time to replace or upgrade your office equipment, an important decision must be made for your organization: should you lease or buy? For a great number businesses, leasing is the most popular choice when it comes to acquiring office technology. To learn why, let’s take a look at two of the most common types of leases, capital leases and operating leases. Understanding the ins and outs of these leasing options will help prepare you for when it comes to time to make the final decision.

Capital leases
With a capital lease, your organization experiences all of the benefits and downfalls of owning the equipment. Capital leases are typically used in instances where the lessee plans to buy the device at the end of the lease term for a specific amount. Both the interest and principal being paid for the lease go toward the cost of the equipment, and all assets and liabilities for the device are placed on the lessee’s balance sheet. This type of lease is the least common option used, most often when a business wants to purchase a device without paying for it up front.

Operating leases
An operating lease keeps equipment off of the lessee’s balance sheet. The lender owns the equipment and receives the benefits associated with depreciation. This is a good option if you plan to finance equipment for a short period of time, or if you plan to replace the equipment with upgraded technology at the end of the lease period. This is the more popular lease option among businesses.

Leasing brings benefits
The many benefits of leasing office technology make it very difficult to turn down. Here are just some of the benefits that come along with leasing devices:

– Leases are easy to qualify for, making them a great choice for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with limited capital
– Leases can often be secured without a sizable down payment or none at all
– Leasing allows you to move on and upgrade your equipment when you need to, preventing you from owning outdated technology
– Leases come with a low, predictable, monthly cost, one that typically comes with maintenance included as a part of the leasing agreement

Leasing is an extremely popular option among businesses today for these very reasons. It’s likely that one of these benefits will stand out to your organization. For more information on leasing office technology and help deciding whether it’s the right option for your company, contact Infomax Office Systems today.

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Getting the Most Out of SMB Cloud Storage

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As Internet speeds get faster and data storage gets smaller and cheaper, storage in the cloud is opening new doors for small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). However, the number of doors available to your SMB depends on how you utilize this technology. It’s clearly more than a trend, so how can your SMB get the most out of cloud storage?

Understand Your Purpose — Having a clear picture of your goals will help guide your cloud strategy.
●    Sync and Share — If your goal is to connect people, the cloud is the perfect setting. File sharing and collaboration is a common offering, enabling users to add comments and edit a document simultaneously. User access is provided through a web portal or mobile application, with selective syncing for designated files and devices.
●    Backup — Turn to the cloud to protect, retain, and eventually restore your data. Note that in a sync-and-share environment, a user could inadvertently delete important files, so a distinct solution is needed for backup—one that preserves files separately from their everyday usage.
●    Archive — Cloud storage can be a good solution when saving documents for regulatory compliance or historical reference. It can also work as a form of content distribution, for example, a library of images, logos, and other media.

Watch Your Costs — Cloud storage has tremendous scalability and low cost per unit of storage. However, be sure to keep an eye out for hidden costs, such as fees for data transfers, metadata functions, and bandwidth.

Look for Administrative Controls — Make sure you have administrative control and visibility of your cloud storage. Controls may include monitoring usage, setting user permissions, controlling file sharing, transferring files, and even remotely wiping devices. Protecting your data is particularly important during employee turnover or when sharing with external partners.

Be BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)-Friendly — For employees to use cloud storage, it has to be convenient and accessible. Usually this is achieved through apps on personal mobile devices or via the web on a laptop. Look for strong security features paired with maximum flexibility for users.

Cloud storage is an exciting and cost-effective opportunity for businesses to become more agile, improve collaboration, and manage large volumes of data. To get the most out of your cloud storage, know your goals, watch your costs, demand robust administrative controls, and be device-agnostic. For help developing your cloud storage strategy, contact Infomax Office Systems today.