December 15, 2022  |   

Sending a fax online can be a faster way to conduct your business and even save money on the costs of a fax machine and other supplies. However, many people wonder if using an online fax service is a secure way to transmit data. Learn everything you need to know about digital fax security before you select a third-party provider for your digital faxing needs.

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Will My Info Be Secure If I Send a Fax Online?

The first thing you need to know about sending a fax via email is that your data will be secure. Digital fax services are secured through private channels that are secured by standard internet protocols through specific digital channels. In other words, your data will be completely protected because the channels used to send your fax will be encrypted.

The same is true for when you receive a fax. When a digital fax is sent, the data is stored locally on your devices, such as your computer, tablet, laptop, or smartphone. Your digital fax provider will not be able to view your data, so you can be confident about the security of your sensitive documents, such as legal documents, hospital records, business contracts, and billing information.

Is a Digital Fax More Secure Than Email?

In many cases, sending a digital fax is more secure than sending an email. This is because the end-to-end encryption used by digital fax services will ensure your data is protected from prying eyes as well as malicious software. Comparatively, email is slightly more vulnerable to hacking and other nefarious activity unless you are using an encrypted email channel.

This is particularly true when it comes to storing your data. When you use email, the data in your inbox can be viewed by hackers or infected by malware. Using a digital fax service, on the other hand, will protect your data from cyber-attacks. This means your fax is invulnerable to hacking, which can be important if you need to fax sensitive data.

Is Digital Fax Secure Enough to Maintain Security Compliance?

Yes, using a digital fax service is secure enough to meet the regulatory demands of data privacy compliance laws. In particular, HIPAA compliance laws are some of the most stringent to keep up with, since patient privacy, insurance information, and other healthcare statistics must be secure. This is a large part of why hospitals and other medical facilities will prefer to transmit sensitive healthcare data via fax rather than email.

How Can You Assess the Security of Your Fax Service?

There are a few ways you can assess the overall security of your digital fax provider. For example, you can visit the company's privacy policy to learn about whether the service provides encryption or whether the service complies with privacy laws. You can also contact the customer service department for your prospective digital fax service to ask specific questions about how your data is protected when you send a digital fax.

Using a digital fax service can be a smart alternative if you don't own a fax machine or you are looking for a more secure way to send sensitive information. Most third-party virtual fax services are designed with end-to-end encryption that will keep your data secure when you send and receive fax transmissions. Furthermore, unlike ordinary email, the encryption used to send a digital fax will also keep your data safe from malware or other cyber-attacks.

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