Why Do People Still Fax?

Faxing remains widely used across various industries, particularly in healthcare, legal, and financial sectors. The main reason? Security and reliability. Unlike emails that can be easily hacked, faxes are difficult to intercept. Faxing sends documents directly from one machine to another, making it much more secure for sensitive information like medical records, legal contracts, and financial data.

For instance, healthcare providers often use faxing to comply with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) regulations. Many businesses find faxing essential because of its ability to transmit legally binding documents with an added layer of trust.

1. Modern Faxing is Easier Than Ever

If you’re imagining dusty old machines cluttering up office space, it’s time to update that image. Modern faxing has gone digital. Today, online fax services allow you to send and receive faxes through your email or a web platform. You don’t even need a fax machine. These services streamline the process, giving users the flexibility to fax from anywhere—your office, home, or even on the go.

Cloud-based fax services integrate with tools like Google Drive or Dropbox, allowing businesses to send documents digitally while still ensuring the security and legality of fax transmission. No paper jams, no busy signals, just easy document transfer at the click of a button.

2. Faxing is Reliable

Ever had an important email end up in the spam folder or lost in a long chain of messages? Unlike email, faxing provides a receipt confirming that your document was successfully transmitted. This is invaluable when you’re dealing with critical or time-sensitive information. Faxing delivers the peace of mind that your message was received and ensures that your document won’t be missed in someone’s overflowing inbox.

3. Universal Accessibility

Not every organization has made the full leap to digital transformation. Some businesses still rely heavily on faxing. If you need to communicate with these businesses, faxing ensures seamless communication. By offering a way to connect both digitally and traditionally, faxing bridges the gap between old-school and modern technologies.

4. Faxing Meets Compliance Requirements

Many industries are required by law to use fax for compliance reasons. Legal, medical, and financial industries often demand secure, traceable communication methods, and faxing fulfills that need. Even in the age of the cloud, faxing offers compliance guarantees that newer technologies still can’t provide as easily or securely.

Faxing is Here to Stay

While it may seem like a thing of the past, faxing has stood the test of time by evolving into a secure, reliable, and flexible method of communication. In fact, with digital faxing services, it’s now easier to use than ever before. Whether you’re handling sensitive information or simply need a reliable document transfer method, faxing remains a valuable tool.

About Modern Office Methods (MOM)

Modern Office Methods has helped businesses navigate their document challenges for over 60 years. They offer Production Print Solutions, Managed Print Services, Software Solutions and IT Services to help enhance their customers’ business processes while reducing expenses.

For the latest industry trends and technology insights visit MOM’s main Blog page.

What is Technology Planning, and Why Do You Need It?

Technology planning, in a nutshell, is precisely what it sounds like – having a plan for how technology will be used and incorporated into a company’s operating model. It’s about laying out the big picture first and then breaking it down into pieces that have actions and measurable data.

It’s the what, why, who, how, and the how much all wrapped in a bow.

Successful technology plans are revisited often by internal teams and stakeholders and are reviewed and adjusted accordingly. They should outline what is currently being done, how it’s done, and how teams are held accountable. Technology planning will help businesses see what is working vs. what is not working and provide a working space for new solutions and strategies to be put into place.

Technology plans should also involve a budget component that directly syncs the larger company’s financial model.

So, why do businesses need technology planning? Plans provide specific steps to achieve something and make “pie-in-the-sky” ideas grounded in reality. A plan is a tool for success.

What Steps are Required to Build a Technology Plan?

Technology plans for your Westerville business can always start small and expand. They can be created during a business’s infancy (and as part of the larger business plan proposal) or after a business has already started. Among the key steps involved are:

1. Assigning a technology plan owner.

This might be the owner in a small business, but it could be a department head or team leader in a larger firm.

2. Figuring out what a company already has.

Plans can start by simply creating a list. What exists? This list should include physical assets like laptops, printers/copiers/scanners, digital cameras, voice recordings, and technology platforms like online document sharing programs, email accounts, websites, or digital invoicing programs.

3. Figuring out what a company is missing.

What technology is needed for the business to operate? This is where businesses really start fleshing out the details and thinking through applicable scenarios. Using the list created in #2, you can figure out what is missing and what you need to be successful. This list can include things like desktops vs. laptops, Gmail accounts vs. an account with the company’s name, Dropbox vs. Google Drive for files, or selling products directly through the website vs. using a third-party procurement site.

4. Double-check #3 and ensure things align with company goals.

This might include adding more things to the list and scratching some ideas off, which is a good reality check.

5. Determine the technology budget and keep revisiting the list.

At this step, a business is starting to see what is affordable. This allows stakeholders to start discussing what should stay and be put in place now vs. what is needed in the future.

6. Strategy time.

This involves fleshing out the details. How is it going to be done? It’s also an excellent opportunity to discuss guidelines, processes for approvals, what happens if something needs to be replaced, etc.

7. Write the plan.

If a business is still uncertain where to start, there are many resources and online planning templates. It’s ok to use another company´s plan as an example. Having a plan is key, and nobody needs to reinvent the wheel.

Benefits Your Company Will Realize from Technology Planning

Technology planning sets the stage for a business’s success and also helps in the following areas:

• Teamwork and collaboration
• Short term vs. long term goals
• Staying current with technology trends
• Understanding competitors
• Customer service responses
• Customer experience
• Establishing lines of feedback for products and services
• Developing a customer community
• Maximizing employee productivity
• Saving money by being intentional with technology purchases
• Supporting employee technology training

The most significant benefit, though, is that plans give teams and business owners the foundation for making decisions aligned to company goals.

If technology planning sounds like a great idea for your Cincinnati or Columbus business, contact OIT today to learn more.

Old tech can also open you up to vulnerabilities like cyberattacks, lower productivity, and impact the efficiencies of your business processes. In this blog, we’re going to look at several areas of your office where a technology upgrade can make a big difference. If any of the following indicators look familiar, it might be time for an upgrade!

Security

How would you rate your network security? Are your printers protected like your computers are? Do you have a plan in place in case your business falls victim to a breach? As technology rapidly evolves, cyberattacks are becoming more common as hackers become more sophisticated, and their attacks more elaborate.

Automated Workflows / Digital Document Management

Manual record-keeping often leaves files and archives disorganized and can make finding the information you need challenging. As a result, you may lose productivity and spend time searching for the document or data you need to do your job effectively.

IT Spend and Performance

Are you relying on older legacy systems? Are you spending a fortune keeping your systems operational? Does your team have issues collaborating? These types of problems can be costing you big with frequent downtime, increased maintenance, and frequent mistakes.

Print Management

Do you know what you’re spending on print? If not, you’re not alone. Most companies don’t have a clear understanding of their print costs and are often shocked when they learn the truth.

Knowing when to upgrade is never easy. Issues like pricing, what’s best for your business, and any learning curve for your team are all important to consider. So is weighing the advantages against the cost of lost opportunities because of older technology.

Ready to learn more? Take our 60 second Tech Check to rate the health of your technology, and give us a call to discuss your findings! We can help take your business technology to the next level in 2022!

Educause notes that “… digital transformation means transforming an organization’s core business to better meet customer (students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni, etc.) needs by leveraging technology and data.” Educational institutions must also use digital transformation to influence their administration and regulatory compliance efforts to more effectively support the core business of education in a positive manner. 

2 important ways educational entities can improve administration and compliance efforts are by:

1. Effectively managing the large amount of data and information already in the system as well as that which is being created daily.
2. Enabling security processes and features on devices like MFDs and printers that will help education administrators better meet requirements of regulations like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), or the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA). 

In a study done by Canon (Canon Lean Information Management and Governance Study), a high percentage of organizations reported positive/significantly positive business impact in updating of information (73%), regulatory compliance (77%), and security of information (79%) by more effectively managing their information and implementing information governance practices.

Managing information and data starts with digitizing as much of it as possible – especially information that continues to be created or distributed on paper. Using a multifunction device (MFD) or scanner to capture student materials (such as creative work, handwriting or paper-based tests), invoices or parental permission slips allows multiple ways to better manage and secure those types of information. Using optical character recognition (OCR) software and an information management software solution can help extract important details and create rules governing who has access to the information, how it is stored, and how long it is retained. Once digitized, information is much more easily searched for and found when needed.

Security, one of the top five digital transformation trends in education, helps keep students and other data private, again helping administrators meet privacy regulations. Additionally, implementing good information, data, and records security practices can lessen a costly breach that can cripple an institution’s ability to carry out its mission.

Ponemon reported in their “Cost of a Data Breach Report 2019” that the average cost of a data breach in the education sector was $4.8 million, or $142 per record. This total consists of direct and indirect costs including:

• Breach discovery costs
• Remediation costs
• Outsourcing costs to notify affected parties
• Future costs due to loss of business
• Other costs associated with the breach 

Surprisingly, in the same report, almost 30% of organizations expect a data breach in the next two years and only 51% of education sector organizations have implemented security automation.  

Even without security automation using artificial intelligence, machine learning, or automated incident reporting and response, there are many actions an educational sector administrator can take to help mitigate risk and make an institution’s digital transformation more secure. These include:

• Considering the replacement of any MFD, printer, scanner or copier that is more than five years old. Major security features are available in newer models.
• Upgrading to equipment that, at startup, verifies the boot code, OS, and applications running on the device have not been compromised.
• Ensuring new equipment has anti-virus/anti-malware software installed and activated in the device. 
• Updating software and firmware on devices including MFDs and printers, making sure updates are digitally signed from the manufacturer.
• Enforcing authentication on MFDs, printers, laptops and PCs.
• Encrypting files in a digital information system and data going between a computer and any printing device.
• Shredding files that are at the end of their life and not needed any longer. 
• Finally, engaging a professional reseller to help conduct a security audit to identify security gaps and determine solutions to fill those gaps.

Digital transformation is a journey and not a destination. Managing information and data security practices along the way makes the journey safer and more efficient.

Here is what digital transformation means. It is the integration of digital technology into all areas of your business, changing the operating structure of your business, and delivering higher-level, competitive value to your customers. Harnessing digital technology and directing its beneficial effects appropriately and wisely can assist in the following areas. 

1. Improve overall operations.
2. Make your business more competitive.
3. Help you comply with business and government regulations.
4. Secure your business information more effectively…from the office to the home offices.  

Since the 1980s, the mass introduction and subsequent cost reductions of digital technology let businesses embrace the use of the internet, desktop and laptop computers, cell phones and other digital devices to create, capture and digitally store information necessary for business. While the paperless office has not yet fully come into existence, customer records, supplier invoices, legal documents, employee records, business communications and more have been digitized. During the past decade, the world achieved the capability to store virtually all information digitally. Data from the internet of things (IoT) needs capturing, storing and analyzing, adding more reasons for businesses to undergo digital transformation. 

While digital transformation is multifaceted, managing the vast amount of digital information your business now has is a critical starting point. Recently, Canon U.S.A. Inc. released a whitepaper titled “Information Revolution” that provides some guidance on best practices to begin a digital transformation journey. Along with data from the Canon Lean Information Management and Governance Study, the paper applies the concept of “lean thinking” to business information management. 

Valuable insights are gained by properly managing and accessing your digital information. You can find opportunities to better meet customer expectations, automate inefficient workstreams, and identify security gaps to better protect your business data. Yet, according to Canon’s study, 64% of executives reported that their organizations must wait for information and 63% said they get excessive information or over-documentation. In other words, they don’t get the right information at the right time or they get a “data dump” that isn’t valuable to any decision-making actions.

Over the past 30 years, lean thinking has been used to improve manufacturing processes by mapping the flow of materials and how workers interact with those flows to create processes that produce higher quality products faster, more efficiently and at less cost. That same lean thinking can be applied to business information flows and workstreams in the office. 

Mapping the flow of information into and out of your business, and identifying who sends, receives, stores, modifies and acts upon the information is a key step in digital transformation. This locates bottlenecks, stretches of inefficient waiting time, duplication of efforts and areas of security and compliance gaps. You can then redesign and automate workstreams to be more efficient and better meet all critical requirements. By gaining control of the digital information you create and receive in your business you will be able to analyze it, ensure the right information is getting to the right people at the right time and begin to transform your business into a digitally powered business. 

There are a variety of tools, solutions, and services available that enable you to incorporate the lean thinking approach to the capture, management, distribution and security of information flows in your business. These include:

• Multifunctional devices (MFDs) to digitize and intelligently capture information from paper documents. 
• Information management software solutions that can capture information anywhere and any way it enters your business (paper, email, PDF, audio, video, CAD, etc.), automate workflows, store, and implement information governance so you have the right information at the right time.
• Dashboards that give views of workstreams, processes such as accounts receivable or accounts payable and other data to help you run your business more efficiently.
• Cloud solutions for ubiquitous and secure availability of business information.
• Professional services experts to assist in workstream mapping, security and compliance audits, solution implementation and continuous improvement.

Working with the right partner that provides these solutions will help you get started developing a digitally transformed business based on lean information management practices. Feel free to contact the Modern Office Methods and Full Service Networking teams for more information.

They called it Mobilegeddon.