eFax is a digital platform for sending and receiving faxes digitally via email, mobile app, and a secure online portal. It uses the global IP network instead of the traditional telephone lines to send faxes.
In this definition...
From analog fax to internet fax
Despite the progress ushered in by new communication technologies, the fax machine remains popular to businesses and industries such as government, healthcare, finance, and manufacturing. Every year, businesses send 17 billion fax documents using the 43 million analog fax machines in operation across the globe.
However, traditional faxes are also responsible for high rates of corporate data breaches. Hackers only need to use the number of a fax machine to breach a network, exploiting the flaw in the ITU T.30 fax protocol and then remotely taking over the fax machine. A switch to internet fax, which uses an internet protocol (IP), would minimize data breaches and allow a company to save on costs associated with cyberattacks that could negatively affect its reputation.
How eFax works
With eFax, users can send and receive faxes through various channels, including email, secure online portal, mobile device, and desktop app.
Faxes can be signed, edited, and organized electronically, saving on paper, ink, and other costs associated with analog fax machines.
Three ways to use eFax:
- By email: Compose emails, attach up to 10 files, and click send to the recipient’s fax number followed by @efaxsend.com.
- Via desktop or mobile app: Create or login to an eFax account, select Send Faxes, enter the recipient’s address, write down any message, attach up to 10 files, and click the send button.
- Secure online portal: Log in to eFax account and click Send Faxes. Type the recipient’s information in the popup window, and then the message. Users may attach files before selecting the destination country, putting in the fax number, and clicking send.
What are eFax’s key features and benefits?
The following are some key features of eFax:
- Electronic signature. Users can sign electronic documents by swiping their fingers on the mobile device’s screen or drag-and-dropping saved signatures onto the document.
- Mobility. Since eFax is a free mobile app, users can sign, send, and receive documents from any mobile device on the go. The app is also available for desktops and has solid integration with Microsoft Office.
- Online file sharing. With eFax’s integration with Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, and other cloud storage services, it is easier and quicker to attach files, even large ones like high-resolution photos and videos, to the virtual fax.
- Online storage and secure private data. A secure site hosts encrypted inbound fax for download, so the user doesn’t have to receive it just via email. Documents that contain sensitive information remain confidential. Plus, its lifetime, online storage is secure and accessible anywhere.
- Toll-free fax numbers. eFax provides toll-free fax numbers, so a business can reach beyond its local area and have a national presence. Users can fax documents using an analog machine, and eFax receives the files virtually.
Alternatives to eFax
- HelloFax
- Nextiva
- Fax Zero
- mFax
- RingCentral
- CocoFax
- XM Fax
