We all know that the world has gone digital and everything can be done online now – from angling to zoology. However, faxing is still alive and well today for a variety of reasons, not least of which is insitutional habit and inertia.

Are fax machines still relevant in 2022?

Faxing is being pushed out by ubiquitous internet access to email from telephones, laptops, and smartphones. But here are a few reasons people are still using faxing technology instead of going fully digital.

  1. Faxing technology and protocols are secure against malicious attack.
  2. It is a HIPAA-compliant means to share Protected Health Information.
  3. Paper records and forms persist in many physicians’ offices, clinics and healthcare facilities.
  4. Despite the growing use of Electronic Health Records, the healthcare industry still suffers from incompatibility and lack of interoperability. Faxing medical records is a low common denominator.
  5. Regulatory guideline compliance.
  6. It is a cheap and simple backup platform to when the internet occasionally goes down.
  7. Legal discovery significantly relies on a paper trail.
  8. Japanese, Chinese, and Korean characters are often handwritten.
  9. It’s an easy way to send signatures.

In this section

Texas: The last fax was sent to the lawyer

Houstonian Online reports that the Judicial Court of Texas has decided: From now on, courts and lawyers will mail rulings or other confidential legal documents to each other. [...] done...

Get Rid of the Clinic Fax

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In medicine, fax machines are still vital technology

In a world where everything from your TV to wristwatch has an internet connection, the fax machine has become largely obsolete. But the healthcare industry still relies on this outdated...

"Turn off our fax machines? That would be very bad"

German newspaper "Süddeutsche Zeitung" investigates why fax machines are still in use in 43 percent of companies.  Zalando, a German multi national E-commerce company based in Berlin, for example, has a fax...

Digital Health: Scalpel, swab, and ... fax machine?

A study carried out by YouGov, commissioned by the ICT provider Avaya, investigated the extent to which digital communication solutions are used in German clinics. It found that: 50 percent...

Tokyo Authorities Are Finally Phasing Out Floppy Disks

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed just how antiquated and lacking the country’s bureaucratic services were. Up until May last year, healthcare centers were still using fax machines to report daily COVID-19 cases to...

Report: "Insights on the Online Fax Global Market to 2027"

The global online fax market was valued at USD 3.1 billion (!) in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 8.3 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 13% from 2020 to 2027, says a report by a leading market research outfit.

Post on reddit /r/sysadmin: Fax - Why?

Interesting responses to the "Fax - Why" question by multiple contributors on reddit: User HeadacheCentral says: The legal profession has a massive reluctance to move away from printed documents. HeadacheCentral...

Reasons Why Fax Machines Are Still Relevant In 2021

In summary: - You can send messages to incomplete addresses- Messages don’t get lost- It’s remained surprisingly modern- It provides confirmation pages- Due to the bandwagon effect, almost every business...

German parliament to stop using fax machines

... the fax machine can no longer stay on the scene at the Bundestag from the start of the next legislative period, the chamber's Council of Elders decided... But: Left...

Why People Still Fax – Benefits of Fax

In summary: Faxing Is Fast and Easy Security Electronic Signature Source: https://www.wales247.co.uk/why-people-still-fax-benefits-of-fax

Japanese Hospitals File COVID cases by fax

From the article: Hospitals are legally required to send handwritten Covid-19 documents by fax to health centres And: ... data shows virtually every office and one in three households in...

Fax is growing in popularity

March 10, 2019 - Faxing remains alive and well, especially in Japan and Germany — and in major sectors of the U.S. economy, such as health care and financial services....