The world has moved past the era of floppy disks and dial-up tones. Now, it revolves around apps, encrypted emails, and real-time messaging. So, naturally, you'll peg the humble fax machine as one of the revolutionary tech inventions that are obsolete now. You'd think it would have faded into tech history, but no. This relic of the past is still quietly humming away in offices, hospitals, law firms, and government buildings around the globe. While most of us haven't seen one outside a dusty supply
closet, the fax machine remains oddly relevant.
It turns out that the fax machine has a superpower that modern tech can't easily replicate. While a lot of the new-gen tech promises end-to-end encryption and cloud syncing, the fax machine is less vulnerable to cyberattacks than the internet-based tools that come with unwanted guests such as hackers, data breaches, and ransomware attacks. Fax machines operate over plain old telephone lines and not the Internet, making them less susceptible to cyber threats. They may not win any beauty contests, and their dial tones aren't exactly music to the ears. But when it comes to security and reliability, fax machines still have a few tricks up their sleeves.
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Faxing Its Way Back To Relevancy
While there are ways to send a fax from your iPhone for free, physical fax machines are slow and totally not sleek by today's standards. But in certain sectors, that clunky charm is a strength and not a weakness. Think of it like an analog shield against digital cybercrime. They use a direct line from sender to receiver. It's all very old school, but that's what makes them more secure. This is especially true for sensitive information like contracts or medical records. A hacker would find it much more difficult to intercept a fax than they would to intrude on a vulnerable email server.
There have been several instances of hospitals being hit with ransomware attacks in recent years. But thanks to fax machines, they were able to remain somewhat functional. In 2020, the University Hospital Düsseldorf in Germany suffered a ransomware attack. They had their digital infrastructure penetrated. As such, patient data became inaccessible. In fact, one woman died during the chaos. Backup systems like fax could help prevent situations like this.
These types of situations make it clear why certain industries still rely on older, offline tools. For sectors like finance and healthcare that have strict privacy regulations, fax machines are ideal. Furthermore, they are reliable. A fax machine isn't affected by the internet going down or a server crashing. As long as there's a phone line and power, it's ready to go. So, think again before you get rid of your fax machine.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.
