Paperless Productivity Blog by FaxCompare

HIPAA Compliance and Business Associate Agreements

December 2, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

image via Creative Commons For some businesses faxing on a regular basis, security and regulations play a role in determining which provider to use. That’s especially true for medical fields, which must comply with the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). While several several online fax service providers provide HIPAA-compliant services, only some enter into what’s called a Business Associate Agreement. So what does your business need to know about Business Associate Agreements if you’re looking for a HIPAA-compliant service? What a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement Does A Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is a contract between a HIPAA covered entity – any organization or business that handles personal health information – and a business associate, which means any organization or person providing services to the HIPAA entity. The BAA ensures that the business associate (for instance, a fax provider) is accountable for protecting the personal health…

How Do MetroFax and RingCentral Compare?

November 24, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

RingCentral and MetroFax consistently rank as two of the most popular Internet fax services. Both are affordable, offer solid support, and include good features. Here’s a closer look at how the two compare on value, features and ease of use as well as our bottom line on the comparison. Value MetroFax and RingCentral both offer tiered plans. RingCentral’s most cost effective plan includes 500 send or receive pages for $9.99 per month (or $95.88/ year if paid annually). MetroFax’s “Essential” plan includes 500 pages for $7.95/ month (or $79.50/ year if paid annually). Both also offer a 1,000-page plan, but MetroFax is only $12.95/ month (or $129.50 annually) while RingCentral’s plan is $17.99/ month ( or $155.88 annually). They both also offer 2,500 page plans, but MetroFax offers a much better price of $34.95/ month ($349.50 annually) versus and RingCentral’s $59.99 ($599.88 annually). RingCentral also offers a corporate plan for $49.99 per month…

How To Scan Without A Scanner

November 14, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

A dedicated scanner is an important tool for many offices, no matter what the size of the company. But it doesn’t have to be your go-to machine for scanning documents. There are a few ways to use your smartphone as a scanner, which we’ll take a look at here. Using Your Phone’s Camera Smartphone cameras are more advanced than ever, making it easy to snap a decent picture of a document, receipt, or business card. To use your phone’s camera to scan, you would simply take a photo and either save or share it in cloud storage, or send it in an email. It’s worth noting that this method probably works best for smaller items like receipts and business cards. It would be harder to clearly capture a document that’s heavy in text with a smartphone camera, and any variation in lighting will make it even more difficult to…

A Guide To E-Signatures

October 24, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

E –signatures are big business, and for good reason: they make going totally paperless possible. But understanding how it works and when it’s OK to use an e-signature can be confusing. Here, we’ve put together a guide to e-signatures and what you need to know to get started using one. When Are They Considered Valid, And When Should You Not Use One? Thanks to the federal government’s ESIGN Act of 2000, e-signatures are legally valid and carry the same legal weight as handwritten signatures. That means that for some court documents, business contracts or agreements, e-signing is a legitimate way to add your signature. There are a few specific situations, however, in which electronic versions of documents or contracts are not considered valid. Wills, documents relating to family law like adoption or divorce, eviction notices, court orders, foreclosure notices, situations where a notary is required, and product recalls are all…

Sending Documents By Fax Versus Email: Which Is Better?

September 8, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

In today’s digitally-driven business world, many people ask, “why fax at all ?” If online fax services give an email address the ability to send and receive faxes, why not just send an email? It’s a reasonable question. While it may seem that there’s little difference between sending a document via online fax versus sending it as an email attachment, there are some specific nuances that do make the two methods very different. And for some industries, those differences mean sending documents via fax – online or traditional – is still the preferred choice. Medical Security Online faxing and traditional faxing are both key to medical fields because they offer a way to send and receive patient information that’s compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability ACT (HIPAA). While email isn’t strictly prohibited under the HIPAA Security Rule as a means to send electronic patient health information, it’s much…

Online Fax Service Providers With Cloud File Sharing Integration

August 27, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

Cloud file sharing services make it easy to store and share documents from any location, with the assurance that they’re backed up securely. Many online fax companies are starting to integrate their services with cloud file sharing services, either through smartphone apps, plugins, or directly from a web interface, making it even easier to send and receive documents. Here, we take a look at some of the online fax services that offer a way to fax documents from cloud file sharing services. MetroFax – You can’t use MetroFax’s web interface to send documents from cloud file sharing services, but you can fax documents from services like DropBox by using MetroFax’s smartphone app in conjunction with those services’ apps. MetroFax offers three packages: Essential, Value, and Professional, and all three include iOS and Android apps. MetroFax’s smartphone apps also allow you to take a picture of your document and send the…

Top Online Fax Services With eSigning

August 21, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

If you run a small to medium-sized business, you may be on the hunt for an online fax service that doesn’t cost a lot. While it’s easy to find plenty of plans and services that offer low rates, it’s a little harder to find one that also includes good features. The ability to electronically sign (eSign) a document in particular is one feature that can add value to a plan. eSigning with an online fax allows you to respond more quickly and saves you the hassle of having to print, sign and scan a document that simply needs your signature. Here, we take a look at plans with low monthly costs that also let users eSign faxes. eFax – Plus Plan eFax’s Plus plan includes 150 inbound and 150 outbound pages at $16.95 per month. While all of eFax’s the services are both feature rich and reliable, that’s significantly pricier…

Top Online Fax Providers With Smartphone Apps

August 21, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

The advent of online fax services meant no more being tethered to a fax machine. Then smartphones came along, and furthered the mobility aspect of online faxing. Smartphone faxing apps turn your device into a fax machine on the go, allowing you to create, send, receive and manage faxes. Here, we take a look at the fax providers that offer apps for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry devices. MetroFax: All three of the plans MetroFax offers include apps for iPhone and Android. Its Essential plan includes 500 total pages for $7.95 per month, the Value plan includes 1,000 total pages for $12.95 per month, and the Professional plan includes 2,500 total pages for $35.95 per month. All three plans come with a 30-day trial. MetroFax’s plans are a great deal, and are among the most competitively priced out there. MetroFax has won praise for its very intuitive iOS and Android apps….

Top Large Volume Online Fax Services with HIPAA Compliance

August 5, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

When you’re choosing the right online fax service for your company, it helps to narrow things down by looking at services based on your specific needs. Fortunately, there are plenty of services out there that offer a range of features. Here, we take a look at large volume fax plans that offer Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance. While encryption and security are often included in online fax plans, HIPAA regulations adhere to a specific set of guidelines. The following services offer both large volume plans, and comply with HIPAA regulations. SRFax is a user friendly, HIPAA compliant fax service that will also sign Business Associate Agreements on request. They offer several different pricing plans, the largest of which is the Business 2500 plan that includes 2,500 sent and received fax pages for $39.95 per month or $329.40 per year (effectively $27.45 per month). SRFax also has a Business 1500…

How Do SmartFax and SRFax Compare?

July 29, 2014/in Online Fax /by KateH

SmartFax and SRFax are both known for their value. Both offer low priced plans and good, basic service. For a closer look at how the two compare side-by-side, we took a more in-depth look at what they each offer: Value: Both offer good prices, although SRFax offers more options, with a Lite plan, Ultra Lite plan, and three different business plans (from small to large). Its Lite plan is $9.95 per month to send and receive up to 500 pages, or roughly two cents per page. That comes in lower than many services. Its overage rate of six cents per page is also lower than the typical overage rates of 10 cents per page. SRFax also offers a 60-day free trial period. SmartFax keeps it simple, with only one plan for $6.95 per month to send and receive up to 250 combined pages. Its overage rates are also very low,…

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