Top 10 Considerations when Evaluating Enterprise Fax-over-IP

Transcription

1 Top 10 Considerations when Evaluating Enterprise Fax-over-IP By Peter Davidson, Davidson Consulting , Abstract Fax over IP (FoIP) is a fast growing technology that provides organizations with a costeffective alternative to traditional fax server implementations. This whitepaper provides the top ten considerations for evaluating FoIP and how to determine the best solutions that fit your organization s overall document delivery strategy. Considerations include virtualization, advanced document processing, application integrations and vendor support, all of which provides you with the lowest total cost of ownership.

2 - 2 - Overview Fax Over Internet Protocol (FoIP) is seeing strong adoption in enterprises today, as it reduces installation and maintenance costs relative to the port costs and fax board costs through server virtualization, by centralizing fax servers, and by enabling organizations to implement a single network that supports voice, data, and fax. As an added benefit, using FoIP can greatly reduce fax transmission costs. While FoIP provides many benefits, organizations realize that when evaluating FoIP solutions, it also comes with many questions. One of the most common is whether all FoIP products work in the same way. This question arises in part due to the different options and functionality each vendor provides. But because not all conventional fax servers operate in the same way, FoIP functionality can vary tremendously between different servers. Most FoIP servers can send and receive faxes and can manage documents directly from desktop applications and . They also typically support Multi Function Peripheral (MFP) integration, desktop faxing, and -to-fax. But differences do exist with enterprise-level servers, many of which are mission-critical to business processes. In fact, Davidson Consulting feels that there are six areas where enterprise-level FoIP fax servers differ: virtualization, advanced document processing, APIs, production fax, total cost-of-ownership, SharePoint support and whether the vendor offers these solutions in both fax servers and hosted fax services.

3 - 3 - Traditional Fax Server PBX Integration vs. IP Fax Server Integration Figure 1. Traditional Fax Server PBX Integration Figure 2. IP Fax Server - IP-PBX Integration * Above illustration provided by Dialogic

4 Can the fax server be virtualized? First, not all FoIP servers can be virtualized, and having a virtualized FoIP server means organizations can reap significant benefits from increased efficiency, reduced hardware costs, data center resource management, energy consumption, streamlined administration, and disaster recovery. When virtualizing a server, no new hardware or extra hardware service agreements should be required. FoIP servers can be installed in a virtual server farm to provide high availability and redundancy. Implementing virtualized soft clients can make it easier to rapidly deploy applications to end-users. In addition, implementing virtual desktop solutions that provide standard configurations and fax client version control can reduce desktop-support-related costs. Power consumption can also be reduced and you may see lower cooling requirements as well. 2. Does FoIP support advanced document processing? To support complex and mission-critical business processes, it is important for enterprises to have the capability to easily search, retrieve and archive document images. It should be possible to redirect faxes when a recipient is out-of-office, deliver faxes to different locations based on the date-and-time, and deliver fax images along with additional extracted data in Comma Separated Variables (CSV) or Extensible Markup Language (XML) format. All information should be stored in a searchable database so that images can be retrieved quickly and easily. In addition, enterprises need to distribute document image processing across a workgroup. The FoIP server should support the capability for multiple users to select from a list of available unprocessed document images, with assurance that no other user can work on the same image. If a document image does not provide all required information, users should be able to easily fax or the document s originator to request the needed input. And enterprises absolutely must be able to eliminate lost document images. Advanced Document Processing & Workflow Common implementations of Advanced Fax Routing include: Redirect faxes when a recipient is out-of-office, Deliver faxes to different locations based on the date-and-time, Deliver the fax image along with additional extracted data in CSV or XML format, and Split a multi-page fax into multiple deliveries.

5 Can the FoIP vendor fax-enable any application? Seamless fax integration with key business applications has allowed corporations to improve workflow, efficiency and employee productivity. Therefore, it s critical to fax-enable virtually any application via an Application Programming Interface (API) that allow your in-house personnel or third-party suppliers to work in any environment they choose. Among the range of APIs that enterprises should consider include a.net API and Web Services sample code, a Java API to enable developers to interface their Java applications to the fax queue service, and a Component Object Model (COM) API that provides an easy interface to the fax queue service from Visual Basic, C/C++ or any other programming or scripting language that supports COM objects. If evaluating FoIP, it s important to ensure the vendor enables customization of applications in a FoIP environment. 4. Does FoIP vendor support production fax capability? Enterprises should also ensure that any FoIP server has complete production fax capabilities, whereby an organization faxes out documents such as purchase orders and invoices in a batch, with each fax having different details. For example, a purchasing department can send out a batch of purchase orders, with each order addressed differently and containing different order specifics. Enterprises should make sure that they can implement production fax from any environment, including Oracle, SAP, Siebel, IBM mainframes, iseries, and Microsoft applications. Users should be able to specify any document type, support dynamic attachments, allow document submission via automatic, batch, and interactive methods, and integrate it all with purchasing process workflows. Organizations will want production fax servers that work day after day, with virtually no human involvement once the application is set up. 5. Does the FoIP server seamlessly integrate with SharePoint? Only a few fax servers can integrate fully with Microsoft SharePoint to extend SharePoint s workflow services with callable actions. Seamless integration with SharePoint provides efficient inbound routing of faxed documents into SharePoint sites, complete with content filtering, metadata tags, and OCR, to facilitate user searches. It means having the capability to route faxes into SharePoint document libraries, creating such documents as purchase orders, sales invoices, and contracts that are easily accessible to the appropriate workers. Having the capability to auto-populate the document library column heading values when routing to SharePoint is important. Integration with SharePoint gives you the tools to eliminate spam and security risks typically associated with enabling SharePoint sites for access. Because, with integration between FoIP

6 - 6 - and SharePoint, no need exists to -enable SharePoint sites and so no need exists to have users risk receiving spam. True SharePoint integration means that business rules can be applied so users can manage fax document flows. SharePoint Integration & Workflow Fax integration with SharePoint enables users to send and receive faxes from SharePoint document libraries, in addition to receiving faxes to document libraries as searchable PDF files, sending faxes from document libraries and automated workflows and configuring fax capabilities of each SharePoint site individually. 6. Does the vendor support failover and disaster recovery by offering both a server and hosted service? Another question enterprises will want to ask when considering FoIP servers is: does the vendor offer both a FoIP server and a hosted service that act identically? Offering both options can be very helpful when companies look to satisfy their early deployment requirements by using a hosted service, and then, once they get their applications up and running, installing FoIP servers, potentially at lower cost. Many organizations might decide to keep a hosted service running in combination with FoIP servers for failover and disaster recovery. In that case, the fax server system would automatically kick over to the fax service if something should happen to the original server or to any of its network components. This kind of always-on capability would prove highly desirable to many IT departments as the backup hosted fax is much less expensive than buying additional fax servers and additional phone lines. For no additional capital investment, businesses can use fax services in the cloud in order to test an application, to meet any sudden peak load requirements, or to kick in automatically when disaster hits. If you decided to use this option, it is crucial to utilize a supplier that offers both a FoIP server and a hosted solution that offer the exact same capabilities, so there is no retraining of any users and no relearning of any aspect of the solution when transitioning from one solution to the other. Many hosted vendors come up short in this area, were there is a lack of functionality and security as most provide typical -to-fax solutions, thus selecting a vendor that offers the same breadth of enterpriselevel, production fax functionality, security and reliability in both solutions is key to a successful FoIP deployment.

7 Does the vendor offer low total cost of ownership? Cost is, without a doubt, one of the biggest factors to consider when implementing new technology. It s key to look at both the short- and long-term costs associated with FoIP and as such, selecting the solution that boasts the lowest total cost of ownership will provide your organization with the best value, specifically: What does the FoIP system cost? What does it cost to manage the system? What do software upgrades and maintenance cost? An organization looking to cut costs through FoIP server virtualization and the elimination of higher-cost, proprietary PBX ports should also consider the cost-saving benefits of automated fax workflows. And it is important that the FoIP server integrates with the directory systems already in use for network management as that is another way that organizations can cut operating costs. More importantly, enterprises will want to know what the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is for a FoIP server, as opposed to a fax service. (Generally speaking, when enterprises fax volume is more than 20,000 pages per month, fax servers are the less expensive option.) But enterprises will want to evaluate the specific costs for each implementation, which includes the cost-per-page, and then make their decision: on-premises servers or hosted service. 8. What kind of support does the vendor offer? Post-sale support is just as, if not more so, important as Pre-Sale support is to the success of your business when moving to a FoIP environment. Vendor support is a critical issue, as organizations dealing with multiple vendors may find that some vendors offer only out-sourced support. A business should be wary of companies that do not offer in-house support. Your company should instead look to a company that provides insightful plans for the FoIP server, including information on existing network capacity that could prove critical when the FoIP server is installed. Too many FoIP installations fail precisely because corporations don t have the proper IP network capacity to begin with. It is important to know that the company can provide the needed level of support and training while the FoIP server is being installed. Also, it is essential that the support capability includes consulting services that can create customized applications in direct response to customer requests. Because FoIP is often a mission-critical technology, support becomes even more crucial than with conventional fax servers. Support is, by far, one of the most important aspects to consider when choosing a FoIP vendor. Direct vendor support is essential, especially with the recent mergers and acquisitions in the industry, whereby many fax vendors and resellers simply have gone out of

8 - 8 - business. In other cases, acquisitions have resulted in customers who utilize technology that is no longer being supported or have forced the vendor or reseller to increases support fees. Overall, it s crucial to select a vendor that looks to develop a long-term relationship with your organization and will support you fully along the way. 9. Should I buy direct or from a reseller? When purchasing a FoIP solution, you have the option to buy through a value added reseller (VAR) or buy direct from the vendor. Which is better for your company? If your company is implementing a large, mission-critical fax initiative, then purchasing a product directly from the vendor ensures you will receive consultative expertise and support throughout the pre- and post-sales cycle. The employees of the vendor will also provide deep knowledge and understanding of their products, your exact needs, and the implementation process. Additionally, implementations that work with sensitive or mission-critical information may require the resources and expertise of your company that need to be managed by employees on an on-going basis. Because of this, a direct-model is best. VAR s, too, provide full service offerings and have expertise in all areas of FoIP implementation. VARs are also typically certified in the products they resell and are required to go through training, but be sure to check that a reseller is certified by the vendor, not all VARs are. Both routes have their advantages and because each company has unique requirements, a vendor who offers a hybrid model (both direct and through channel partners and resellers) may be your best option. Overall, it is critical to find a FoIP vendor or reseller with strong financial backing in addition to one that can support your requirements in the long-term. 10. Does the vendor invest in the future of fax? Lastly, an organization that continually invests in the future of fax technology is extremely critical to the success of your organization. This consideration will cause enterprises to narrow the scope of their searches to only a handful of vendors, as many vendors have abandoned upgrades to their faxrelated products. A vendor that regularly improves and adds to their fax technology gives you access to latest innovations and the tools to help you stay ahead of the competition and drive faster business growth. Moreover, a vendor s commitment to the future of fax technology protects your investments and gives you a successful, long-term business partnership.

9 - 9 - Which vendor provides answers to all the questions? Now that you prepared with a list of key questions when evaluating FoIP, it is important to select the vendor that meets these considerations and that they match your business goals. There are three primary fax vendors in the enterprise market: OpenText, Sagem and Biscom. Open Text, which now owns Rightfax (Captaris), does not offer fax services along with its FoIP servers and primarily sells products through resellers, thus no direct support is offered. Sagemcom, which is the leading FoIP server vendor, doesn t provide seamless integration with Microsoft SharePoint or a hosted fax service, and too, primarily sells through resellers. Biscom is the leading enterprise fax technology vendor and actually meets all the criteria and top considerations when selecting a FoIP solution, including server virtualization, hosted services, seamless application integrations, and a direct-to-buyer sales and support model. Biscom s Answers 1. Virtualization For virtual solutions, the Biscom FAXCOM fax server solution supports virtualizing environments through the Dialogic Brooktrout SR140 software. The SR140 software enables a seamless integration with Cisco, Avaya, Nortel, Quintum, and Dialogic VoIP networks and media gateways. Fax cards are eliminated. The FAXCOM Suite for Windows application can be installed in a virtual server farm in order to provide high availability and redundancy for your fax server solution. Biscom makes it possible to have a default fax server image that can be replicated in minutes. Virtualization software can be configured automatically to relocate the FAXCOM Suite for Windows server from one host to another. Critically, the FAXCOM Server can leverage technologies like VMware vmotion, High Availability (HA) and Fault-Tolerance (FT) to provide the highest level of redundancy. Applications can be deployed rapidly to users by implementing such virtualized clients as Citrix, Microsoft App-V (SoftGrid), and VMware ThinApp. Desktop-support-related costs can be reduced by implementing virtual desktop solutions that provide standard configurations and fax client version control. Virtualized desktops combined with Biscom FAXCOM Suite Group Policy integration enables administrators to control the faxing environment of all users. It is possible to reduce power consumption and lessen cooling requirements by using less servers, automatically spinning down unused disks and minimizing virtual server use during off-peak times. Moreover, Biscom now offers an IP Fax Gateway (based on Dialogic DMG IP gateways) that, when combined with a Brooktrout SR140-based Biscom server, makes it possible to implement virtualized FoIP without the need for a pre-existing VoIP network. Because the SR140 uses the

10 same T.30 protocol that has been thoroughly field-tested and adapted for twenty years, it works with numerous T.30 variants to ensure a high level of reliability and enable new T.38-based fax devices to communicate with legacy T.30-based fax devices. Virtual Fax Solution Virtualizing your fax environment reduces software and hardware costs, increases server utilization, and supports a smaller data center footprint with no reduction in scalability. 2. Document Processing Biscom also provides Advanced Fax Routing and Biscom Workflow modules to assist a company s workflow. Biscom s Advanced Fax Routing module provides an extensive set of features for processing and delivering received faxes. Advanced Fax Routing makes it possible to glean fax details that are known immediately (e.g., date-and-time received, Caller-ID, TSID), extract data from the fax image through Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and barcode recognition, perform a lookup in any network resource (e.g., Lightweight Directory Access Protocol [LDAP] directories, Open Database Connectivity [ODBC] databases) and then format the delivery (e.g., split a multi-page fax for multiple deliveries, deliver fax image as a searchable Portable Document Format (PDF) file, deliver fax details in CSV or XML and rename the file). Where businesses have a workflow already in operation, but want to replace it, Biscom technology makes it easy to mimic the processes already in use. Biscom Workflow is an application for processing document images typically as part of a business workflow where roles are assigned to perform specific functions. In a typical workflow, document images progress from role to role based on information specified in data entry fields. In response to the data entry, Biscom Workflow updates the status of the image and, if specific criteria have been met, transitions the image from role to role. In addition, Biscom Workflow supports Alert roles, where an individual can receive a visible and audible alarm if escalation is required when processing a received fax. Such a role enables a manager to efficiently leverage the live business process information being recorded by the Workflow application. Biscom Workflow supports such document inputs as received faxes, scanned paper documents, and electronic files. Biscom, therefore, can send and receive faxes, as well as move received faxes and other images into workflows, enabling customers to have the capabilities required to complete the workflows.

11 APIs Biscom offers the capability to fax-enable virtually any application by supporting programmers via the broadest range of APIs in the industry:.net API COM API Java API DocFlow Envelope Specification FAXCOM Command Language (FCL) Includes a.net library that can be accessed by any programming language that supports Visual Studio Common Language Runtime. Provides an easy interface to the fax queue service from Visual Basic, C/C++, or any other programming or scripting language that supports COM objects. Enables developers to interface their Java applications to the fax queue service; works with any Java Virtual Machine (JVM) running on any platform. Provides organizations with alternative methods of delivering documents via fax and without the need to modify or recode existing applications. Is a file-drop API, whereby an application locates the file or files to be faxed, as well as the destination details, in a specific directory within the fax queue service. Interfaces directly to the FAXCOM fax servers. 4. Production Fax Biscom introduced its first fax server at the April, 1987 Interface show, where its production fax capabilities were a revelation. Its fax server enabled the merging of outgoing faxes with overlaid images and signatures. Customers and other fax server vendors were thrilled at how this merge capability worked. Since then, Biscom has always led in production fax and has thousands of installations that send out tens of thousands of faxes or more every month through production fax. Biscom invented production fax and remains synonymous with it. Biscom production fax server solutions automate high-volume fax delivery of mission-critical business documents, including account statements, purchase orders, and invoices. Biscom customers have used its production fax server solutions to automate the faxing of reservation confirmations, insurance forms, and financial reports, without having to make any changes to their existing application code and processes. Now, Biscom offers production faxing via its FoIP servers. Biscom offers both production fax server solutions for ERP, Oracle, UNIX, mainframes, and IBM iseries as well as high-level, easy-to-use API Toolkits with which third-party developers can integrate their own custom production fax server solutions with virtually any business application in the world.

12 SharePoint Biscom Enterprise Fax for SharePoint extends SharePoint workflow with fax actions. The software automatically delivers incoming faxes without the need to -enable the SharePoint site. Inbound faxes are routed using information extracted from the fax image itself (e.g., barcode or transmission information associated with the fax, such as Caller-ID or date/time of transmission). Biscom integration with SharePoint enables auto-populating document library column heading values, receiving faxes as searchable PDF files, and sending outbound faxes from document libraries. Data extracted from the fax image and fax transmission information serves as criteria for routing to SharePoint, providing users tremendous flexibility for handling faxes. Biscom also offers support for use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) for the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) gateway and Web client support for Internet Explorer 8 and Google Chrome. This support makes it possible to implement full-text searches of received faxes while maintaining the original image, manage document routing without software programming, copy image files into other applications, and enable IT administrators to determine which specific document libraries allow faxing. Biscom has also partnered with Nintex, a leading provider of software products designed to help organizations do more with SharePoint, to streamline the process of fax-enabling automated Nintex Workflows. The information extracted from received faxes and the transmission information can be used to auto-populate the document library column values and to initiate a SharePoint workflow created with Nintex Workflow To send outgoing faxes from automated workflows, Biscom has developed a Send Fax action that enables designers to automate creation and delivery of faxes from a Nintex workflow. created with Nintex Workflow To send outgoing faxes from automated workflows, Biscom has developed a Send Fax action that enables designers to automate creation and delivery of faxes from a Nintex workflow. 6. Servers and Service Biscom, a long-time successful manufacturer of enterprise fax servers, now offers a hosted service as well. What makes the hosted service so unique is that it offers the exact same features and capabilities as the on-premises fax server. This matching of functionality makes the service the most enterprise-ready fax service available, with the hosted service offering all the mission-critical fax support provided by Biscom fax servers. Biscom is therefore the only vendor in the world that offers a true enterprise-wide fax server and a true enterprise-wide fax service. An organization can use a server system and the hosted service separately, or together. Using an on-premises server in combination with the service enables enterprises to save money on disaster recovery by eliminating

13 the need for extra phone lines or hardware. Because the hosted service is fully redundant, companies can be assured that their fax capability will provide always-on faxing. So now enterprises have a choice as to how to fax-enable their applications: keep them in-house, or outsource them. Biscom s fax service offering is enterprise-ready, unlike many of the competing fax services, such as those from j2 Global (efax) and Protus (MyFax). j2 and Protus simply turn faxes into and send them on an insecure path to their final destination, whereas Biscom protects the by sending it over a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) connection. 7. Total Cost of Ownership Biscom enables enterprises to lower total equipment, maintenance, and operating costs through network consolidation and FoIP virtualization. The company s FoIP server enables organizations to reduce ongoing costs by eliminating fax ports on PBXs. Biscom uses Dialogic fax cards and subassemblies, which, because they reduce the time it takes to send a fax, are regarded as the lowest-cost fax drivers in the business. Biscom s Advanced Fax Routing module offers features for processing and delivering received faxes in a fax workflow. Advanced Fax Routing can cut costs when delivering transactional documents to corporate agents. Biscom also enables the interpretation of application output without modifying it which can cut costs by speeding fax delivery to individuals. FAXCOM also integrates with Microsoft s Active Directory and Novell s Directory Services via LDAP so there is no need to maintain and synchronize a separate fax user list. Because user properties and permissions are administered natively through directory services, money is saved by not having to retrain administrators. Integration with an LDAP-compatible service also enables administrators to specify the automatic cleaning of fax directories once the items they contain are older than a specified date, including successful transmit statuses, failed transmit statuses, and received faxes, thereby lowering costs in another way. Moreover, Biscom works closely with existing customers as they migrate from fax-board based systems to software-based FoIP. And Biscom will give any enterprise a total cost of ownership study that shows what it will cost to use a FoIP server versus a FoIP-hosted service. This study will show the costs for a FoIP server, the annual support and service costs, the yearly cost for PRI connections, and the yearly telco cost versus the service costs: per-page cost, line costs, support costs, and the one-time hosted FAXCOM Suite for Windows application cost. A Biscom cost analysis will also demonstrate that support costs are essentially the same for the hosted service and for a FoIP server, with, in many cases, the same Support Engineer supporting the hosted service as used to support the on-premises server. Typically,

14 organizations will see the breakeven point at around 20,000 pages monthly, meaning sites that have a lower volume are better off with the service, while sites with a higher volume will realize the most savings by implementing their own fax servers. Many enterprises, however, will make a decision on the server/service question not merely on price, but also on whether they want to deal with fax inhouse at all. 8. Support In terms of support, Biscom has one of the best support staffs in the entire fax arena. When enterprises are looking for a company to support their mission-critical FoIP installations, Biscom s experience makes the company the obvious choice. Since Biscom Support Engineers have been supporting enterprise-level mission critical applications from the start, they have proven expertise in this area, as well as every needed resource at the ready. Biscom provides 7x24-hour support to any enterprise that requires it. They also offer pre-sale audits, post-sale training, and ongoing enterprise support. And, since their Support Engineers are also responsible for customer training, organizations calling in for support get to speak with individuals who really understand their needs. In addition, Biscom s Consulting Services can create customized applications in direct response to customer requests. 9. Direct Support It is only from Biscom that enterprises can buy direct and get the assurance that the fax group that originally sold them a FoIP system will still be there when they need assistance. Because other vendors primarily rely on resellers, it is not guaranteed you will continue to receive support in the longrun. In addition, Biscom has been profitable since its inception almost 30 years ago and it has been profitable throughout the recent worldwide economic decline. 10. Investing in the Future of Fax Biscom is one of the few companies that still believes in fax and backs up that belief by investing in new technologies that meet the sophisticated needs of large enterprises. The company was the first to support SharePoint with fax, was on the leading edge of implementing fax server virtualization, and has always been the leader in production fax. Now the company is working on high-definition fax that can move full-color, high-resolution images in a split second.

15 Conclusion When an organization is looking for an enterprise FoIP solution, they questions asked are critical to a successful FoIP implementation. When they provided with answers, it is our confident assumption that they will conclude there is only one vendor who meets all requirements: Biscom. Biscom not only offers FoIP fax servers, it also offers the exact same capabilities in its hosted services, enabling an enterprise to use either on-premises servers, the hosted service, or both simultaneously. Neither Sagemcom nor Open Text offers a hosted service. Moreover, with Biscom, you get seamless integration with SharePoint, integration that Sagemcom, for example, doesn t provide. And you can buy direct from Biscom, as opposed to having to buy Open Text or Sagemcom products and technical support from a reseller. By dealing directly with a fax vendor, an organization can be assured of getting excellent enterprise-level support regardless of economic conditions. In the final analysis, Biscom offers solutions that enterprises can count on. For more information, please visit *Any use case(s) shown and/or described herein represent one or more examples of the various ways, scenarios or environments in which Dialogic products can be used. Such use case(s) are non-limiting and do not represent recommendations of Dialogic as to whether or how to use Dialogic products.