Understanding Online Fax Terms

Fax gateway, overage, fax broadcasting, fax identifier – with any technology comes a new set of terms and phrases that we need to familiarize ourselves with and online fax is no exception. This handy definition resource gives you the basics in understanding what all the online fax terminology means. Once you get to know online fax, you’ll be able to use all its technological capabilities and features to their full potential, making your fax needs a whole lot easier.

Technology Basics

Internet Fax - The method of sending and receiving fax documents over the Internet. Other commonly used terms that mean the same as Internet fax are online fax, email fax, web fax, cloud fax, virtual fax and electronic fax.

Internet Fax Service Provider - A third-party that provides Internet faxing capabilities. Other commonly used terms are online fax service provider, cloud computing provider and online fax server.

Fax Software - A free program typically offered by online fax service providers that is installed on a computer and offers convenient fax functions, including a dashboard for managing Internet faxes, the ability to fax from Microsoft and other applications, and cover page design options.

TIFF - short for Tagged Image File Format, the file format is often used to handle attached documents that accompany an Internet fax. Other commonly used file formats are GIF and JPEG.

PDF - short for Portable Document Format, a file format commonly used by online fax service providers to convert faxes sent from a fax machine so they can be read on your computer or from your email inbox.

Fax Server - An electronic path that converts a digital file of an Internet fax into a printable document so it can be received by a fax machine.

Fax Gateway - An electronic path that coverts a fax sent via a fax machine into a digital file format that can be viewed from a computer or other mobile device.

Roaming - Online faxes can be sent and received from anywhere in the world at anytime.

Fax Services Terms

Virtual Fax Number - Also known as remote fax number, it is the local or toll-free number that you receive from an Internet fax service provider. The number acts as your caller ID for receiving and sending faxes.

Port A Fax Number - A service offered to those switching from a traditional fax machine to Internet fax. You can port (or transfer) your current fax number assigned by your local telephone company to your online fax service so you don’t have to change fax numbers.

Fax Identifier - Also referred to as CSID, it identifies who you are when sending and receiving faxes. When you receive a fax, your CSID appears on the sender’s fax screen and confirmation report. When you send a fax, you CSID or fax identifier is part of the fax header, which also contains the date and number of pages being faxed.

Overage - The number of sent or received fax pages that go over the monthly limit defined in your pricing plan. Most fax service plans charge an extra fee per fax sent or received over the monthly limit.

Email To Fax - An Internet fax service that allows you to send and/or receive faxes through your email account.

Web Interface Faxing - Faxes are sent and received through the web interface provided by your online fax service provider. Users sign into their accounts to access the web interface.

Definitions Of Online Fax Features

Auto Re-Send - The ability of an online fax service to automatically send a fax again if a busy signal is received from a fax machine.

Fax Alerts - A message that lets you know that an Internet fax has been sent to you.

Delivery Confirmation - A message sent to you by your online fax service to let you know whether your fax was successfully delivered to the recipients requested. Delivery confirmations can be sent to your email account, cell phone, or pager.

Real Time Fax Reports - An online fax management feature that lists all your sent and received faxes and their corresponding times.

Fax Broadcasting - Also called a fax blast, this Internet fax feature enables you to transmit the same fax to a large number of individual recipients or groups of people using Internet faxing. When online faxing to multiple recipients, you can use either their fax numbers or email addresses.

Fax Storage - A feature that allows you to store a set amount of faxes for a certain amount of time. Most online fax service providers charge an additional fee for stored faxes over the limit or timeframe defined in your monthly plan.

Schedule Fax Delivery Time - An online fax service feature that enables you to set a particular time for when you want a fax to be sent.

Junk Fax Filtering - Various methods used by Internet fax service providers to filter and block junk faxes and stop spam faxes.

Understanding Online Fax Security Terms

Password Protection - Access to your online fax service account is protected by a unique password to prevent unauthorized users.

SSL - short for Secure Socket Layer, it is the standard protocol for securely sending data over the Internet.

VPN - stands for Virtual Private Network, it uses sections of the Internet and a secure pathway to transfer data.

PGP - short for Pretty Good Privacy, it is the standard protocol when sending encrypted emails.