The  ability to send documents and information electronically, instead of by courier or mail, has resulted in dramatic improvements in business efficiency as well as cost reduction. And though the fax machine has become an indispensable business tool in a little more than a decade, this single-purpose machine may soon face the same fate as the pony express. Why? Not only do fax machines harbor a hidden price tag (paper, labor, desk space, toner, service calls add up quickly); the versatile PC now makes it cheaper to do business using Web services. Many companies offer better prices for customers who order through their possible to manage all electronic communications-including fax, e-mail, and document transmission-from a single central place, saving your business time and money.   
To fax a document created on your PC requires you to print it out and walk it to the fax machine. Why not let your PC work for you? With a PC network running Microsoft® Small Business Server you can send, receive, and manage incoming and outgoing faxes from your desktop. Just enter the recipients name from your electronic address book and hit "Send" - BackOffice Small Business Server automatically generates a cover sheet and sends the fax. Once complete, a transmission receipt is e-mailed to the sender. Furthermore, faxes can be "broadcasted" to large distribution lists easily, and can be scheduled to transmit when the phone rates are lowest.

More efficient and more secure than traditional fax machines, this solution also provides the necessary tools for network e-mail, not to mention file and printer sharing and Internet access.

Additionally, Microsoft Office on a BackOffice Small Business Server network is compatible with the millions of traditional fax machines worldwide.

You might set up Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel documents on a central location on your network and allow your employees to send these documents as "Fax-Backs" to answer frequently asked questions about your products or services, and offer additional company information.

Using Microsoft Outlook and related tools messaging and collaboration client, the recipients phone number can be stored, recalled and dialed automatically. It is also easy to mix different types of recipients within the same message--some addressees can be sent a fax while others receive the document through e-mail as an attached file.

Combining Microsoft® Small Business Server with Microsoft Office makes it easy for you to efficiently address your outgoing communications, whether they are phone calls, letters, faxes, or e-mail. More important, because they make e-mail a more powerful form of communication, Word and Outlook will reduce postage, long-distance telephone, and overnight courier costs.