Despite moderate advances in cybersecurity, data breaches have still risen over the past few years. 2016 had an increase of 40% in reported data breaches, and many major companies, including Equifax, Gmail, Yahoo! and Blue Cross Blue Shield experienced breaches of their own.
It’s no wonder that security continues to be one of the top concerns for businesses year after year. This concern even extends to the enterprise fax industry. Although faxing has proven to be more secure than email, businesses who fax should still focus on keeping their fax servers secure.
Update Your Fax Software
As software ages, fewer patches and updates are available. After awhile, companies cease to release software updates at all. Although your fax software will continue to function, you are leaving yourself open to breaches in security. When a software version has been out for awhile, it gives hackers plenty of time to figure out how to get around certain security measures.
The best way to prevent this is to upgrade your fax software to the latest version. This not only upgrades the security on your fax server, you will also continue to receive valuable software updates, too.
Invest in New Modules
There are security-driven modules that you can get for your fax software. The RightFax Encryption Module, for example, is a simple add-on that takes fax images stored in your RightFax Image Directory and encrypts the data, adding an extra layer of protection for fax images and content. This helps keep your data secure and allows you to comply with regulations such as PCI-DSS and HIPAA. It also prevents any unauthorized viewing of fax images in the RightFax Image Directory structure.
Account for Human Errors
One of the most common causes of security breaches stems from human error. No matter how secure your fax server and software are, carelessness can lead to breaches in security and compliance. When setting users and admins for your fax server, make sure that you instruct them to:
- Set secure passwords and change them frequently
- Double-check fax recipients and include cover sheets on all outbound faxes
- Only access fax software on secure networks and devices
- Delete faxed documents downloaded to devices once they are finished reading them
- Review faxing best practices every so often
When fax security is your number one priority, you can greatly reduce the chances of data breaches occurring while maintaining compliance with industry regulations.