Is Fax Using Email Secure?
Fax using email can be a fast and convenient way to manage your fax communications, but security depends on how your email is set up. Learn about the security gaps in email and how to set up GoFax for secure email-to-fax sending and fax-to-email receiving.
Fax Using Email
Fax using email can be a fast and convenient way to manage your fax communications. A common question we get from new customers looking to start sending or receiving fax by email is how secure it is compared to using a secure online portal.
Fax using your email can be very secure, but it takes more than finding a fax service and authorising your email address as an allowed sender or receiver.
Security Gaps Associated with Email
Email on its own is not necessarily the best method for sharing important or sensitive documents. Emails do not travel directly from one inbox to another. Most emails pass through several networks and servers before reaching the intended recipient, which creates opportunities for hackers to target unsecured networks or vulnerable servers.
Emails generally aren't encrypted, so hackers who gain access to emails can easily read attachments and confidential data. Some servers may also store emails that are decades old, including emails that may have been deleted.
These are just a few of the security gaps that show why email security must be considered before using email as the primary method of secure communication for your organisation.
How Can I Set Up My Email for Secure Faxing?
GoFax offers two options to help you maintain a high level of security when using email as your primary method for fax communications.
Transport Layer Security (TLS) Encryption
TLS encryption is active by default for all GoFax accounts. It simply needs to be enabled on your mail exchange or mail relay server. As long as TLS is configured on your outbound and/or inbound email server, both systems will communicate using TLS encryption.
If a TLS connection fails, the sending server will attempt to deliver the email via standard, unencrypted channels. To make sure TLS encryption is always used, review your mail exchange server's documentation on setting up a dedicated TLS connector to GoFax. The domain to use with any connector is: smtp-lb.gofax.com.au
Secure Email Certificate (SSL) Encryption
Secure email certificate (secure sockets layer/SSL) encryption can be set up for both email-to-fax sending and fax-to-email receiving. To activate SSL encryption on your account, contact our support team and they will help you with the setup.
Additional Security Features for Fax Using Email
GoFax provides additional security features for email that can be activated through your account.
Auto-Delete Faxes
This feature ensures the content of faxes sent or received is never stored on our fax servers. Otherwise, data is automatically stored on our servers for 90 days. Learn how to activate auto-delete for your email.
Data Sovereignty
This feature enables data sovereign routes, ensuring data does not leave or get stored outside the country of origin. To set this up, send an email from your Authorised Account Holder email address to support@gofax.com.au. Learn more about data sovereignty.
Contact GoFax for Secure Fax Using Email
GoFax provides easy-to-follow documentation to help keep your fax communications by email secure. Our Australian based sales and support team can also work with you to implement a solution for your organisation. If you have any questions, please contact our team.
