FAX On The Run

Facsimile or FAX has been the preferred way to transmit and receive business documents that can't wait for mail service. Large companies have fax machines that look more like huge copy machines. They can automatically load, transmit and reassemble documents automatically. Small office users often have a fax machine bundled with a scanner and printer in an "all-in-one" device. But all of these facsimile devices have one thing in common: They tie you to the office.

Well, no more. The next evolution of the fax machine is Internet fax. Imagine being able to both send and receive fax messages on your laptop computer from anywhere you have Internet service. That includes WiFi hotspots, hotels, airports, or roaming with cellular broadband service. That capability is available now at a very reasonable cost.

The beauty of FAX is that it is like a long distance copier. You put a piece of paper in a slot at one location. It comes out of another slot seconds later hundreds or thousands of miles distant. Fax messages can be text, graphics, copies of other documents, or hand scribbled notes on any of these. This is what makes fax more powerful than email or IM. But a combination of fax and email is the most powerful solution of all.

Here's a mobile service designed for personal and business faxing on the go. There is a choice of plans with pricing that starts under $4 a month. You can send and receive faxes from anywhere with an Internet connection. It stores and archives your messages for up to six months. It's priced something like a cellular plan in that you get 50 incoming or outgoing pages per month. After that there is a small overage fee per page. Heavier users can get larger plans with up to 250 pages sent or received per month.

If you've ever had to hang around a hotel front desk waiting for faxes documents from the home office that you need to support your business trip, you know what pain fixed location faxing can be. Much better to be sipping a latte and checking your email when the faxed documents are sent directly to your laptop.

In addition to the convenience and mobility, there is a "green" aspect to Internet-based fax services. You avoid the toner and paper, especially the special thermal coated paper used by some older fax machines. If and when you need a hard copy, you can print them from your computer. If you only need to read and file the documents, then going electronic saves both cost and waste.

Your Cell Phone IS Your Business Phone System

You can go out and invest in a big PBX telephone system, but what sense does that make for an independent professional? If you make your living on the go in sales or consulting work, that phone in your pocket may be all the phone system you really need.

Let's face it. There's not much point in having clients or suppliers call you at the office if you are never there. If they call your mobile number, you'll be sure to get critical calls no matter where you happen to be. You always have the option of letting calls go to voice mail. But at least you don't have to trudge across town to get your messages off the answering machine.

Your cell phone is already a business phone. Adding a few enhancements can make it a business phone system.

One inexpensive and easy to implement service is the Kall8 toll free service package. Why toll free? Toll free numbers, with prefixes like 800, 866, 877 and 888, let people call you long distance at your expense. That's especially important if you deal directly with the public. Some people think twice before they'll make a long distance call because they don't want to get a big bill for the minutes. The bill probably won't amount to much at today's long distance rates, but the reluctance to call is still there. If your sales area covers two or more states that can easily cost you customers.

For just a couple of bucks a month and the per minute cost of the calls, you can have a toll free number that you assign to your cell phone. Your client dials the toll free number with confidence because they know that no matter how long they're on the line, you're picking up the tab. Your cell phone rings and your Caller ID can tell you either the caller's number or that it's your toll free number coming in.

This is a programmable service, so you can log-in with a Web browser wherever you have Internet access and tell the system which phone to ring for incoming toll free calls. If you are going to be in your office, change the setup to ring that phone instead of your cell. Or not. You also get voice mail that you can program to pick up after a certain number of rings. Or not.

Kall8 makes your phone a conference phone. You can hold conference with up to 25 participants. Participants dial you toll free number to join the conference.

Now here's something that road warriors will really appreciate. Your toll free number is also a FAX number. When someone sends you a fax, you get an email with an image of the FAX message attached. Check your email at a coffee shop or hotel room and you'll get your FAX messages on your laptop computer. You'll also get email notifications of any calls that were picked up by voice mail. You can listen to them on your computer without using cell minutes.

Your toll free service also works in reverse as a calling card. Just call the number you use to check your voice mail messages and you can make outgoing long distance calls at the same low rate.

All this for a couple of bucks a month and the cost of calls? Many toll free numbers are instantly available so you can get set up with this service in a matter of minutes. Learn more and get your toll free business number now.

Take Your Office PC With You

Road warriors and telecommuters have their trusty notebook computers ready to do business. But what happens when you discover, to your horror, that the files you need are still back on the office desktop PC and nowhere else? Do you live without or get in the car and make that long drive back. Oh, you've just flown to the opposite coast? I guess it's live without. Or is it?

What if you could have your desktop PC delivered anywhere you happen to be at a moment's notice? Wouldn't that completely eliminate the anxiety of whether you've loaded the right files and all of them? It sure would. In fact, you wouldn't need duplicates of all your files. You wouldn't need the applications either. Just your trusty road machine and an application that magically turns any computer into your office computer.

That application is GoToMyPC and you can try it free. GoToMyPC falls into category of remote access software or KVM application. KVM, which stands for Keyboard Video Mouse, is widely used in data centers to operate multiple computers from one central location. You select the computer you want to operate and your keyboard, video and mouse are actually running that machine just as if they were directly connected to it. Basic KVM adapters use switches and wires to make these connections. An IP based KVM application can run on the corporate LAN or over the Internet.

GoToMyPC gives you access to your computer over the Internet from wherever you happen to be. All you need is the software and a broadband connection. You register, download and install the GoToMyPC client on the host computer. That's usually your office machine, although it can be any PC you choose. Have several PCs you need to access? Set them all up. It only takes a few minutes each.

Access the desired host computer over the Internet using any other PC and a Web Browser at GoToMyPC. A self-launching plug-in will give you access to your host PC. Your screen will look just the way it would if you were sitting in front of the host. Your keyboard and mouse operate the host from wherever you happen to be. You can't tell if the computer is in the next room or across the country. That's the beauty of remote access.

Go ahead. Check your email, access files, run applications, print documents. You ARE operating your host computer. Oh, but is it secure? GoToMyPC uses AES encryption using 128-bit keys and dual passwords. You have the option to use one-time passwords for the maximum in security.

How do you buy this service? You pay month to month or buy an annual plan to save 25%. That includes unlimited access, ability to move the host software from machine to machine as needed, and all service and software upgrades. Tech support is also included. There are special packages for IT people who need to administer multiple users, and for corporate-wide use.

But before you shell out anything, you really need to give this a try and see what it can do for you. Get a Free Trial of GoToMyPC plus 10% Off!