Westat Leverages the Cloud for Secure Document Delivery with ETHERFAX
Founded in 1963, Westat is a contract research firm that helps to improve healthcare, education, social policy, information systems, and transportation through data collection, clinical trials, and statistical analysis. With a high volume of surveys, questionnaires and evaluation forms being sent and received daily, Westat needed a secure and dependable document delivery solution.
Westat works in various areas of the healthcare industry from behavioral and mental health, to environmental and occupational health, to epidemiology and public health. Westat collects data to analyze health outcomes, disease characteristics, and environmental challenges, thus fax communications are a critical component of its business. When collecting data from small clinics around the world, Westat found fax to be the most accessible method of document exchange as many clinics in foreign countries do not have access to computers or a reliable Internet connection.
Westat found that fax was also preferred over email when collecting educational research for STEM programs, education reform and special education services. The majority of schools and special education organizations trust fax communications due to the security and confirmation of delivery it provides.
Challenge
Before implementing ETHERFAX, Westat utilized RightFax Connect from OpenText and experienced frequent downtime, failed transmissions and dropped faxes. These transport problems wasted time and money. Westat attempted to fix these issues through support calls to OpenText, however, the issues were not adequately resolved. Westat also experienced denied faxes due to maintenance interruptions and unplanned service repairs.
“Our telecommunications department spent countless hours trying to pinpoint where the faulty connections where coming from,” Mark Friedman, Senior Systems Analyst at Westat said. “We were never notified when maintenance or service repairs would occur. If our provider had announced updates and repairs beforehand, we could have prepared accordingly. Instead, our workflow was interrupted.”
Westat was looking for a reliable fax solution and trusted ETHERFAX to get the job done.
Solution
Westat implemented ETHERFAX in December 2015. With the integration of ETHERFAX, Westat transitioned from antiquated FoIP and VoIP technology to cloud technology via HTTP/S.
In addition to fast and secure document delivery, ETHERFAX provides Westat with superior customer service, delivery confirmations, the speedy porting of existing fax numbers and Disaster Recovery (DR). ETHERFAX DR is built for business continuity and works to ensure Westat never experiences downtime.
“Failure rates, if any, are extremely low with ETHERFAX,” Mark Friedman, Senior Systems Analyst at Westat said. “ETHERFAX’s customer service, reliability and responsiveness have exceeded our expectations.”
Results
Since January 2016, Westat has successfully transmitted thousands of faxes via the ETHERFAX Secure Exchange Network (SEN). ETHERFAX Disaster Recovery eliminated IT complexity and downtime, which helped Westat to perform more efficiently and cost effectively. With ETHERFAX’s vast array of virtual ports that are always available to send and receive faxes, Westat never experiences a busy signal.
“ETHERFAX has streamlined operations,” Mark Friedman, Senior Systems Analyst at Westat said. “From the purchasing department, to the billing department, to telecommunications – we are all very happy.”
ETHERFAX’s customer service, reliability and responsiveness have exceeded our expectations.
Mark Friedman
Senior Systems Analyst, Westat
ETHERFAX has streamlined operations. From the purchasing department, to the billing department, to telecommunications – we are all very happy.
Mark Friedman
Senior Systems Analyst, Westat
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From optimizing communication within a healthcare network to streamlining document exchange in a corporate environment or enhancing compliance with regulatory standards, ETHERFAX offers a versatile solution that can address diverse business needs and deliver tangible benefits. View our case studies to learn how.