Despite some of the bad press surrounding smart phones and their distractive features, it has become an essential accessory to any businessperson's toolbox. In today's day and age, small business owners and entrepreneurs profit from the mobility that such devices offer. But one aspect of business that they have not been able to escape is the massive amounts of paper that continue to require their attention, and they usually have to collect this from an office or have a courier move it from one location to the next.



Back in the mid-1980's, the fax machine became a popular solution. It reduced the need for high-cost courier services and eliminated some of the opportunity costs associated with time-sensitive documentation. The problem with the traditional fax machine today is that it needs to be hard-wired to an office. So, unless you or someone working for you sits next to this machine, you will never know that an important document has finally arrived for your review and execution.

Online fax services have recently stepped up their game to the point where they can provide tangible results. While larger corporations are starting to use online fax services (or similar services), the true beneficiaries are small businesses and entrepreneurs. With high speed internet being the norm and low-cost hardware, online fax services can transmit huge amounts of files for a low cost, resulting in low subscription rates for users. Low as in $10 - $40 US per month.

Initially, it might seem that online fax services aren't such a big deal. After all, at $120 per year, you could buy over small fax machines (not including the monthly fee for the dedicated fax phone line). When you factor other fixed costs, the $10 per month seems rather cheap, especially when full documents get forwarded to your e-mail address, including your smart phone and handheld device. In other words, you can receives faxes anywhere you can connect to the internet.

As for sending, you can fax out virtually any type of document, including JPG and those created in MS Word (there are 158 different file types that the industry's best providers can accommodate).

In essence, since the end user can operate from anywhere, there is less need for high-cost expenses like rent and reception. And since both sent and received files are imaged, their digital format can replace indirect costs such as on-site and off-site filing. And this trend is not specific to small businesses and entrepreneurs; most large now corporations incorporate document scanning technologies and digital storage.

The most impressive service we reviewed was offered through myFax, whose lowest cost of $10 offered plenty of freebies. This entry level package allows 200 incoming and 100 outgoing faxes as well as a free toll-free or local fax number at no extra charge. They do not force you to sign a contract, so if their service doesn't work for you, you can bail without charge. Their priciest plan, at $40/month, simply allows for more incoming and outgoing faxes. All plans allow faxes to be saved for one full year as well as limitless access to their easily navigated website -- this is important when you are unable to access your inbox through your handheld or PC.

Since most small business owners and entrepreneurs value flexibility, the fax machine of the 80's has always been one of the last obstacles to true mobility. Through mFax, you can experience the pure meaning of mobility and start enjoying the savings immediately.