S 2.180 Setting up a fax mail centre

Initiation responsibility: Head of IT Section, IT Security Management

Implementation responsibility: Administrator

To ensure smooth operation of the fax server(s), a fax mail centre must be set up and a person responsible for faxes must be appointed. The fax mail centre is responsible for a number of organisational and technical tasks which depend on how the fax server is used.

The fax mail centre also needs to work closely with those responsible for the other communications services (especially E mail and private branch exchange).

The fax mail centre should be accessible to all users at all times. The procedures covering staff absences must ensure that the fax mail centre is always manned.

Typical tasks of a fax server mail centre are as follows:

• Administration of the fax server application. This includes:

• configuration of new users,

• assignment of access authorisations to users and user groups,

• resetting of passwords,

• checking of communications links

• analysis of any log data generated,

• point of contact for users in case of problems,

• maintenance of central address books and distribution lists,

• carrying out of data backups where these are not the responsibility of the operating system administrator(s),

• Delivery and archiving of faxes,

• Correction of errors in fax delivery,

• Co-ordination between those responsible for private branch exchanges and E mail systems.

Finally, the fax client software on the workstations needs to be supported. This task can be performed either through the fax mail centre or else through the organisational unit which provides support to the workstations.

The tasks should be considered in the context of incoming faxes as these depend on the mode of operation of the fax server.

Manual forwarding of incoming fax transmissions

Where incoming fax transmissions are not automatically delivered to recipients, they must be manually forwarded by the fax mail centre. For example, this could take the form that the fax mail centre prints out copies of incoming faxes, which are then forwarded to recipients in the normal manner. This procedure is not significantly different from that which applies to the use of a conventional fax machine. However, it is possible that incoming fax transmissions are digitally archived on external data media.

Automatic forwarding of incoming fax transmissions

Where incoming fax transmissions are automatically forwarded to recipients (automatic fax routing) it is possible once again for the fax mail centre to print them out for archiving purposes. Here again it is possible for incoming fax transmissions to be digitally archived on external data media.

Where it is not possible to deliver a fax transmission, the fax mail centre must be informed and must rectify the source of the error. If attempts to deliver the fax completely fail, the originator must be informed appropriately. Possible reasons why it is not possible to deliver incoming faxes could include:

• the originator has used the wrong direct dial number;

• the recipient has left the organisation;

• automatic forwarding of incoming fax transmissions is performed on the basis of the originator identifier (CSID) and the originator is not known in the organisation or else there is no corresponding assignment rule.

In all these cases, incoming faxes must be manually forwarded by the fax mail centre. Where all attempts to deliver an incoming fax fail, the originator must be notified.

Additional controls:

• Who is the person responsible for faxes?

• What happens to fax transmissions which cannot be delivered?