Home office technology

Answer this question first: When was the last time someone asked for your fax number? As the technology continues to advance, newer and better options exist for receiving "fax" information. First, if someone wants to fax to you, you can use:

- A fee-based Internet-based fax service.

- An inexpensive, used fax machine at an auction or office resale store.

- A fax service through your Internet Service Provider to receive faxes to your email address (not all offer this service).

- A scanner to scan and then email outbound documents.

- A friend's fax machine.

Whether to maintain a fax machine (including the machine and the phone line to serve it) comes down to knowing your business - and your future needs.