On 1/4/07, Blake Richardson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Happy New Year Listserv.  I was made aware today that my employer has
> recently disposed of three fax machines.  After the disposal occurred,
> the question was asked whether information could be accessed from the
> old machines, e.g. do fax machines cache any information on a
> short/long-term basis that could be accessed after disposal.  I know
> there are variables to this questions and some "depends on" such as the
> manner in which it is destroyed.


Like you said Blake... it depends.

The machines (the high end ones, at least) have the ability to utilize PINs
and other "secure" functions, and they also have the ability to turn on/off
the storage of images and to be purged manually.  The less expensive
machines tend to have much less support for these features.

Almost all of the machines sold in the recent past (3-4 years) essentially
"Image" the pages being faxed and then transmit them after they are
stored... you will frequently see an image number appear on the display,
such as "183" which would indicate 182 prior images are stored and available
to be recalled.  If for some reason your fax isn't received, you can then go
back into the machine and re-send 183 without having to image it again.

Great feature, IF you need it... and I think if you're a "spam faxer" or a
retailer who sends the same fax to a bazillion customers (or even HALF a
bazillion!) it may be of value, but for almost everyone else, it's a
nuisance.

In classified operations areas, machines with this type of functionality are
disallowed... even if  it is possible to disable the feature, simply because
it is also possible to re-enable it.  At times, it's been difficult to find
copy machines, fax machines, and scanners that have the high end
capabilities necessary but DON'T include the memory functions.

Larry
-- 
Larry Medina
Danville, CA
RIM Professional since 1972

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