In Episode 2 of OK. Got It., our Service Engineer, Amrit Wanasundera, sits down with our Messaging Evangelist, Marcus Ionker, to answer one of the biggest questions in enterprise communication today: How can organizations future-proof their fax, email, and SMS workflows without disrupting the processes they already rely on?
Read down below for the key insights on ways to modernize fax, unify messaging channels, or get more value from their existing systems.
How do organizations future-proof their messaging services?
Future-proof messaging starts with a simple but important shift: digitizing what you already use. Many industries, from healthcare and finance to insurance and government, will continue to rely on fax so eliminating it isn’t realistic. Instead, Marcus explains that modern cloud fax turns an analog process into a fully digital workflow.
By moving fax into the cloud, organizations unlock searchability, metadata extraction, document routing, and automation. With tools like OCR (Optical Character Recognition), barcode recognition, and IDP (Intelligent Document Processing), inbound faxes can go straight from reception into ERP or core applications, turning slow, manual steps into efficient digital workflows.
What is the biggest change that makes fax more usable today?
According to Marcus, the single biggest change is the move from paper-based fax devices to digital cloud fax. Traditional multifunction printers and fax machines create bottlenecks because of paper handling, manual sorting, storage issues, and no integration options.
Cloud fax removes that friction. Once faxes become digital files, organizations can apply OCR, classify documents automatically, and connect them to downstream systems for processing. It’s the foundation that allows older communication methods to behave like modern digital channels.
Should organizations combine fax, email, and SMS into hybrid environments?
Absolutely. Marcus emphasizes that the future of messaging isn’t about choosing between fax, email, SMS, or EDI, it’s about using the right combination.
That allows organizations to communicate with partners who still rely on fax, while simultaneously engaging end users via SMS or delivering documents securely through portal-based email. It also makes it easy to transition partners from fax to secure email as their digital maturity grows, if they so choose.
A hybrid environment ensures that your messaging keeps pace with evolving business needs, without forcing anyone into a channel that doesn’t work for them.
What technologies will shape the next generation of messaging?
Looking forward, Marcus highlights that more organizations will shift certain workflows toward secure email, SMS, and its more recent successor RCS. AI automation will play a major role as well, helping classify documents, trigger workflows, and streamline multi-channel communication.
The real path to future-proof messaging is combining modern channels with traditional ones, while layering in automation and digital enhancements to maximize value.
What can customers do to get the most out of messaging today?
To get the most from modern messaging, organizations should focus on integration.
Marcus recommends direct API connectivity for both inbound and outbound traffic, enabling messaging to flow automatically between backend systems and your fax solution.
Users can also take advantage of Retarus’ templating capabilities, which allow them to dynamically generate full faxes or emails based on variables in a pre-approved corporate template. This improves consistency, reduces manual work, and supports large-scale communication workflows.
- Use REST APIs to send and receive messages directly from your systems
- Leverage dynamic templates for consistent, automated document generation
- Integrate via SAP or Salesforce connectors to jumpstart implementation
- Automate inbound routing using OCR, metadata, and AI
These options help organizations eliminate repetitive steps and increase efficiency across their messaging stack.
How do SAP integrations fit into a future-proof strategy?
Marcus clarifies that both traditional methods (like RFC and BC-SMTP) and the new Retarus Cloud Fax Connector for SAP are fully efficient ways to integrate Retarus into SAP environments. The right method simply depends on whether you’re running an on-prem NetWeaver setup or operating in SAP S/4HANA Cloud with SAP BTP.
No matter which path you choose, all messages ultimately flow through the same Retarus Messaging Cloud, ensuring consistent delivery performance and reliability.
Final Thoughts
Future-proofing your messaging workflows isn’t about replacing fax or abandoning established channels. It’s about digitizing them, integrating them, and adding automation where it creates value.
By embracing cloud fax, hybrid messaging, API connectivity, and AI-enhanced workflows, organizations can build communication systems that are reliable today, and ready for whatever comes next
“OK. Got It.“ is Retarus’ first podcast series. Get the low down on all things cloud communications and technology related happening right now, directly from the experts who work with them every day. Learn more about complex cloud messaging, e-invoicing, industry trends and more. Subscribe with us or over at Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
