The challenge
"Pitagora spa", a company part of "Centrale dei Bilanci" group, based in Cosenza (Italy) and involved in the business information market, as part of its own business services sends relevant data to its customers through fax devices. Due to the volumes of data daily sent, the use of a multichannel fax server become essential.
The involved fax-cards needed to supply the above mentioned service, are specialized ones. Specific hardware and software platforms are also needed. Few pros and too cons: high purchase costs, high maintenance costs, low level of reliability of service, too few flexibility on the client side.
The solution
Along 2007, Pitagora decided to implement a solution based on low cost PCI-cards (possibly compatible with most of the hardware platforms available on the market).
The "MS Windows 2003 Integrated Fax Management service" has been chosen has software platform and several tests have been conducted in collaboration with "Information Systems" (an IT company based in Cosenza) and "Microsoft Italy".
The tests showed the "USR 56K* OEM controller PCI faxmodem" (cod. USR802972A) as being the card fully suiting Pitagora's needs and having all the desired features, above all: being "controller-based"; given this feature the MS Win2003 fax server is able to manage and control several fax-cards together on the same machine.
The benefits
Coupling the "USR-56K-PCI-faxmodem" card with "MSWin2003 fax server" led to the implementation of the "multichannel fax server" achieving the desired ease of use and administration and fulfilling the requisite of being based on low cost components and integrated software.