The company
GlaxoSmithKline, based in Research Triangle Park, NC, USA, is the nation's leading research-based pharmaceutical firm. It is committed to fighting disease by bringing innovative medicines and services to patients and to the healthcare providers who serve them. The company employs 9,000 people across the US and operates manufacturing facilities in Zebulon and Greenville, North Carolina, and in West Greenwich, RI. In recognition that the healthcare market in the US is rapidly changing, GlaxoSmithKline is also developing care management programs to help those responsible for the cost of healthcare to ensure that patients receive high quality care at reasonable cost. Care management programs under development include asthma, herpes, oncology support, headaches and AIDS/HIV.

The challenge
After the telephone, fax communication is the most important and popular method of communication in today's business environment. It is a direct and simple way to reliably exchange documents between branches of the same business or between a business and its clients. And, as the company knows only too well, the healthcare business generates a lot of documentation. The company, like many other large national and international firms, was also experiencing ever-increasing costs for the transmission and distribution of faxed material.

To control the costs associated with faxing, GlaxoSmithKline decided to search for an e-mail based fax/messaging solution that was compatible with its current system, Microsoft Exchange. It wanted a solution that was easy to install and use and integrated tightly with the Microsoft Exchange Server. In addition, it needed a product that could meet the requirements of its management reporting system. Support services were also a crucial element to the purchasing decision.

Fenestrae Faxination Server
"We checked out one other system but Fenestrae Faxination Server was far and away the best of the two. We needed something that would integrate very tightly with Microsoft^® Exchange, provided good administrative utilities and required no client software to download. Fenestrae^® Faxination^® Server™ met these requirements, in addition an extensive list of others," says Ray Wise, senior consultant for GlaxoSmithKline.

While tightly integrating with Microsoft Exchange, the new system was also required to support the latest, most sophisticated fax boards; have superior reporting capabilities, including charge-back data, and the ability to be installed on the server rather than desktop level. "We had a long list of criteria and Fenestrae Faxination Server met them all," says Wise. "At a minimum, we wanted the product to support Word, Excel and PowerPoint and be operable with the existing e-mail system. In other words, we didn't want our users to have to learn new software."

No standing at a fax machine
Fenestrae Faxination Server delivers a more than satisfactory solution to fax/messaging needs at GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals. "I received a message from one of our employees that said this was fantastic and we've got others anxiously waiting to be added to the system," said Wise. "No standing at a fax machine, we don't have to leave our desks - folks love it," Wise continues.

Thanks to features such as direct inbound routing, employees can now send and receive faxes, as well as other types of messages, on their desktop using familiar applications. "If users know how to send e-mail, they will know how to send faxes, telexes and mobile messages with Fenestrae Faxination Server. And because no additional user training is needed and no client software installation is required, the roll out is fast and easy," says Wim de Koning, president and CEO of Fenestrae.

"Fenestrae Faxination Server returns a response if it cannot convert an attachment," says Wise. "This, too, was a requirement, and from a systems standpoint, it was important that our mailboxes did not have to reside on the same Exchange server that contains the fax board. Our information systems unit definitely sees this as a win-win solution for them and our users."

Costs are down
Seen as a long-term solution to its fax/messaging needs, Fenestrae Faxination Server has already helped GlaxoSmithKline reduce both numbers and upgrades of fax machines since it began using the system. GlaxoSmithKline has also reduced transmission costs substantially by bundling faxes that are being sent to the same destination and setting up faxes to be sent during off-peak hours. Labor costs associated with manual faxing have been all but eliminated.

"Costs are down simply because of the time-savings and reduction in paper associated with traditional faxing," explains Wise. "Our users can deal with all their messages from one interface, which also translates to time savings. There is also a more rapid return on investment through better administration, security and support. And the fact that no additional training is required is a definite plus that cannot be overlooked."

 Solution meets all necessary requirements
"We have been so pleased with Fenestrae's support that I sent a thank you note," said Wise. "We're extremely happy with how Fenestrae Faxination Server is performing for us. It continues to meet, and exceed, all the necessary requirements."