The company involved, Hewlett-Packard, has ported output management software from subsidiary Dazel onto an appliance called the HP Document Router. All the hardware needed to do this, connect to the network and send faxes is built into a 2U rackmount box.
Configuration is done via a browser.
End users simply print their documents as usual, leaving the router to send it to the requested printer, fax number or email address along the way, converting the file into the appropriate format. Another plus is that Windows users need only one driver to use any printer, send faxes or emails. Software to interface directly to ERP applications, such as Oracle, is also available, and we'll review this new breed of appliance soon in First Looks.