The great availability of IT solutions and the variety of software and hardware tools available nowadays have made it essential for businesses to focus on devising the best possible IT infrastructure for their needs, so as to be able to provide the best customer service while containing costs and still prospering. It’s also essential to ensure businesses are completely protected from the risk of becoming victim of a malicious hacker. Such individuals can compromise a computer or networked device and make their way into the network to disrupt normal business operations, processes and services; they can also deny data availability to all those who rely on them.
The security concerns of any Internet-connected device are similar to those of a hosted-voice phone system (often an ideal solution for a business) that relies on the transmission of voice traffic over a dedicated high-speed broadband connection (VoIP) instead of traditional wires, tells Canadian-based firm BroadConnect Telecom Inc., a VoIP provider, in a recent post. Internet telephony or “Internet calling" uses IP phones and a high-speed Internet connection that allows both voice and data to share the same networks.
Some of the advantages of using VoIP include options such as online account management, three-way calling, call forwarding, and more. With the right VoIP telephone system in place and provider services offered, businesses can serve the needs of all their customers and of a dispersed workforce. The deployment of Internet telephony offers a much cheaper solution than a traditional phone service. It has many more included features that suits voice communication and business users’ needs to connect easily with employees, customers and prospects spread across the world, as needed; this is something not possible with a traditional phone service and handset system.
However, just as for other Internet technologies, security is a main concern with VoIP. Businesses need to consider security issues related to its use to include identity and service theft, viruses and malware, denial of service (DoS) or connectivity issues, if not eavesdropping, spamming, call tampering and phishing attacks.
Once companies understand the risks involved with VoIP, they can take certain steps to protect their personal and financial information online, as well as the customer’s data, which is essential to keep the organization successful and maintain clients’ trust. The following pointers can help to protect an online business using an IP Telephone System, as per the BroadConnect blog post.
Business owners need to first be familiar with IP Telephone System threats so they can recognize when they are being targeted. It is vital to know how to identify and detect them, as well as how to defend ones’ systems using mitigation techniques. This is so “to put as many safeguards in place to protect yourself – and your clients,” the post explains.
When opting for hosted voice phone systems that have service providers deploying packet telephony, it is best to implement proper security practices within the VoIP environment to secure the phone-to-phone connection; security in H.323 and SIP interworking remains an issue even with a VoIP-aware firewall. Therefore, it is crucial once installing the equipment to ensure that one puts in the proper security features for the systems needed for point-to-point IP communications across multiple domains. That also goes for the routing information from VoIP gateways that have been deployed in the service provider's network for audio, video and data channels.
The following security essential tips can be followed for safe online telephoning:
Use a strong password for your VOIP software to keep it private and a firewall that is customized for VoIP; deploy encryption measures to minimize opportunities for hacking in.
Regularly check you VoIP provider's website to see if there are any updates or patches, as “leaving the updates for a later date can expose you to all kinds of trouble,” the post explains.
Only use VoIP equipment that conforms to the most up-to-date security standards.
Implement some form of Authorization, Authentication or Transport Layer Security (TLS) or else Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) mechanism, or be at the risk of security breaches.
Setup a dedicated Internet connection so data network threats and VoIP line threats remain isolated.
BroadConnect also says to “remain informed and do not be afraid to ask for outside assistance or a third-party security expert to run assessments.”
Knowing more about how secure is VoIP, and what sorts of vulnerabilities exist, a business can be aware of what they need to protect and how. They can today make the telephony environment more secure, thereby gaining end-user confidence, while protecting personal and clients’ information that are part of their everyday cycle.
Edited by Alisen Downey