Siemens Enhances the Security for Unified Communications

Siemens (News - Alert) Enterprise Communications has enhanced its OpenScale Services and solutions portfolio through the introduction of four key offerings to help businesses improve the security of unified communications (UC) solutions. The four areas are: business continuity, compliance, identity and privacy, and threat mitigation and data security.

 

Siemens’ UC solutions, such as OpenScape UC Server, OpenScape Voice Application and other similar products, already include built-in security features. It is the nature of UC, however, that the increased interaction with an organization’s desktop and collaboration strategy, enterprise business applications and fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) applications increase complexity and exposure to security risks.

 

This enhanced portfolio is open and vendor neutral, so enterprises can take advantage of Siemens’ security expertise and value-added services regardless of their UC solution vendors. The company is aiming to be a one-stop shop for helping businesses mitigate their risks.

 

Organizations are at increasing risk of grey-net attacks via IM and UC systems (both proprietary and public). Given this, CIOs are concerned with issues regarding UC security, particularly the unauthorized interception of VoIP, IM or other traffic, spoofed caller ID or IM identities, and denial of service attacks on the communications infrastructure. These breaches can compromise confidential information and seriously disrupt business processes.

 

Business continuity management is focused on planning, testing and providing strategies to ensure an organization can recover key elements of its UC environment in the event of system failure or emergency. Using compliance services, including audits, health checks and policy creation, an organization can ensure its security and continuity arrangements are meeting corporate governance and legislative objectives, such as IM policy, tracking and control with a UC environment.

 

Siemens Identity and Privacy services provide business processes, policies and technologies that enable organizations to facilitate and control user access to critical online applications and resources, while protecting confidential personal and business information from unauthorized users in a cost effective way. Threat mitigation and data security services include secure design, implementation and testing of infrastructure and applications which are extended to cover UC solutions.