INTERNET TELEPHONY — April 2015

Changing the Way We Work: Real-Time Communications Everywhere - And in Every Application

Businesses and service providers are at an important intersection in their journey toward the future. They clearly need to move forward - and in new directions - to succeed... More>>>

Departments

Accolades

TMC Announces SDN Excellence & NFV Pioneer Award Winners
Network functions virtualization and software-defined networking are among the top trends in networking today.

CEO Spotlight

Stopping the Bad Guys: VoIPshield's High-Octane CEO Explains the Value of VoIP Security
We have all read about the ongoing and increasingly large events involving data loss at large corporations. Customers of companies that experience these breaches will increasingly demand action, and companies that continue to fail to implement appropriate safeguards will be at risk of a reduced customer base.

Special Focus

MostForce Allows Solid WebRTC Video Chat For Your Website
If there is one area ripe for WebRTC innovation it's customer service, which has moved from in-person and telephone to the web. With WebRTC you can now turn websites into full-fledged multimedia communications vehicles. Sure, this was possible before, but it generally required Flash or a browser plug-in, which added another step. In order to test how this market is doing, we reviewed MostForce, a full-featured video chat service that allows web visitors to quickly and easily connect with live agents. Once connected, you can equate the functionality as something akin to Facebook in that you can chat or speak in a video window.

TMC Labs: WebMeeting by 3CX is Super Easy to Use
As we installed and tested 3CX WebMeeting for this review we couldn't help thinking that WebRTC is doing to conferencing what VoIP did to traditional phone systems over the last few decades. After all, companies like Cisco and ShoreTel didn't make phone systems 20 years ago, yet today they are big players in the space.

Channel

Why is Hosted PBX So Hard?
Back in 2003, Broadsoft's second customer signed me up as its agent. It did not go well.

Open Source & Developer

Three OpenStack Developer Myths Debunked
OpenStack development is one of the hottest and most sought-after skills in enterprise IT. The community is continuing to gain momentum in the market now that many established technology and service companies have made the move from evaluation to deployment. According to IBM, in the past two years the number of OpenStack foundation members has grown to more than 18,000 individual members, more than 140 countries, and more than 2,500 contributing developers.

Security

Mobile Security: The Dangers of Third-Party Apps
When an app or digital service does not offer the features users want, downloading a free app can be a quick fix solution, but one that can be costly. Security breaches of Dropbox and Snapchat were blamed on third-party applications creating holes for cyber criminals to exploit, and they are not the only vulnerable products. Downloading a third-party app can be convenient at the time, but using a third-party app on your phone, tablet, or computer may put your photos, videos, and other sensitive data at risk.

Unified Communications

Xorcom Embeds SBC in PBX for Added Security
Security has become a front-and-center issue in networking today. The hacks of major corporate, government, and retail networks including Sony, Target, and even the U.S. Central Command have been in the news in recent months. But did you know that business phone systems are also a major target of hackers?

Roundup

Set-Top Boxes
Global set-top box shipments were worth an estimated $22.5 billion in 2014, according to IHS Technology. And the global market for high definition set-top boxes is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 2.38 percent between 2014 and 2018, according to Research and Markets.

Wireless

How DAS, Small Cell Networks Can Facilitate Access to 911 Emergency Services
With all of the iPhones and Android devices stuffed into stockings this past holiday season, the demand for data has never been higher. The key now is to make sure our buildings are outfitted with enough wireless connectivity to handle the surge in data transmissions.