Digital transformation is prompting many small to mid-sized businesses to consider moving to a Voice over Internet phone system (VoIP). But before companies can benefit from the resulting gains in productivity, performance and cost savings, they first need to address the often-overlooked security risks associated with VoIP.

Capabilities and Business Benefits of VoIP and UC&C Solutions

Today’s internet and cloud-based VoIP and Unified Communications and Collaboration (UC&C) solutions offer a wide range of capabilities for businesses of all sizes. Some of the most popular include application integration (API) and mobile capabilities; anytime, anywhere access; persistent, cloud-based chat; video conferencing and contextual collaboration; CRM integration; and the flexibility to scale a network up or down according to need.

These solutions offer distinct business advantages that can help companies improve their competitive edge by providing tools to improve customer relations, facilitate remote work and virtual collaboration, and empower mobile employees. All of this comes at a much lower cost than communications over traditional landlines.

Security Issues to Consider when Choosing VoIP

While the business benefits of VoIP and UC&C solutions are clear, it’s crucial to understand that just like other internet-based communications, VoIP is vulnerable to security risks.

The reason is that VoIP uses session initiation protocol (SIP), which means that the SIP authenticates every communication session separately. Each session triggers a registration attempt with the SIP trunk—which delivers lines over IP for the system to make calls—to authenticate the session.

Now, what’s so important to understand is that because the SIP trunk is connected to the internet, it needs to be properly secured. A regular firewall isn’t sufficient, because voice and video communications have distinct requirements it doesn’t address. That's why the best way to protect your network is with a system that has a session border controller (SBC) to secure real time communications (RTC).

Failure to properly secure your VoIP system leaves you vulnerable to cyber criminals who can exploit your network with techniques such as:

• Toll fraud involving the hacking of your phone system and using it to place long-distance calls. In most cases, business owners still have to pay the fees, even if they can prove their employees didn’t place those calls.

• DDoS attacks targeting call centers through SIP URLs, essentially paralyzing them.

• Spoofing caller IDs by posing as trustworthy institutions to collect personal data.

Choose a Single Platform from a Reliable Service Provider

To protect your company and your customers from these types of attacks, you’re best advised to choose a single platform from a reliable service provider that offers not only all the business features your company needs, but also the comprehensive support and robust security measures required to protect your network.

neteffect technologies can help you take full advantage of digital transformation with secure, advanced solutions, all of which we offer as a service, hosted, and on premise, and in as-a-service models if desired. We can fit your specific needs - Contact us at 704-688-7170 to learn more.