508-909-5961 [email protected]

5 Vital VoIP measures to implementVoice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology is a flexible, scalable, and highly efficient communication solution that more and more modern businesses are relying on. However, a large user base makes VoIP an attractive cybercrime target, which means VoIP users face increasing risks. Here are five effective security measures you can implement to protect your business’s […]

The post 5 Vital VoIP measures to implement appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

02 Nov, 2021 / by Complete Technology Resources / in 2021november2voip_b, encryption, internet phones, password protection, passwords, virtual private networks, voice-over-internet protocol, VoIP, voip firewalls, voip phones, voip security, vpn category
5 Vital VoIP measures to implement

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology is a flexible, scalable, and highly efficient communication solution that more and more modern businesses are relying on. However, a large user base makes VoIP an attractive cybercrime target, which means VoIP users face increasing risks. Here are five effective security measures you can implement to protect your business’s VoIP systems and devices from various threats.

24/7 monitoring

VoIP security breaches usually take place outside operating hours. Attackers make phone calls using private accounts or access call records with confidential information on the sly. To avoid these security breaches, contract outsourced IT vendors to monitor network traffic for any abnormalities.

Virtual private networks

Virtual private networks (VPNs) create a secure connection between two points, as if they belong in the same closed network. It’s like building a safe secret tunnel between you and the person you’re calling. Using a VPN can also help overcome complications involving Session Initiation Protocol or SIP trunking, which is a recommended VoIP feature.

VoIP firewalls

Firewalls specifically designed for IP-based telephony curb the types of traffic that are allowed into your network. They ensure that every connection is properly terminated at the end of a session and identify suspicious calling patterns. Virtually every VoIP vendor provides these protocols, but you should always consult with your IT services provider as to how these protocols will be managed within your organization.

Encryption tools

VoIP systems that lack encryption can be easily broken into by hackers — even by amateur ones who can simply download and deploy tools to eavesdrop or intercept your calls. Some services claim to have built-in encryption, but companies still need to be vigilant and investigate how effective these are.

Using encryption ensures that even if hackers successfully download audio or video, they still won't be able to decode the file unless they have the decryption key.

Password protection

Using passwords to authenticate your access to private information is not as secure as it once was. Hackers can easily guess a password and use it for cyberattacks. Protecting the passwords themselves adds a layer of protection against threats. This can entail enabling multifactor authentication or using a password manager to generate and store an array of complex passwords.

VoIP is as important as any of your other network security considerations. It requires a unique combination of protection measures, and we’d love to give you advice on these. Give us a call today to get started.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post 5 Vital VoIP measures to implement appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Read More

Increase VoIP uptime with these tipsA reliable, efficient, and effective telecommunications system is critical to your ability to generate and nurture leads, communicate with vendors, and provide top-notch customer service. If that system were to break down, even for just a day, you could suffer significant losses in productivity, profits, and customer trust. For this reason, you should secure your […]

The post Increase VoIP uptime with these tips appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

15 Oct, 2021 / by Complete Technology Resources / in 2021october15voip_b, business it, business tech, call forwarding, disasters, landline telephone systems, telecommunication systems, telephony systems, voice-over-internet protocol, VoIP category
Increase VoIP uptime with these tips

A reliable, efficient, and effective telecommunications system is critical to your ability to generate and nurture leads, communicate with vendors, and provide top-notch customer service. If that system were to break down, even for just a day, you could suffer significant losses in productivity, profits, and customer trust. For this reason, you should secure your Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony systems with the following strategies.

Choose your provider wisely

When choosing which VoIP system to adopt for your company, carefully evaluate the service level agreements offered by each provider. Inquire about the provider’s security and availability guarantees and how these will be achieved.

Ideally, you must partner with the firm that can host your VoIP systems in facilities that are safe from local disasters such as flash floods or earthquakes. Your provider should also employ advanced network security solutions to protect your calls and data.

Invest in VoIP monitoring services

Before implementing any of the next two VoIP continuity solutions, install a third-party VoIP monitoring service to keep tabs on the status of your phone system. This tool will identify all network issues disrupting your phone system, enabling you to resolve them quickly.

Have a backup broadband line

Since VoIP solutions are dependent on internet connections, you should have a backup or alternate internet service provider (ISP) in case your main network goes down.

Have one ISP dedicated to your VoIP service and another supporting your main computer network. Once you’ve installed both networks, you can then program them to automatically transfer services to the other should one network fail. Thus, if your main phone network goes down, your VoIP solution switches to the other network and suffers no interruptions.

Of course, subscribing to two separate ISPs will increase your internet expenses. But if you perform a cost-benefit analysis, you’ll find that the cost to maintain both is far less than the cost of downtime in case your only ISP were to fail.

Route calls to mobile devices

Cloud-based VoIP solutions allow you to choose where you receive your calls with call forwarding — a feature that automatically reroutes incoming calls to other company-registered devices. This enables staff to receive work-related calls when they’re out of the office on a remote assignment, working at home, or when your main office is hit by a local disaster or network outage.

To benefit from this feature, register all employee mobile devices to your VoIP system and configure such devices to receive rerouted calls. Don’t forget to set policies for remote working. For instance, you should forbid staff from connecting to public Wi-Fi networks because this can put them at risk of cybercriminals eavesdropping on VoIP conversations.

Test your continuity measures regularly

There’s little value in VoIP continuity and disaster recovery strategies if they end up failing when you need them the most. Test your VoIP service and check whether contact details are up to date, call forwarding features are routing calls to the right devices, and your backup internet service works. Ultimately, your goal is to find flaws in your strategies and make the necessary adjustments to avoid potential hiccups from occurring in the future.

If managing VoIP is too time-consuming and complex, call our professionals today. We design, implement, test, and monitor powerful, disaster-proof VoIP phone systems to ensure your communications are always online.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post Increase VoIP uptime with these tips appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Read More

VoIP system costs that you should know aboutLike all business components, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems have costs of ownership, or the direct and indirect costs accrued by a certain service or product. Understanding your VoIP’s total cost of ownership will help with your tech budgeting and more. Upfront costs Upfront costs are largely determined by the manner in which you […]

The post VoIP system costs that you should know about appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

22 Sep, 2021 / by Complete Technology Resources / in 2021september22voip_b, budget, costs, tco, total cost of ownership, voice-over-internet protocol, VoIP, voip phone system category
VoIP system costs that you should know about

Like all business components, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems have costs of ownership, or the direct and indirect costs accrued by a certain service or product. Understanding your VoIP’s total cost of ownership will help with your tech budgeting and more.

Upfront costs

Upfront costs are largely determined by the manner in which you acquire your systems, such as whether you buy a VoIP system outright or rent it from a third party. Although the former carries a steep upfront cost, payment does not continue indefinitely. This makes sense for large, fully staffed corporations with massive budgets. Meanwhile, the latter option is better for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that prefer to pay a small monthly subscription rather than make a huge initial investment.

Beyond the price of the VoIP package, upfront costs also include additional costs like headsets, webcams, and a higher-bandwidth network connection to ensure crystal-clear, uninterrupted calls.

Implementation costs

Implementation costs include the fees of consultants or managed IT services providers that design, deploy, and configure your VoIP system. And if you’re installing a completely new phone system, you also need to factor in costs associated with training employees on how to use the VoIP system effectively and securely.

Operational costs

This covers monthly recurring costs of voice and data plans. For example, some service providers charge local and long-distance calls per minute, while others offer unlimited local calls for a fixed monthly fee.

If you’re managing your VoIP infrastructure yourself, you also have to take into account monthly power, cooling, and maintenance fees. If you opt for hosted VoIP services, however, you are only billed for maintenance.

Upgrade costs

You should also need to set aside some room in your budget for VoIP upgrades. For instance, you may need to integrate customer relationship management (CRM) software with VoIP to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction. Aside from the cost of the upgrade itself, you should also anticipate spending on consultation, as upgrade integrations have a better chance at success if deployed by experts.

Evaluating all the costs that apply to your business will give you a clear idea of how much you can expect to pay for your VoIP system. If you’re having difficulty calculating the actual costs of VoIP implementation, call our experts today. We’ll help you figure out which VoIP solution is most ideal for your business and budget.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post VoIP system costs that you should know about appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Read More

What you need to know about telephony DoSHackers launch denial-of-service (DoS) attacks to render IT systems and networks inaccessible to intended users. Large corporations’ web servers used to be frequent targets, but nowadays, every business can become a victim. Hackers have also started launching attacks on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems. This brief guide on telephony DoS attacks can help you […]

The post What you need to know about telephony DoS appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

13 Aug, 2021 / by Complete Technology Resources / in 2021august13voip_b, cybersecurity, denial-of-service, dos attacks, tdos attack, telephony, voice-over-internet protocol, VoIP, voip security category
What you need to know about telephony DoS

Hackers launch denial-of-service (DoS) attacks to render IT systems and networks inaccessible to intended users. Large corporations’ web servers used to be frequent targets, but nowadays, every business can become a victim. Hackers have also started launching attacks on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems. This brief guide on telephony DoS attacks can help you become better prepared.

Denial-of-service attacks

The end goal of any DoS attack is to overwhelm a system with so many requests that it is eventually forced to shut down. Telephony DoS (TDoS) attack is a subcategory leveled at VoIP systems. Alarmingly, this attack is commonly used against hospitals and 911 phone lines. Some TDoS attackers even demand a ransom to halt the attack, which is similar to ransomware attacks. They take advantage of cryptocurrencies and caller-ID spoofing to make it incredibly difficult to identify attackers.

TDoS attacks generally employ fewer resources than the DoS attacks that are designed to cripple IT systems, which include networks, servers, and software. At its most basic, a TDoS attack requires only an automated phone dialer that calls a target phone number and hangs up — over and over. That very simple strategy can stop anyone else from getting through the line.

What organizations need to do

While your first instinct may be to lock down your VoIP system with complicated security measures, doing so will only do more harm than good. Most businesses can’t operate if they can’t communicate with their customers, business partners, and other third parties.

Although VoIP may be a digital resource similar to other components within your IT systems, the very nature of phone lines makes hiding them behind firewalls and other protections impossible. Fortunately, there are now new security protocols that can protect your communication infrastructure against those who try to use force to gain access to your directory information. These protocols can also identify, reroute, and filter calls coming from known attackers. Get in touch with our team to learn more about these protocols.

If you’re experiencing any abnormalities with your VoIP system, or if you want to deploy the most advanced solution that the market has to offer, our expert team of IT professionals is ready to help you at the drop of a hat — just call today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post What you need to know about telephony DoS appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Read More