Category: voip software

Any modern business using a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone system knows that maintaining security is essential for confidentiality, customer trust, and regulation compliance.

Industries like healthcare, for example, have strict regulations governing communications, and HIPAA-compliant VoIP providers offer security, privacy, and access management tools to help companies follow these regulations — even when employees access the network from far away places.

Meanwhile, poor encryption and security can also affect your bottom line, as scammers and fraudsters will find ways to exploit weaknesses to commit VoIP fraud on unsecured phone systems. Toll fraud works by hijacking a company’s phone system to make artificial and high-volume long-distance calls. The owner of the system gets charged for these calls (often without noticing), and then fraudsters are given a share of the revenue from colluding carrier services.

Along with toll fraud, there are many other vulnerabilities of VoIP systems — but if you are using one of the best business phone services, your vendor is going to take over the challenging parts of VoIP security and encryption. You just have to promote basic network security at your organization (strong passwords, access control, etc.).

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Good providers handle VoIP security and encryption

A hosted VoIP service is a cloud-based communications solution offering secure voice calling and messaging over the internet.

The beauty of these services is that security and encryption come baked in. The VoIP providers update software and firmware, maintain hardware, and help follow regulatory compliance for you.

Of course, fraudsters and scammers are constantly evolving their game, but VoIP providers respond to these attacks in real time and keep your system safe from the latest threats.

With a hosted VoIP service, your employees have individual login credentials to access their VoIP accounts, and all calls your company makes go through the service provider’s network. That means the VoIP provider handles the security and encryption while routing calls, not you.

That also means your business is kept safe no matter where your employees are because a VoIP service lets them access the secure communication network from any softphone. Your employees won’t be tasked with performing any extra security-related tasks either, as VoIP services apply the latest measures across the entire network. Many of the headaches involved with remote work security are now fully off your plate.

What should a secure VoIP provider have?

A good VoIP provider should have robust encryption protocols to keep your data safe while it’s in transit. That way, voice calls and messages are indecipherable until they reach their destination, where only the recipient can decode them.

Similarly, a stateful firewall and/or intrusion detection system helps prevent attacks and unauthorized access. Enhanced login security measures like multi-factor authentication (MFA) and two-factor authentication (2FA), for example, further secure access, and a password-and-token system can also be an effective measure against unwanted infiltration.

The following technologies help VoIP providers secure their networks:

Session Border Controllers (SBCs): An SBC acts as the gatekeeper of the network by regulating IP communication flow. SBCs are particularly useful for protection against Denial of Service (DoS) and Distributed DoS (DDoS) attacks.
Transport Layer Security (TLS): TLS protocols use cryptography to secure a VoIP network’s signaling and media channels. TLS protocols use a digital handshake to authenticate parties and establish safe communications.
Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol (SRTP): SRTP is a media encryption measure that acts like a certificate of authenticity, which can be required before granting media access.

Not every organization requires SBCs, but anyone using a cloud phone system could be the target of a VoIP DDoS attack. Work with your vendor to deploy a future-proof VoIP phone system that follows network security architecture best practices.

The VoIP industry has standards and frameworks in place to guide companies with the best security practices available. In fact, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) publishes guidelines that cover this sector.

A good provider should have the following accreditations and certifications:

PCI Compliance: PCI compliance is an information security standard for card payments. Having this certification facilitates secure payments from major credit cards.
ISO/IEC 20071: This Information Security Management System (ISMS) outlines a global set of standards that helps secure business data.
ISO/IEC 27002: This Code of Practice for Information Security Controls outlines the controls and best practices for securing information.
ISO/IEC 27005: This certification refers to Information Security Risk Management. It provides guidelines for assessing and managing information security risks.
ISO/IEC 27017: This establishes protocols for cloud service providers. It helps explicitly secure cloud services and their ecosystems.
ISO/IEC 27018: This outlines how to protect personally identifying information (PII) on public clouds.

Secure VoIP providers also need to be aware of their human-layer security. Many scams originate from human error, so a business is only as safe if its staff members are reliable. As such, businesses are vulnerable to social engineering attacks.

Social engineering is the process of manipulating individuals into giving up sensitive information. Rather than relying on technical vulnerabilities, many scammers use human psychology to obtain passwords, login details, and other sensitive information.

Scammers often use phishing techniques to gain trust. This technique involves sending messages and emails that appear legitimate, ultimately leading individuals to give up passwords or new login details after trusting the source’s legitimacy.

VoIP providers can limit opportunities for social engineering by implementing 2FA or MFA as part of IVR authentication workflows. Simply put, the more authentication steps required, the more information a scammer needs to extract, and the more information a scammer needs to extract, the lower their chances of infiltration.

Employee training and awareness are also critical factors in reducing social engineering attacks, as monitoring communication patterns and identifying irregularities can root out social engineering attempts before they gain any traction.

To combat these measures and educate employees even further, Udemy, Coursera, and edX run cybersecurity courses that include modules on social engineering. Similarly, Black Hat and DEFCON include workshops on the relationship between psychology and security.

Self-hosted VoIP security and encryption is a challenge

Some companies choose to host their own VoIP server on their company premises. This comes with some advantages, as creating a self-hosted system from the ground up gives you more options for customization and control.

However, several challenges make hosting a VoIP service impractical for many businesses. These areas include:

Cost: Setting up a VoIP system is expensive relative to subscribing to an existing service. A VoIP service provider already has the necessary infrastructure, hardware, and backend up and running.
Responsibility: Self-hosting offers customization and control at a cost. With your own VoIP system, you must update software, manage hardware, and troubleshoot technical issues.
Scalability: Increasing capacity in your self-hosted VoIP system could require hardware upgrades and other configurations. You can achieve the same capacity increase with a few clicks using a VoIP service.
Security and encryption: With a self-hosted VoIP system, security and encryption are your responsibility. For many business owners, this alone is enough to reject self-hosting.

Additionally, self-hosting is often only possible with a dedicated IT team or managed services provider . Without one, your security and encryption probably won’t be as good as a hosted service provider — which has its own team dedicated to running the latest security protocols.

Using a self-hosted VoIP also has complications for remote teams, as you must configure the network for remote access while also maintaining security. This process usually involves a virtual private network (VPN) or other secure remote access methods.

Let the pros handle VoIP security and encryption

VoIP security is complex and constantly evolving, so outsourcing to a VoIP service makes sense for a variety of reasons.

Even the cheapest VoIP phone service providers do the heavy lifting for you, so there’s no need to buy, configure, and maintain costly on-premises VoIP infrastructure that’ll be obsolete in a few years.

Meanwhile, security and encryption are the cornerstones of a good VoIP business, and most VoIP service providers will have better security and encryption than self-hosted solutions in the long run.

So unless you’re in the telecom industry and have major communication security chops, it’s probably best to let the pros handle it.

Key phones are traditional desk phones with a central unit and handset. Able to support up to 50 users, they’re often used by small to medium-sized offices. They have a dial pad and special buttons that let users route calls to other extensions or access features like hold or transfer.

A key phone system has been ideal for companies with employees who need to be reachable at their desk and behind the counter. These systems are easy to manage compared to a traditional PBX — and excel at the core competencies of a basic phone system.

But as equipment ages and more flexible, scalable, and cost-effective solutions hit the market, many businesses are upgrading their landline to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).

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Why it’s hard to let go of your existing system

For many businesses, this trusty technology has been the silent backbone of communication since before the internet became a regular part of our daily lives. Key phones made offices more efficient and productive with features like call transfer, hold, conference calling, direct inward dialing, and paging.

Key phone systems are generally easy to use, and more than anything, they’re familiar. Since most adults have used a key phone system at some point in their careers, there’s not a huge learning curve when you need to onboard new employees. With a quick explanation of how to access voicemail and what extension belongs to who, you can get most new hires up to speed by the end of their first day.

This makes it hard for a lot of businesses to let go of their old school key phone systems — even if they know that modern business phone services offer a ton more functionality.

In short, key phone systems once had all the advanced functions you’d expect from a business phone, and they were easy to use, with predictable costs and straightforward maintenance. These strengths made them a mainstay in business communications.

But now, after over 50 years of usage, this technology is slowly sunsetting. And businesses today should look at modernizing their phone systems sooner than later.

Using a VoIP gateway with a key phone system

A VoIP gateway or Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) allows traditional phones to make calls over the internet. The ATA acts as a bridge between your old phone system and the internet.

Plug your regular phones into the ATA, connect the ATA to your internet router, and you are ready to start answering calls as before. ATAs support fax machines and multifunction printers, as well.

This is a budget-friendly way to modernize without replacing your phone system, minimizing disruption to employees. Typically, you can access basic VoIP features like voicemail-to-email and call forwarding while staying with familiar hardware.

This approach is ideal for businesses that want to gradually transition to cloud, phase out old equipment, or simply want to ride out their old phone system contract for a few more years.

Are all key phone systems compatible with an ATA?

Most key phones will work with an ATA, but not all.

If your phone says “analog” or connects with a standard phone line, it’s probably compatible.

If it’s labeled “IP” or “digital,” you may require special adapters or need to take another approach entirely. Always check your system’s compatibility before investing in an ATA.

Challenges with moving to the cloud

Migrating to a cloud phone system comes with a lot more versatility for businesses and their employees — but it’s not without challenges. Here are some of the important issues you will have to address over the course of transitioning from a key phone system to the cloud:

Compatibility: Can your existing handsets work with a cloud system, or do you need to invest in new equipment? You may need to buy new handsets or softphones to use modern VoIP services.
Replicating functionality: Can you replicate features like DID and intercom in the cloud? Chances are you can, but be sure to choose a provider that supports the features your business relies on.
Soft key programming: Cloud systems often rely on “soft keys,” which are on-screen buttons that can change dynamically. You may need IT support to configure changes manually.
Training: This is a big one, as you may have employees who are resistant to change. Do you have the time and resources to teach your employees how to use these new cloud-based systems? You’ll need to train employees how to use new features like call parking in order to put callers on hold.

Any upgrade naturally presents challenges, but the key is to ask yourself whether the benefits outweigh the costs and whether now’s the right time to upgrade.

Benefits of replacing a key phone system before it fails

If your key phone system is still working, you may be hesitant to replace it. But there are risks to keeping an old system that doesn’t have an infinite lifespan — what if your phone system fails or your hardware becomes unsupported before you have a backup in place?

Today, most businesses use a hosted PBX, where the vendor manages all of the infrastructure and software — employees simply log into their account and make calls. It works perfectly whether they are in the office or working from an airport bar — the vendor secures the network, allows remote employees anytime access, and you never have to worry about the main office network being up 24/7 ever again.

VoIP phone systems are relatively inexpensive — most businesses save money switching by eliminating most hardware maintenance costs associated with traditional phone setups. It’s not an incredible savings, but it’s nice.

The real draw is the functionality you gain from connecting your phones to other business software. This enables advanced call administration, simple call recording, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), in-depth analytics, and potentially much more. Premium systems support CRM integration, which allows reps to pull up customer files, view previous conversations, order history, and more on a single dashboard.

Migrating to the cloud is a great way to future-proof your business phone system, as the software is continuously updated, patched, and improved. If you’re thinking about switching to a remote or hybrid setup, cloud-based phone systems can make the switch easy. Even if some employees are working from home and others are onsite, they’ll all have the same communication capabilities.

Yes, there are challenges with updating your systems to new technology — this is inevitable — the downsides of staying with you an old key phone system will probably get worse over time.

But by choosing to upgrade your key phone system to a cloud-based system, you get to navigate those challenges at your own pace rather than being forced into them later on.