Viruses and computer hacking have become common terms we all hear regularly in news reports and online. And while the concept of a virus is easy to understand, mainly because we are all taught how biological viruses work in our own body, it’s difficult to understand exactly what is going on during an attack inside your PC. What we need is a realistic visualization of exactly what is happening as an attack happens, and how […]
VoIP
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A spike in attacks against IP PBXs that started last fall shows no signs of abating, spawning speculation that those responsible have tapped into botnets and cloud computing resources to carry out their illegal activities. According to separate security reports from Cisco and Sipera’s Viper Lab research arm, the exploits are carried out using techniques that lend themselves to the interpretation that the attackers are tapping into broad resources that make their work more effective. […]
Regular attendees of the Enterprise Connect conference (formerly VoiceCon) couldn’t help but notice that this year everyone was talking — and talking more seriously — about implementing session initiated protocol (SIP) trunking. Although other conference topics such as Unified Communications and mobility may have been more glamorous, SIP trunking was often in the background as an enabling technology that can make those things work, or work better. SIP is an Internet standard for establishing and […]
It’s hard to imagine, but roughly 10 years ago as VoIP was being rolled out corporate networkers were quite concerned about the security of VoIP. As we faced a move from voice going over a traditional (and, by the way, unencrypted) network, there was concern that VoIP would be much too easy to eavesdrop on – especially if it traversed the Internet. We’ll leave the question of whether “legal intercepts” as a political and civil […]
IP-based phone systems offer better convenience and expandability versus traditional PBX Small businesses have so many more options now when it comes to business technologies, many of which have evolved to meet the specific needs of smaller companies. Even Voice over IP (VoIP) phone systems are now well within reach for companies that are looking for enterprise features on a small business budget. An IP-based voice system provides a business-class phone solution that is more […]
Traditional telephony may be replaced by newer technology due to an increase in the use of voice over IP (VoIP) in businesses. Sales of VoIP phones are mainly to businesses, according to In-Stat. Norm Bogen, vice-president of digital entertainment research at the firm, says the technology allows telephone systems to be used for “more advanced communications.” However consumers IP phones have yet to reach the consumer market. Apart from technology roll-outs from service providers and […]
A report has found that many businesses are turning to cloud computing in an effort to control costs Companies are increasingly turning cloud computing to enhance productivity and increase their return on investment (ROI), according to a report from Fonality. The “2011 Small and Medium-Sized Business Communications Plans and Priorities” state-of-the-market report polled professionals considered to be on the “leading edge” of technology adoption. Respondents emphasised that cloud-based business applications or AaaS (Anything as a […]
Just five years since mobile VoIP services were first introduced, it is on the cusp of moving beyond an inexpensive alternative for making international calls to becoming an integrated component of unified social networking services, says research house In-Stat. The coming years are expected to be transformational as mobile operators and associated players work out how to respond to a forecast of nearly 139 million mobile VoIP users by 2014, say analysts. “Mobile VoIP is […]
As your organization relies more on cloud-based applications for productivity and business success, you must be increasingly vigilant against Web-borne attacks. As sensitive data now migrates between corporate data centers and cloud data centers beyond your network perimeter, you can no longer think only in terms of network security, but instead must shift focus to information security. Three overarching, interrelated trends — cloud consumption, virtualization and mobility — present themselves as key industry themes for […]
In a sluggish economy, businesses, particularly small and mid-size companies, are doing all they can to trim costs. And one big cost savings many are making is to switch from costly landline phone service to the less expensive Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Although VoIP is ridiculously cheap, (think Vonage, Ooma, etc.), it comes with its own set of problems – particularly when it comes to security. The number of hacker attacks against VoIP systems […]
Today, we’d like to spotlight two great reports that may interest our audience. The first report, written by Abner Germanow and Jonathan Edwards at IDC is titled “Virtualizing UC: Reaping the Benefits and Understanding the Issues for Real-Time Communications.” The second report is called “Accelerating UC Deployment with a SIP/XML Architecture” written by Zeus Kerravala, distinguished research fellow at Yankee Group. The reports are sponsored by Avaya and are hosted on Webtorials. The first paper […]
With Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) intruding enterprise telecommunications systems, a number of technologies are being introduced to help enterprises manage the VoIP calls. The VoIP auto attendant is one such technology, which helps business offices manage inbound calls and route them to the correct person. A VoIP auto attendant, also known as a virtual receptionist, interacts with the caller to manage calls in a professional manner and enhance the efficiency of customer service. According […]
One of the latest spin offs of business VoIP technology is the Hosted PBX. This technology allows small and medium sized businesses to have a sophisticated telephone system without the investment in telephone equipment. In fact, the entire telephone system is operated and maintained by your voice-over-ip service provider. A hosted PBX lets employees work from their home, a hotel or on their cell phone while still being connected to the same office telephone system. […]
Cloud computing has quickly established its rightful place in modern IT organisations, helping enterprises become more agile while keeping close watch on costs. As a new mainstream appeal, the new delivery model has proven its stripes with applications like messaging, storage and CRM. Now, technology innovators are applying what they learned. Cloud service delivery has hit critical mass, with the majority of organisations already riding the wave. With that adoption, enterprises have become more comfortable […]
Cloud computing has been a buzzworthy topic for some time, as more and more enterprises move their computing infrastructure and software to cloud-based solutions. While the cloud continues to be a smart option for them, it’s also arguably even more beneficial for small businesses, whose resources can be miniscule. First of all, what exactly is cloud computing? To take a broad definition, Focus Research describes it as “the ability for organizations to share critical computing […]
Many companies are considering updating or replacing their current telephone systems in order to move to IP telephony or to have access to other modern features, such as UC (unified communications). As is true with other IT-enabled functions, a significant percentage of these companies are exploring or considering remotely hosted alternatives to premises-based PBXes. Several Focus community members have experiences and insights into hosted PBXes that can help decision-makers at these companies to make more […]
A recent survey has found that almost two-thirds of UK contact centres have either already adopted, or are looking to implement a remote working strategy. The survey, which questioned 100 UK contact centre managers across both the private and public sector, was conducted last week at Call Centre Expo by Siemens Enterprise Communications. The findings reflect technology industry analyst house IDC’s recent stated view, that the mobile worker population is increasing, with global numbers set […]
Contact centers that want to easily interoperate with other vendors, partners, and worksites must standardize with Session Initial Protocol (SIP) over their Voice-over-IP (VoIP) communications systems. Once an organization’s VoIP is SIP-enabled, they open themselves up to virtualizing multiple operations, increasing flexibility, reducing costs, and improving overall efficiency across an endless array of communications options. Here’s how organizations are improving customer service with SIP-enabled VoIP communications: Virtualize. An all IP-based solution doesn’t require PBX hardware […]
Small to medium businesses (SMBs) are increasingly turning to VoIP solutions as a way of saving money, according to research from IT analyst firm AMI-Partners. More than 30 percent of small businesses (SBs, 1 – 99 employees) and 50 percent of medium businesses (MBs, 100-999 employees) said that Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology would become critical to their business operations. SMB decision-makers said they see benefit from VoIP in improved staff productivity, streamlined dispersed […]
Businesses are rapidly switching on to the benefits a hosted private branch exchange (PBX) – or switchboard – environment. That’s according to Graeme Victor, CEO of telecommunications solutions company Du Pont Telecom, who says several organizations have already adopted the new technology that aims to expand voice-over-Internet protocol (VOIP). Victor says with the growth and maturation of the data networks and the changes in the interconnect agreements, it is now possible to run a company’s […]
Today Forbes had a great article on hosted voice: One of the virtues of Voice over Internet Protocol is that your business can have a sophisticated phone system without installing a phone system. With a VoIP system hosted on the Internet, all you need are the phones. One situation where this particularly makes sense is if you run a relatively small (or lean) business with lots of locations. Rather than have each office install its […]
Hosted voice technology is an innovative new method for delivering enterprise phone system functions to end users. Part of the ‘cloud computing’ concept, a hosted voice system (PBX) acts exactly like a traditional desk phone, but instead of residing locally, all software and functions are housed in the meshPBX state-of-the-art data centers. You simply access your voice needs with a simple internet connection. Hosted voice offers numerous advantages in terms of cost savings, access flexibility […]
Hosted desktop technology is an innovative new method for delivering desktops to end users. Part of the ‘cloud computing’ concept, a hosted desktop looks and acts exactly like a traditional PC, but instead of residing locally, all software and data are housed in the meshDESK state-of-the-art data centers. You simply access your resources with a simple internet connection. Hosted desktops offer numerous advantages in terms of cost savings, security, resilience, flexibility and reduced management. The […]