Security 101: 6 Ways You Can Maximize the Protection of Your VoIP System

We’re in the future!

A lot of enterprises now of all sizes are realizing the great things you can get with VoIP. And with did number providers like Telnum always expanding their range of services, upgrading your system to VoIP is becoming even more convenient.

But as with everything with the internet, it’s also exposed vulnerabilities. Viruses and malware are not new, and any type of online system will always be targeted. Just like how you lock your doors and set up a security system to keep intruders out of your home, you can protect your VoIP system just the same.

Get the most out of the VoIP while minimizing the risks associated by implementing these changes:

1. Encrypt data

For every type of thing that’s available online, this is the number one thing that any security expert would always say. And there’s a reason for that. With VoIP, for example, lots of the existing traffic isn’t encrypted.

Many business owners think that there’s no value in this traffic. They think that all of these are just normal conversations that they wouldn’t mind anyone else knowing.

But if you’re a person who tries to save a few bucks on a substandard lock, you’re risking everything it’s supposed to protect – no matter how useless that ‘everything’ may be.

Information is power. And the relative ease that they can be obtained right now makes it more imperative right now to encrypt data. After all, you wouldn’t know just how the information exposed could be used for identity theft before it’s too late.

Considering the damage that it could bring to the reputation of your enterprise and to your bottom line, sensible investment in encryption would always be the smarter and better choice.

2. Establishing minimum password strength requirements

When we all first started signing up for accounts online, there wasn’t any requirement. That’s why for a long time, some of the most common passwords are ‘password’ and ‘qwerty’. But it didn’t take long for us to know better.

That’s why any reputable site right now would require you to meet some requirements so that it would be much harder for hackers to get in, The same should be applied to your system.

The price of having someone reset their password more often because it’s harder to remember is small compared to having an unauthorized person getting in the system.

3. Choose your service provider carefully

Any reputable provider will take security concerns seriously, regardless of the history of their clients. Your choice would be responsible for transmitting everything in and out of the system. Think of it as choosing a restaurant that mostly has good reviews.

Because of the gaining popularity of VoIP, there are a lot of providers out there. And with the increased supply for a similar service, they’re forced to offer even more competitive rates.

As tempting as it may be to go with a fairly okay provider with the lowest price, you shouldn’t. Especially when security is on the line, paying a little extra for something more reliable is worth it.

4. Don’t delay updates

It can be annoying to install updates but don’t delay them. If the provider allows it, have the updates installed automatically. If your employees use an app as well, they should set the app store so the updates from the VoIP app would be downloaded right away.

But look at it this way: it’s the virtual counterpart of maintenance. But instead of paying regularly for it, you get it for free. The closest thing to a cost here is the megabytes taken up by the update itself.

5. Use VPN

One of the beauties of having VoIP is that you can take it anywhere. So in this case, remote access is practically a given. One of the most effective ways to keep calls private is through VPN or the Virtual Private Network.

As this will require your connection to be a little bit faster to maintain the call quality, you should look into getting higher than the required internet speed.

6. Cover up remote weak spots

Without getting into the technicals, an effective way that hackers breach any system is by looking for weak spots. And if security is only strong in the office, hackers will be more likely to look somewhere else.

There should be separate security measures for mobile and other personal devices like automatically locking their phones and wiping remote data regularly.

Safeguards exist for a reason. Imagine the direct and indirect costs of having all the VoIP data for ransom. If your company heavily relies on calls such as the case with call centers, it’s best to take every precaution necessary.

And with every competitive advantage that VoIP brings to the table? Taking the necessary precautions will always be worth it.

Originally posted 2021-09-15 09:03:05.