Voice networking and VoIP

WAN/WAFS platform specifications

Product snapshots highlighting key specifications for a cross section of WAFS and WAN optimisation products intended for small, medium, and large organisations. Continue Reading

VoIP security testing fundamentals

VoIP security testing fundamentals are discussed in this guide -- how to test a VoIP system, what tools to use, how to use fuzzing to test VoIP security. Continue Reading

By

• SearchVoIP ANZ Staff

Network configuration management key to VoIP success

While companies spend millions on upgrading infrastructure for VoIP, little attention is given to solving the largest source of downtime – configuration-related outages due to human error. Continue Reading

By

• Zeus Kerravala, senior vice president, Yankee Group

Network configuration management key to VoIP success

While companies spend millions on upgrading infrastructure for VoIP, little attention is given to solving the largest source of downtime – configuration-related outages due to human error. A well-defined change management process built around a configuration management system can virtually eliminate the "self-inflicted" errors, which currently account for about 60% of all network outages. Continue Reading

By

• Zeus Kerravala, ZK Research

Convergence, interoperability key in disaster planning

Convergence and interoperability are major factors in ensuring communications continuity in a disaster. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey, Senior News Writer

Top 10 mobile tips of 2006

Review of the popular mobile technical tips of 2006 from our stable of mobile experts; Lisa Phifer, Craig Mathias, Daniel Taylor, Kevin Beaver and Robbie Harrell. Continue Reading

Skype Trojan: Much ado about nothing?

This week in Security Blog Log: A Trojan horse has captured headlines by targeting Skype users. But some believe the threat is being blown out of proportion. Continue Reading

VoIP hacking exposed in new book

VoIP hacking is a reality, and in a new book, two VoIP security experts outline the tools and tricks to avoid a system-crushing hack. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey, Senior News Writer

Enterprises are open to Asterisk

Organisations have become so comfortable with VoIP and standards that open-source technologies like Asterisk are being given serious consideration over big iron PBX platforms. Learn all about Asterisk here. Continue Reading

By

• Leigha Cardwell-Bloss

Top 10 VoIP tips of 2006

Echo and latency issues top the list in 2006, as seen in our top 10 list of most popular tips. If you have missed any of these tips, now is the time to catch up before the end of the year. Continue Reading

Hosted VoIP eliminates cost, complexity

Hosted VoIP is being adopted at increasing rates as more and more companies look to avoid the excess costs and complexities of on-premise solutions. Continue Reading

By

• Kate Dostart, Associate Editor

VoIP management tools: Calculating ROI

Before purchasing management tools for VoIP, you may need to calculate the return on investment (ROI) to justify the cost of those tools. In this tip, Gary Audin explains how to calculate ROI and provides specific checklists for calculating the ROI for VoIP management tools. Continue Reading

By

• Gary Audin, Delphi Inc.

Hosted VoIP eliminates cost, complexity

Hosted VoIP is being adopted at increasing rates as more and more companies look to avoid the excess costs and complexities of on-premise solutions. Continue Reading

By

• Kate Dostart

Video conferencing brings desktop VoIP, app sharing

Voice, video and Web conferencing vendor Genesys adds desktop VoIP and enhanced application sharing to its collaboration lineup. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey, Senior News Writer

Managed and hosted VoIP: muddling through

For companies looking for an alternative to a premise-based phone system, there are plenty available, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Get a clearer understanding of exactly what's available so you can ask the right questions to get the managed or hosted service your firm needs. Continue Reading

By

• Zeus Kerravala, ZK Research

Managed and hosted VoIP: muddling through

Managed and Centrex and hosted, oh my! For companies looking for an alternative to a premise-based phone system, there are plenty available, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Get a clearer understanding of exactly what's available so you can ask the right questions to get the managed or hosted service your organization needs. Continue Reading

By

• Zeus Kerravala, ZK Research

How can a small business achieve high quality VoIP?

As a small trader, I must be able to communicate with my trading partners who are often in other countries. We use IP telephony to keep costs down. Can you suggest how I can have high quality VoIP calls that will exceed PSTN call quality? Continue Reading

By

• SearchVoIP Staff

Why do VoIP calls remain active after the phone call is ended?

For our small business needs, we use a Linksys PAP for our IP telephony service. Sometimes though, we noticed that the call will remain active after we have ended the call and hung up. How do we configure the ATA or gateway to avoid this problem? Continue Reading

By

• SearchVoIP Staff

Why is UDP used more in VoIP than TCP?

If UDP is unreliable, why is it used more in VoIP rather than TCP? Continue Reading

By

• SearchVoIP Staff

What is the difference between VoIP, CTI and IP telephony?

What is the difference between VoIP, CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) and IP telephony? Continue Reading

By

• SearchVoIP Staff

Can VoIP work on a GPRS-enabled mobile phone?

Is it possible to use VoIP on GPRS-enabled mobile phones? Continue Reading

By

• SearchVoIP Staff

When should a VoIP system be analyzed and with what tools?

We have recently implemented a VoIP network with separate VLANs and QoS. It all seemed to be working fine when it first went in, but recently, certain people have been complaining about sound breakup whilst talking to customers on the phone. Continue Reading

By

• SearchVoIP Staff

VoIP news briefs: Verizon Business, TheInfoPro and Ovum

Verizon Business introduces a new management portal; TheInfoPro looks at the rate of VoIP adoption; and Ovum warns of VoIP security threats. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey, Senior News Writer

Is the SANS Top 20 still useful?

This week in Security Blog Log: Some experts ponder whether the SANS Institute's Top 20 vulnerability list is as valuable than it once was. Others weigh in on the VoIP threat. Continue Reading

How is average repair time determined for both a TDM PBX and a VoIP system?

I am trying to find some statistics on average time to repair or troubleshoot VoIP and TDM PBX. We heard PBX takes 30 minutes versus VoIP at 4.5 hours -- is this true? Continue Reading

By

• SearchVoIP Staff

How can VoIP be integrated into an existing PBX system?

I am trying to integrate VoIP into my existing PBX system. I have a Talkswitch 48CVA which supports both PSTN and VoIP lines. My main phone number is a landline which forwards calls to my VoIP line when my status is busy or I do not answer. Continue Reading

By

• SearchVoIP Staff

SANS: VoIP, zero-day threats surge

Digital miscreants are using VoIP and a growing pile of zero-day flaws to launch a ferocious wave of targeted, financially-motivated attacks, according to the SANS Institute. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

IM, Skype, P2P open security holes: Survey

IM, Skype, Web conferencing and other real-time applications are a major concern to IT, but end users seem to shrug off the risks, a new survey has found. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey, Senior News Writer

VoIP security safeguards -- they may be there already

Protecting your VoIP system may be easier than you think, especially since many of the necessary tools are already there. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey, Senior News Writer

VoIP convergence: Managing staffing issues

Companies making the transition to IP telephony must find a way to converge their voice and data networks -- and the employees who work on them. Continue Reading

By

• Amy Kucharik, TechTarget

Juniper Networks' enterprise router takes aim at Cisco branches

Juniper's new branch office J-Series routers provide all-in-one security, VoIP, WAN acceleration box to rival Cisco's ISR router. Continue Reading

By

• Amanda Mitchell, News Editor

VoIP convergence: Managing staffing issues

Companies making the transition to IP telephony must find a way to converge their voice and data networks -- and the employees who work on them. Continue Reading

By

• Amy Kucharik, TechTarget

Net neutrality: All or nothing, or somewhere in between?

The notion of net neutrality can hinder VoIP QoS guarantees and thus has incited a contentious debate. Continue Reading

By

• Leigha Cardwell-Bloss, Site Editor

Cisco launches mega videoconferencing system

Cisco Systems Inc. has talked about TelePresence and demonstrated it, and now it's finally something enterprises can buy, but at six figures it's a high price to pay. Continue Reading

By

• Amanda Mitchell

How does the service provider differentiate between data and VoIP as data?

For our mobile devices in trucks, we use GSM/GPRS communication. Our customers are paying for a certain data amount -- depending on the service package to which they subscribe. We use a modem in our device, which can do both data and voice. But as I understand it, with VoIP, everything becomes data. So, is it cheaper for the user if they use VoIP? How will operators handle this from a business model perspective? Will they expand the data amount packages or will they need to differentiate between 'regular' data and VoIP data? And a technical question: how much VoIP data am I consuming if I have a one minute voice conversation? Continue Reading

By

• SearchVoIP Staff

Comparing VoIP vendors

For many companies, the tough decision isn't whether to use IP telephony or not -- it's which vendor to choose. We've collected some of Carrie Higbie's tips and tricks for vendor selection, garnered from her "Ask-the-Expert" section. Carrie regularly answers your questions on the topic of "Preparing your network for VoIP." We've included links to her answers about comparing VoIP vendors for further information. Continue Reading

Comparing VoIP vendors

For many companies, the tough decision isn't whether to use IP telephony or not -- it's which vendor to choose. We've collected some of Carrie Higbie's tips and tricks for vendor selection, garnered from her 'Ask-the-Expert' section. Carrie regularly answers your questions on the topic of 'Preparing your network for VoIP.' We've included links to her answers about comparing VoIP vendors for further information. Continue Reading

By

• Carrie Goetz, StrategITcom LLC

EMC plays catch-up with Clariion

Clariion arrays now have support for both Fibre Channel and iSCSI in one box, as well as other features that competitors have been using against EMC for some time. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

Xiotech, Pillar scale down, support iSCSI

Xiotech, Pillar introduce entry-level iSCSI arrays; Overland loses Dell deal; EMC and IBM report earnings. Continue Reading

By

• SearchStorage.com Editors

Cisco ramps up unified communications tools

Cisco last week released a host of new products to enhance its suite of unified communications tools, including an IP phone that's easier for end users to accept. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey, News Writer

Does Spanning Tree Protocol have an adverse effect on VoIP?

Do you know if Spanning Tree has an adverse effect upon VoIP? If so, what is the best way to provide LAN-based switch redundancy to VoIP gateways? Continue Reading

By

• SearchVoIP Staff

Briefs: VoIP management; mobile E911; and Windows 2003 support

Qovia releases its new VoIP management system; 911 Enable made E911 mobile and Codima announced support for Windows 2003 server. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey, News Writer

Column: The myths and realities of VoIP security

Security is often cited as one of the primary reasons organizations have not deployed VoIP. The biggest VoIP security threat is not making headlines. Zeus Kerravala, Yankee Group analyst, cuts through the hype so network managers can maximize the reliability of their voice network. Continue Reading

By

• Zeus Kerravala, ZK Research

Voice over IP Fundamentals: Chapter 9, 'Billing and Mediation Services'

Voice over IP Fundamentals: Chapter 9, 'Billing and Mediation Services' Continue Reading

IP telephony unites New Orleans nonprofit after Katrina

Hurricane Katrina nearly disbanded the Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, until the nonprofit rolled out a hosted voice solution Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey, News Writer

VoIP user experience tested

Most VoIP monitoring is focused on quality of service, but one new company is taking a different tack and looking at the quality of experience. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey

Calling network management vendors: It's time to get on board with VoIP

Despite the hype, full-scale VoIP deployments are hard to find. According to our research at Yankee Group, over 80% of U.S. enterprises have VoIP deployed somewhere in their organization in some shape or form. This includes departmental trials and development environments. These kinds of statistics combined with a frenzy of media and vendor hype would leave one with the impression that we're right around the corner from ubiquitous VoIP and if you haven't deployed it yet, you're a luddite and you're putting your business at risk. However, digging a little deeper into our research we discover that a mere 6% of U.S. enterprises have VoIP running throughout their organization and caution is more the norm than the exception Continue Reading

By

• Zeus Kerravala, ZK Research

Is there a generic blueprint for an IP-based call center?

Is there a generic blueprint for an IP-based call center? Where could I find one? Continue Reading

By

• SearchVoIP Staff

VoIP still a confusing area for SMBs

A study released at today's VON conference in Boston suggests that SMBs -- despite their growing use of VoIP -- are still confused about VoIP technology. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey, News Writer

Fast Guide: VoIP encryption

A guide to encryption within VoIP networks Continue Reading

VoIP startup untethers would-be mobile workers from wireline office phones

VoIP startup DiVitas Networks has voice-over-WiFi-to-cellular technology in the works that gives endusers access to enterprise apps and puts dual-mode handset management in the hands of network administrators. Continue Reading

By

• Amanda Mitchell, News Editor

VoIP startup untethers would-be mobile workers from wireline office phones

VoIP startup DiVitas Networks has voice-over-WiFi-to-cellular technology in the works that gives endusers access to enterprise apps and puts dual-mode handset management in the hands of network administrators. Continue Reading

By

• Amanda Mitchell

VoIP outsourcing: Save money and gain flexibility

VoIP outsourcing is the way to go for organisations looking to deploy voice services quickly and flexibly without a major investment in skills and upkeep. Continue Reading

By

• Amanda Mitchell, News Editor

VoIP outsourcing: Save money and gain flexibility

VoIP outsourcing is the way to go for organizations looking to deploy voice services quickly and flexibly without a major investment in skills and upkeep. Continue Reading

By

• Amanda Mitchell

Revamped Cisco WAFS worth the wait, users say

Months late, Cisco has finally released a combined Wan optimisation and WAFS product, while startups like Riverbed have been snapping up the customers. But some Cisco beta testers say it has been worth the wait. Continue Reading

By

• Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer

Instant messaging boom brings security concerns

Instant messaging (IM) has made significant inroads to the enterprise, but using public IM applications may open up security holes in the network. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey

VoIP outsourcing: Save money while gaining flexibility

VoIP outsourcing is the way to go for firms looking to deploy voice services quickly and flexibly without a major investment in skills and upkeep. Continue Reading

By

• Amanda Mitchell, News Editor

AT&T breach affects 19,000 customers

Online outlaws hacked into an AT&T computer system and stole credit card data on thousands of customers. AT&T has offered to pay for credit monitoring services for those affected. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Column: VoIP applications fuel the next wave of VoIP innovation

The first phase of VoIP is nearing the end and corporations will soon find a variety of third-party desktop applications that run on VoIP. Has VoIP improved the day-to-day for end users? Continue Reading

By

• Zeus Kerravala, ZK Research

Briefs: VoiceCon in the news

This week at VoiceCon we saw everything from managed VoIP services to IP phones made to make mobile workers right at home, wherever they are. Continue Reading

By

• Amanda Mitchell, News Editor

Cisco struggles with SIP firewall flaw

Cisco admits it can't reproduce a SIP security flaw in its PIX firewall that was first identified by a researcher at Black Hat. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Briefs: VoIP in the news

Asterisk maker Digium gets major funding; Quintum's VoIP switch offers backup option for branch office; The Cisco Store makes the case for unified communications. Continue Reading

By

• Amanda Mitchell

Cisco says it can't reproduce PIX flaw

Ever since a researcher at Black Hat outlined a flaw in the PIX firewall, Cisco has been trying to reproduce the security hole. So far, the company has been unsuccessful. Continue Reading

By

• Bill Brenner

Cisco boosts VoIP certification

The upgraded CCNP midlevel Cisco certification now incorporates VoIP, security and wireless to boost converged network skills among enterprise professionals. Continue Reading

By

• Amanda Mitchell, News Editor

VoIP call quality on the decline

Advances in technology have made VoIP more common, but that hasn't stopped VoIP call quality from dropping steadily over the last 18 months, according to a recent study by Brix Networks. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew R. Hickey, News Writer

Vendors reject preferential knowledge sharing

While Cisco continues to investigate a potential PIX firewall flaw, it and other vendors say sharing security information quickly and indiscriminately is always the best policy. Continue Reading

By

• Michael Mimoso, TechTarget

Possible Cisco zero-day exploit revealed at Black Hat

Details of an alleged flaw related to SIP and PIX appliances, briefly mentioned in a Wednesday Black Hat presentation, are being kept under wraps as Cisco and US-CERT investigate. Continue Reading

By

• Michael Mimoso, TechTarget

Case study: A valuable solution

A new telephony and call centre solution from Inter-Tel has transformed the way that e.surv Chartered Surveyors is able to work. Continue Reading

Be careful you don't get more than you pay for with VoIP

Implementing VoIP is attractive for all companies in particular SMBs. However, there are issues to address that may cost you more than what you save Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Voicing concerns on Skype

Skype has blazed a trail in the Voice over IP arena; its popularity hasn’t gone unnoticed by the hacker community however Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Quiz: What's your infosec IQ?

We've collected our toughest questions to see how well you stand up to a challenge. Put your knowledge to the test and let us know how you do. Continue Reading

VoIP turns up the heat on firewalls

New research shows that many organizations are increasingly concerned about VoIP security and plan to augment their firewalls within the next year, changing the landscape of the firewall market. Continue Reading

By

• Eric Parizo, Senior Analyst

VoIP and IPT are hot tickets for the IT industry

Voice over IP (VoIP) and IP telephony (IPT) are the hot tickets in the current IT industry. In the space of two weeks in late May and June 2005, two major European trade shows — VON 2005 and VoIP for Business —have each exhibited a welter of products and services that seem wonderfully compelling. Continue Reading

By

• David Bicknell

VoIP encryption to have 'Pretty Good Privacy

 Continue Reading

By

• Shawna McAlearney, News Editor

Gartner underscores five overblown threats

Two Gartner analysts debunk five overhyped security risks they claim are causing companies to miss out on some key emerging technologies. Continue Reading

By

• Amy Storer, News Writer

Whisky galore with IP

Chivas can toast future success thanks to a cost-effective IP data network Continue Reading

IP everything, essentially

What are the fundamental deliverables of IP networks? How can you use IP networks to gain financial benefits in addition to... Continue Reading

The basis of profitability

Not so long ago, you didn't have much choice - your IT and communications requirements were acquired, implemented and maintained... Continue Reading

Management matters

Cath Everett finds out how you stay on top of networking. What are the management issues related to your telecoms and networks... Continue Reading

Over-specify when buying low cost replacement for Frame Relay

A project manager reveals how a VPN saved £275,000 a year Continue Reading

By

• Peter Skipwith

Cisco SNMP flaw allows for DoS attacks

A coding flaw in Cisco's IOS software for certain routers and switches could leave networks vulnerable to denial-of-service attacks. Continue Reading

By

• Anne Saita, TechTarget

The VPN dilemma

With traditional networks choking on data, Liz Biddlecombe investigates the pros and cons of managing a VPN yourself or... Continue Reading