Over the past few days, news has been spreading all over the internet about the British telecom firm, Vodafone. The only publicly-issued company in Europe allowing law enforcement agencies in six nearby countries to monitor, and interfere on users (inbound and outbound) phone calls without the carrier’s or user’s knowledge. The new revelations has been concerning many users—especially those who feel that their “personal-bubble” has been breached. Vodafone said it could not name the eavesdropping countries for legal reasons and for fear of a revolution against its business and staff.
Given limited options and fear for their security, users are unsure about their next choice in telecommunications. Whether it’s business or personal, VoIP security and encryption is a big concern for many. Here are a few ways to make sure you get that extra-layer of security for any VoIP you plan on using in the future…
Always use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
VPN phones are specified hardware (and occasionally software) equipment used to encrypt all of your internet traffic by re-routing your phone calls through an encrypted OpeVPN tunnel system. This system basically creates specifically secure point-to-point or site-to-site connection ensuring the most secure system.
Separate your VLAN from LAN
IP telephony uses and transfers data just like the internet. With emails, conversations, and business-related conferences the data has to remain secure and encrypted; most origination still use LAN’s (which combines your “voice/phone” data with the WHOLE internet). What needs to be done is to separate your Voice LAN’s (VLANS) from your LANS. By having a system that separates your voice data from your regular data—you are less likely to be heard-upon by random people.
Invest in TLS and SRTP
Investigate Transport Layer Security (TLS) encrypts the specific information that passes between two VoIP clients. Investigate Secure Real-Time Transfer Protocol (SRTP) is similar to TLS, but it specifically creates a unique encryption key for every phone call made. Combining both TLS and SRTP will make any type of virtual interception or eavesdropping impossible.
Whether it’s in Great Brittan or here in the States, voice and telephone security is a big issue. Well—at least here in the USA, there is Stratosphere Networks.
With Managed Firewalls, Hosted Applications, and Specified IT Managed Services—Stratosphere Networks will always watch your back.
To view our list of services and what we offer, please feel free to visit: http://www.itconsultingminneapolis.com/ or http://www.stratospherenetworks.com/
