subject: Protect Your Voip Phone Lines With Encryption [print this page] There are many businesses making the switch to VoIP phone systems these days. Whether it is because they are looking to save money or they are looking to get more options, this service is now the most popular type of professional phone service. The only problem many companies are facing is that they are not willing to invest the money needed to encrypt their phone lines. This creates a security hazard which is not fully understood by those using the phones.
While federal regulations like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act try to make improvements in the security of communication, it is still the responsibility of the individual business to secure their lines. While VoIP are the most popular telephone systems, they are also the most vulnerable to attack.
The reason why thieves will look to infiltrate your VoIP business telephone systems is because they are looking to gain information. You are able to store a lot more information about your contacts on your VoIP phone system. This is valuable information not just because it allows you to be more personable with every client. It is valuable information to others because they will be able to contact your clients through debt leads or to commit identity theft by getting enough information about your clients.
Stopping hackers from getting into your telephone systems is extremely important because they have the ability to access your information from anywhere in the world. The good news is there are many companies which will allow you to encrypt your phone calls by installing the right software. In some cases, you will have to upgrade to better software. The point is that you will be able to get ahead of the game and secure your information in a very quick and easy fashion.
A drawback to the encryption software is that while it protects you on your end, it does not do anything to protect your client on their end. If a business installs good encryption software on their business telephone systems, it is a good idea to encourage your clients to do the same. This way you will be sure that everything they are saying will remain safe on both ends of the call.
Another incentive to encrypt the phone systems you have now is that there will be regulations on the books soon. Bills like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are paving the way for tougher telecommunications security regulations. These are laws which have already been enforced in many of the countries across seas. Members of congress have vowed that they will help to secure the phone calls made by all. This is evidence they are getting ready to unveil bills with clear language about not just VoIP phone systems. They will require all phone calls to be encrypted.
Companies who already have encryption systems installed will not have to worry about anything. They will be able to continue with business as usual while the rest of the companies scramble to install new encryption software. Once the law is mandated, any companies not in compliance will face serious allegations.
Looking at the current laws, you can see where they might have been talking about VoIP, yet it was not mentioned anywhere in the laws. This is because it is not until there have been problems with the current laws can any changes be made which will tighten up the language into something which will be understandable by all. Once the language is discovered, there will be a grace period under which all companies will have to get the new business phone systems installed in their office.
If you are thinking about jumping ship, it is important to remember that while the VoIP systems in general are dangerous for you and your clients, a regular phone line is even more dangerous. This is because there is no way to encrypt your calls right from the handset. You will need to replace all of the hardware and possibly even upgrade the lines which run throughout your office. This is an enormous expense with no possible way to recuperate the expense.
While VoIP service is not cheap, it is possible for you to save a lot of money on the calls you are making. This is because you will not have to pay anything to make phone calls within country. You will also have to pay very little in order to make phone calls around the world. This will allow you to get the money back that you spent on the encryption service as well as some assurance for the future through better security.
