Telecom security often goes unnoticed. It's not that security isn't important in PBXes, media gateways, access servers, and other equipment, but security in the Convergence field can be forgotten. Here are 5 Tips For Better Telecom Security:

1 - Maintain The Physical Infrastructure:
Telecommunications environments are complicated beings. They often contain miles upon miles of cable, require multiple points-of-presence, and are difficult to maintain. Sloppy moves-adds-changes can leave you wondering "what goes where". Conduct frequent analysis sessions to document and maintain your physical infrastructure. Know what telecom closets serve which areas. Most importantly, identify potential attack vectors, such as public area jacks and other methods of entry. Identify, document, and continuously maintain.

2 - Effectively Managed Classes of Service:
COS is one of the necessary evils in telecom switch management. Class of service settings manage what permissions the effective user has when utilizing features or destinations on the switch. As users change, locations change, etc, it's important to keep a running log of effective permissions.

3 - Change Default Passwords:
Obvious, but often forgotten. Every piece of gear comes with a default password, but as many as 50-60 % forget to change these default passwords. Do a password audit now before the equipment is compromised.

4 - Patch, Patch, Patch:
Security patches, like all updates, aren't all that exciting. Most likely, new features are not added in security-centric software releases. However, telecom equipment requires a secure operating environment to deliver service, and a piece of equipment that is missing a patch could cause a major outage to thousands of users.

5 - Maintain Healthy vendor Relationships:
Vendors are important. They are often an integral part of keeping your communications environment secure and available. Request frequent on-site visits from your vendor, and perform bi-yearly security audits to ensure compliance.