Network World
Saturday, November 22, 2008
DNSstuff.com
Get information about your IP
IP Information
50+ On-demand DNS and network tools

Considering Convergence

Navigation

Security: From Then To Now

Security, in any sense, is an ever-evolving subject. At any "piece" of the puzzle, security standards, practices, and strategies rarely stay the same. When it comes to Unified Communications, Convergence, and VoIP, the same is true. In the last few years, much has obviously evolved.

When introducing voice applications and services, those of which are obviously critical, moved to an IP environment, a Pandora's Box of sorts was opened. Telecom managers that were used to operating "closed" TDM and analog voice infrastructures were forced to change, and fast. In the midst of feature deployment, massive endpoint rollouts, and new system management functions, security can easily be forgotten.

Simply put, in any IP environment, managing security becomes more complex than any previous system in place. There are many new potential attack vectors, points of entry, and vulnerabilities to consider. Understanding that all threats do not originate from external sources, a converged data and voice network can pose some major problems.

What do you think? How have you adapted your telecommunications environment to be more secure?

Next week, I'll post 10 strategies for securing your converged communications infrastructure.

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <i> <b> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <blockquote> <br /> <br> <p>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • You can use BBCode tags in the text.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.

More information about formatting options

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

About Matthew Nickasch

Nickasch has been very involved in IT since he was just 13. His current and previous consulting experience includes systems architecture, virtualization, and converged networks for the financial, education, and healthcare industries. Matthew currently attends the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, where he also works as a network management assistant. While his interests include directory services and routing protocols, Nickasch's focus is on converged networks and voice over IP.

RSS feed XML feed

Nickasch's archive.

The opinions expressed in this Weblog are those of the writer and may not represent the opinions of Network World.

Advertisement: