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.
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