By Brad Reese, Network World |

Agito claims its new SRV software will enable cellular users to avoid outrageous international roaming charges

At next week's Interop NY, enterprise fixed mobile convergence (eFMC) vendor Agito Networks is unveiling a functionality called Secure Remote Voice (SRV). It is aimed at delivering enterprise-grade mobile voice to users on non-enterprise networks, such as home, hotel, and public Wi-Fi hot spots. Agito claims that the SRV will enable mobile and remote workers, as well as teleworkers, to securely use any Wi-Fi access point (including consumer-grade APs, such as those from Linksys) or broadband Internet access, through a secure, encrypted tunnel. Agito says SRV helps address the lack of cellular coverage at home or in hotel rooms, and enables international travelers to avoid paying outrageous international roaming charges (many at greater than $2.00/min) by using free home, hotel, or public Wi-Fi.

Agito went on to explain that SRV works by creating a secure tunnel, via the SSL protocol, between the mobile phone and the Agito RoamAnywhere Mobility Router. This secure connection is application specific – it tunnels only mobile VoIP traffic – allowing other applications such as email or web browsers to access the Internet normally. Agito notes that the entire call is encrypted, claiming that other products send mobile VoIP in the clear over the Internet causing compliance issues (i.e. Sarbanes Oxley, SEC, HIPAA). Agito says that its latest release of RoamAnywhere establishes an automatic SSL tunnel for a secure voice tunnel, while other applications and processes such as Web browsing operate normally outside of the secure Agito connection.

Agito claims SRV does not change the user experience as mobile workers may not realize it is enabled other then seeing a small "lock icon" on their phones, signaling that they are communicating over a secure connection. Users place and receive calls as they normally would. This new encrypted voice function also has negligible performance and battery life impact, claims Agito. As far as rollout, Agito explains that the RoamAnywhere Mobility Router enables deployment via group-based policies – administrators can enable the groups and users they would like to have this capability and the configuration is pushed to the mobile phones over the air. The system also uses digital certificates to simplify authentication and uses industry standard SSL allowing security administrators to use existing firewall policies. Through this new release, Agito believes that enterprises can benefit from SRV in a number of ways, including:

Eliminating the need for softphones. Most mobile workers have mobile phones, and with SRV they can now have coverage at home or on the road. Softphones are yet another application that enterprise IT has to deploy and manage on the laptop. Softphones can also be inconvenient for mobile workers, requiring mobile workers to be parked in front of their laptops speaking through headsets. SRV provides all of the same functionality on a device mobile workers already have – their mobile phones.

Reducing cellular charges. Many enterprises are seeing cellular expense as the fastest growing section of their telecom budgets, often international dialing and roaming being the most expensive. SRV significantly reduces international roaming charges by using WiFi and VoWLAN from hotspots and hotels, eliminating expensive $2.00/min roaming calls. A typical conference call on the cellular network which lasts for 20 minutes would cost $40. With SRV, that same call is at no cost because it is done securely over WiFi and avoids cellular charges.

What is your take on Agito's Secure Remote Voice software?

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Brad Reese is research manager at BradReese.Com, advancing the careers of 600,000-plus certified individuals in the growing Cisco Career Certification Program.

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