Risks and Security Issues

In earlier articles in this series on VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), we’ve looked at what it is and how it can benefit both individuals and businesses. One of the main reasons that it hasn’t taken off earlier, or in a bigger way, is due to concerns with the quality of the VoIP service. While this issue has now been at least substantially resolved, other risk issues have arisen which need to be addressed. These issues are already being overcome and are unlikely to slow take-up of VoIP in Australia or worldwide. Businesses in particular though need to consider and plan for these issues as part of any VoIP solution.

Security
While the quality of internet telephony has significantly improved, there are still some inherent security risks to be aware of. KPMG, in a recent whitepaper entitled Voice over IP - decipher and decide, stated that “the increased technical complexity of integrating voice and data into one network further increases an organisation's dependence on network availability. Many organisations fail to recognise that with this increased technical complexity come increased security and availability risks that must be appropriately assessed, and the necessary risk management measures applied.”

As VoIP relies on sending data through a packet-based system, it is open to problems like viruses and denial-of-service attacks. Similarly, hackers can also access corporate IP systems or even tap into VoIP calls. These problems, although likely to be relatively rare, are being overcome by the major IP system developers. The bigger players in this market have already introduced new security initiatives including encryption of voice data and enhancement of unified messaging systems.

Other Risk Factors
Apart from security-related issues, there are several other factors to be considered, including:

• Reliability – As VoIP relies on computer systems, any crash, power outage or similar event could have major consequences. As part of any proposed implementation, backup and redundancy issues need to be addressed.
• Quality – VoIP has had a reputation for poor voice quality compared to standard phone systems. This reputation has changed in recent times with significant improvements in both software and hardware. Some inconsistency of voice quality may remain an issue until system compatibility issues are fully resolved.
• Dependency – As VoIP and data are linked in a business environment, any problem with one area automatically affects the other.
• Regulations – Governments around the world are still trying to come to terms with how to regulate VoIP or whether it’s appropriate to even do so. Changes in this area could influence the cost and future use of internet telephony generally.

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