Security Costs of SIP Trunking

SIP trunking is appealing for several reasons, such as decreased costs, improved scalability, better disaster recovery options, and productivity benefit accessibility. A recent article highlights one area that companies underestimate the importance of and frequently overlook to be security. Threats of different types of telecom fraud loom over businesses who are also liable if a fraud attack were to breach their system.

It is important for any business looking towards implementing SIP trunking to make the following considerations.

Viability of SIP Trunking with Your Current Communications Infrastructure

The first step is to make sure your current communications infrastructure is viable for SIP trunking. This will help you avoid doing extra legwork if it's not viable.

Judging Capacity

Flexibility and scalability improves greatly when transitioning from ISDN to SIP. Businesses are able to alter the number of channels easily and in adherence with demand. New channels can be activated within minutes instead of a few days with ISDN.

Additional Hardware

If your existing PBX does not support SIP, your business can either deploy a new PBX or search for a firm that offers a SIP to ISDN gateway. If an IP interface on the PBX exists, additional hardware is not necessary. It is important to understand that a SIP trunk leading straight to the business can pose to be a large security risk. However, VoIP connections can be made secure by using a Session Border Controller (SBC).

Be Aware of VoIP Security

It is important to understand and become familiar with the security risks related to SIP trunking. Take note of the terms in the contract and the liability that your business would be responsible for. Who would pay for the expense of a fraud attack?

Acquire Secure SIP

Once a company has realized the importance of securing its VoIP service, the next step is to be proactive and look for a solution that is the best fit for their requirements.