VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, enables phone calls over the internet instead of traditional phone lines, offering businesses and users a secure communication option. Encryption plays a key role in VoIP security, converting audio into encrypted digital data during transmission, preventing unauthorized access or interception. This blog explores how VoIP serves as a secure alternative to traditional landlines, safeguarding sensitive information for businesses and ensuring customer safety.
VoIP enhances security through secure servers, commonly used by providers like CallHarbor. These servers, situated in protected data centers, are managed by skilled professionals, offering defense against cyber threats. Beyond encryption and secure servers, VoIP, exemplified by CallHarbor, provides additional security features like call forwarding, voicemail, and caller ID blocking, enhancing protection against unwanted calls and safeguarding employee privacy. CallHarbor takes further measures, including three privately operated geo-redundant servers, two-factor authentication, and a commitment to reliable products, setting it apart from competitors in ensuring customer information security.
Geo-Redundant Points of Presence
With CallHarbor’s three points of presence, our servers and networks stay up and running. Even in the event of an outage, you can be sure your system continues to function as normal, keeping you and your customers secure and connected. Our three points of presence are in located in Detroit, MI, Atlanta, GA, and Phoenix, AZ, and are fully active sites – not just failover sites. All of your information and features are still fully accessible, no matter which point of presence your phone system is being hosted out of. Since we’ve switched to the model of hosting from three points of presence, we haven’t had any full service outages, running over 8 years!
Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a security system that requires two distinct forms of identification in order to access something. Two-factor authentication can be used to strengthen the security of an online account, a smartphone, or even a door. 2FA does this by requiring two types of information from the user—a password or personal identification number (PIN), a code sent to the user’s smartphone (called a message authentication code)
Using Two Factor Authentication to access your CallHarbor system will add peace of mind and provide stronger protection against unauthorized access to your system and your data. By having your users set up on Two Factor Authentication, we’re able to mitigate threats and add another layer of security.
DDoS Protection
Another extra source of protection that CallHarbor is utilizing is DDoS Protection with Cloudflare Magic Transit, and industry-leading DDoS mitigation solution. Using Cloudflare, we are provided with a range of third-party measures to protect against DDoS attacks. Some of the techniques that Cloudflare supply us include rate limiting, traffic filtering and others. In the event of an attack, Cloudflare ensures your system and data stay up and running and protected.
STIR/SHAKEN
The STIR/SHAKEN framework, an industry-standard technology for authenticating caller ID, is a set of rules and protocols designed to ensure the accuracy of caller information for calls transmitted over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. As this implementation continues to advance, it aims to instill greater confidence among Americans that the caller ID details they see are reliable. Additionally, it empowers voice service providers to offer valuable information to consumers, aiding them in deciding which calls to answer.
STIR/SHAKEN, which stands for Secure Telephone Identity Revisited (STIR) and Signature-based Handling of Asserted Information Using toKENs (SHAKEN), comprises a connected set of standards. This system allows calls traversing interconnected phone networks to be “signed” as legitimate by the originating carriers. These signed calls can then be verified to confirm the legitimacy of phone calls as they move through the intricate network of communication channels. This process enables the consumer’s phone company to verify that the displayed caller ID number corresponds to the actual origin of the call.
Sources: Vipvoip, Cisco, Forbes, Investopedia