Peer-to-Peer Blog: Combating the Seven Deadliest Attacks with an E-SBC

By David Byrd

The seven deadliest attacks on Unified Communications do not need to be fatal. However, they do require multiple approaches. First, here is the list as developed by Dan York. If you want to see details, please visit the Wednesday blog or read his book, the “Seven Deadliest Unified Communications Attacks.”

In addition to practices that an IT Department should be imposing on users, such as strong passwords, periodic changing of passwords, restricting various Internet activity, approving/certifying software, etc., IT departments should also consider the use of Enterprise Session Border Controllers (E-SBC).

An E-SBC will provide a strong firewall but also offer additional features. Steve Johnson, president of Ingate Systems, summarizes the role of an E-SBC as follows:

Alan Percy, director of Market Development at AudioCodes, also adds Interoperability between an IP PBX an ITSP, such as Broadvox, to the above list. According to Alan in SIP Trunking and the Increasing Importance of the E-SBC,” an E-SBC eliminates this issue (interoperability) by implementing a back-to-back user agent, essentially terminating one SIP session (using one set of rules) and establishing another session (with a different set of rules), interconnecting previously incompatible systems

Share this with your VARs, agents, customers and prospects. It may be the wild, wild, wild west out there, but there are a few sheriffs in town.

See you Monday.

David Byrd is vice president of marketing and sales for

Broadvox

, and is responsible for marketing and channel sales programs to SMBs, enterprises and carriers as well as defining the product offering. Prior to joining Broadvox, David was the Vice President of Channels and Alliances for Eftia and Telcordia. As Director of eBusiness Development with i2 Technologies, he developed major partnerships with many of the leaders in Internet eCommerce and supply chain management. As CEO of Planet Hollywood Online he was a pioneer in using early internet technologies to build a branded entertainment and eCommerce website company partnered with Planet Hollywood. Having over twenty years of Telecom sales and marketing experience, he has held executive positions with Hewlett-Packard, Sprint and Ericsson.