Understanding VoIP Phone Systems

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Understanding VoIP Phone Systems

• Does it Add Value to Your Business?

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Synopsis

• Learn to Make the Best Use of Your VoIP Phones
• Few Steps You Should Take to Make Your VoIP
  Phones Secure
• Understanding the Importance of Using VoIP Phones
  in a Secure Way
• Few Things to Do Before and After Getting VoIP
  Phones
• Few Tips to Help You Utilize VoIP Phones Better

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Learn to Make the Best Use of Your VoIP Phones

• Take Advantage of Automatic Provisioning
• When you select a VoIP system, you will have to
  consider how many employees you have. A small
  business can do just fine with a standard VoIP
  phone. However, you will have several decisions
  to make in case you have 30-40 employees because
  installing a phone for each desk will be an
  extremely expensive proposition. This is when you
  make use of an option called "automatic
  provisioning". With this feature, you do not need
  an expert to install the settings because
  everything will be done through a server that has
  already been set up by the company. All you have
  to do is simply plug in the phone using the right
  cables and your employees will start making use
  of it.

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Learn to Make the Best Use of Your VoIP Phones

• Make Use of VoIP Apps
• One of the best advantages of VoIP phones is that
  they let you answer your calls from any device.
  Interestingly, you can now find VoIP apps that
  you can use on your mobile devices. You can also
  ask your employees to install the app on their
  phones and other mobile devices like laptops and
  even tablets. This way, they will be able to
  connect with the customers on the move. It is
  worth mentioning that some service providers
  offer their own special apps that you can use on
  multiple platforms. These apps may offer a wide
  range of features essential for a sales agent to
  deliver maximum satisfaction to the customers.
  Therefore, you should seriously think of taking
  advantage of this feature to run your business
  more efficiently.

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Few Steps You Should Take to Make Your VoIP
Phones Secure

• Start by configuring dial plans. It is also a
  good idea to make user profiles to ensure that
  everything works in a seamless way. You can take
  control of voice network by using device
  certificate to grant access to your employees.
  You may also consider setting up username and
  password for each profile.
• Use specific features to determine what types of
  calls could be received on the network. You can
  restrict different calls based on user, device,
  time of day and other criteria.
• Take advantage of the firewall feature. You can
  significantly lower the risk of security breach
  by using a firewall it is even better to set up
  some type of intrusion prevention system. Such
  security features help filter out unauthorized
  VoIP traffic. It will also enable you to monitor
  authorized traffic and keep track of unusual
  voice activities.

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Few Steps You Should Take to Make Your VoIP
Phones Secure

• A good idea to ensure maximum security while
  using VoIP phones is to lock voice servers
  physically. Centralize administration will lower
  security risk. You may also benefit from
  two-factor authentication, especially for
  administrative access. Ensure that only you can
  grant administrative access to signaling data,
  credentials, and configuration files.
• To ensure maximum security of your voice network,
  it is of immense importance to install OS updates
  at regular intervals. By doing so, you will never
  miss any new security update, which will help
  keep you save.
• Consider taking advantage of VLANs. By using this
  option, you will be in a much better position to
  segment voice traffic. You can also use VLANs to
  separate voice traffic from data traffic.

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Understanding the Importance of Using VoIP Phones
in a Secure Way

• Many businesses are often concerned about being
  attacked by cybercriminals while communicating
  over the internet. Eavesdropping on phone calls
  is a reality and can make you lose valuable data.
  Cybercriminals target professional services
  firms, financial institutions, and government
  agencies to acquire important data. Call centers
  are also their favorite targets because they can
  gain access to health records, confidential
  account information, and payment card data. What
  it means is that when using VoIP phones, there
  will always be a risk of having your voicemail
  hacked by some pros. It can translate into
  serious losses.
• When making the switch, be sure to talk to your
  vendor and inquire about the available security
  features. You should not let security
  vulnerabilities keep you from getting the
  productivity and financial benefits of VoIP phone
  systems.

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Understanding the Importance of Using VoIP Phones
in a Secure Way

• Just make sure that you do not decline any
  security services at the time of having your VoIP
  solution designed and implemented. Many
  businesses refuse to use any security services,
  saying that they will do it on their own.
  Statistics show that a large majority of business
  organizations becomes complacent and never gets
  the time to implement some security features.
• You have to understand that the features of VoIP
  phones are impressive, but VoIP risks are many,
  and often extend beyond voicemail hacks, toll
  fraud, and eavesdropping. It is extremely
  important to realize that hackers can use these
  phone systems to gain access to your business
  network. Therefore, it is important to take steps
  to protect your voice network. However, the
  problem is that in most cases, the security
  technologies and policies are rather complex,
  mainly depending on your unique business goals
  and the type of IP phone you are using.

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Few Things to Do Before and After Getting VoIP
Phones

• Determine Your Needs Before finalizing your
  decision, be sure to have an idea about your
  unique needs. You can now find different vendors
  offering VoIP phones with varying features. You
  may not need certain features, so you do not have
  to cough up extra money to get those features. A
  better understanding of your unique needs will
  make it much easier to decide which phone system
  will work best for you. Similarly, you need to
  pay attention to exactly how many employees will
  be using the system. You will also have to
  consider what hardware you already have available
  in your office. Getting information about your
  needs will also help you determine whether you
  need 1000 monthly minutes or you can handle your
  business needs with fewer minutes.

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Few Things to Do Before and After Getting VoIP
Phones

• Check the Quality of Your Internet Connection
  Keep in mind that VoIP phones would allow you
  make calls over the internet. Therefore, it is of
  utmost importance to ensure that your company
  internet connection is fast enough to handle the
  load. Without a high-speed internet connection,
  you will never get a good call quality and your
  calls may even drop more often. Sometimes, you
  think that your VoIP provider is not offering
  good quality services, but in reality, the issue
  is with your burdened internet connection. So, do
  not cut corners here and invest in fast broadband
  connection to get good results.
• Train Your Employees When you opt for VoIP phone
  systems, it is always a good idea to invest some
  time and money in employee's training. Proper
  training will ensure that your employees know how
  to utilize different features to perform their
  daily tasks more effectively. It is true that
  your employees do not require any serious
  training to start using the phone, but a little
  training can help them tap into the hidden
  features of VoIP systems. You can simply have a
  few training and informational sessions to help
  them learn about the advanced features of a VoIP
  system. The idea is to educate them to an extent
  that they could configure their phones on their
  own to suit their unique needs. These training
  sessions will also ensure that your employees do
  not waste time searching the websites to learn
  how to activate a certain feature.

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Few Tips to Help You Utilize VoIP Phones Better

• Put Your Money on Quality Hardware
• While it may feel tempting to save some money by
  going for substandard hardware, the move may cost
  you in the long-run. You should bear in mind that
  ultimately, you are installing a phone and it
  will be of no use if the voice quality is not
  that impressive. Using quality hardware ensures
  high quality of voice calls that can help your
  business in many ways. It is true that you should
  consider your budget constraints before investing
  in VoIP phones, but do not try to cut corners
  when you do not have to.

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Few Tips to Help You Utilize VoIP Phones Better

• Keep in mind that the quality of your calls
  depends heavily on your network speed and
  bandwidth, so you should be willing to spend some
  more to get better bandwidth. Some carriers
  charge you less but often experience heavy
  congestion, which can directly affect your call
  quality. Your calls may even drop more often,
  making you lose some serious business. So, be
  sure to invest in good quality phones because
  they also offer other features such as
  conferencing capabilities, bigger screens,
  programmable function buttons, and more.
• Look for an App for Your Mobile Devices
• One of the best things about using a VoIP system
  is that it allows you to make and answer your
  calls from any device. All you have to do is
  install a mobile app on your device. You may also
  ask your vendor to help you in this regard. Some
  vendors even come with their own apps that you
  can use on different mobile devices, including
  phone, laptop, and tablet. You should ask your
  employees to use the app on their mobile devices
  as well. By making this small move, your
  employees will be able to answer calls
  irrespective of their physical location.

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The End

• For more details, please visit
• http//www.dcstelecom.ca/voip-digital-phones/