How secure is VoIP?

Even with all of these benefits, you’re probably still asking a critical question: "Is VoIP secure enough for my business to depend on?"

The answer is: “it depends.”

More than half of businesses surveyed recently cited security as a potential issue in their deployment of VoIP systems. But many providers offer business-level security through their VoIP solutions.

The key lies in network security – if your network is adequately secured for running critical business applications, then that security will also effectively protect voice systems. In fact, according to Cisco Systems a properly secured IP telephony network can be more trusted than a PBX system because of the coverage and sophistication of network security technologies. In addition, converting voice traffic to data bits prevents the most common methods of service theft, eavesdropping, and disruption that are used on traditional PBX and voicemail systems.

Many hosted VoIP solutions automatically provide strong, carrier-grade security by centrally managing firewalls and server security patches and fixes. Hosted service customers don’t have to spend many time-consuming man-hours doing these activities. Hosted equipment also typically has excellent physical security because it is in a well-guarded and secure data center. To minimise and eliminate threats from outside of the network, it’s a good idea to implement a private connection to your carrier.