Pennsylvania State University Chooses Qovia for VoIP Management; Monitoring and Management System a Key Component in Keeping IP Telephone Network Secure

Business Wire, Jan 10, 2006

FREDERICK, Md. -- College campuses and others in the education market have fully embraced IP telephony systems as a powerful, money-saving and feature-rich alternative to traditional phone systems. But the challenges faced in managing these large systems to maintain both call quality and system security are vast. That's why the Pennsylvania State University has implemented the Qovia IP Telephony Manager from Qovia, Inc., the technology and market leader in enterprise IP telephony management.

"Education institutions are among the most advanced in their acceptance of Voice over IP (VoIP)," said Qovia CEO David Woodall. "Because they are on the cutting edge, they are also the first to feel the full effects of the limitations of the systems themselves. They need deep insight into their systems to ensure that the voice quality remains high, while the systems remain secure. That's why many, including Penn State, are working with Qovia."

Placing a Premium on Security

Penn State first started researching VoIP back in 1998, and in 2002 it deployed its Cisco system in earnest. The University Park campus is now home to close to 6000 VoIP phones and continues to grow. From the start, Penn State placed a priority on security, choosing to lock down handsets to specific ports rather than allowing the handset portability that is one of VoIP's key features and benefits.

"We only allow predefined IP telephones to attach to the network," said Phil Coolick, network services manager in the Information Technology Services department at Penn State. "We lock the MAC address of the telephone to the switch port. This protects the core equipment from problems such as viruses by eliminating the possibility of a rogue device such as a laptop being used in a VoIP port."

Coolick, however, wanted to add the mobility aspect without sacrificing security. He and his team sat down with Qovia's engineers to develop a system that would meet his needs.

"The sales person brought an engineer with him, which is always a good thing, and they listened rather than telling me what we need," noted Coolick. The new-found mobility adds a layer of complexity in regards to E911 compliance, but Coolick notes that it's not a major problem, and he is working with the university to ensure that the system complies with the still-emerging policy in this area.

About Qovia, Inc.

Qovia(R) significantly eases the complexity of planning, monitoring and managing enterprise Internet phone networks. Providing dynamic discovery of VoIP resources and unmatched, minute-by-minute visibility into how IP telephony networks are performing, the Qovia IP Telephony Manager aggregates and analyzes IP telephony information to deliver timely call-by-call quality. Its intuitive dashboard shows a VoIP-centric view of critical IP telephony resources, allowing IT organizations to meet business objectives. Customers can use Qovia to increase the reliability and utilization of their IP telephony investments, increase end-user satisfaction and better manage the bottom line. Qovia was founded in 2002 and is backed by Canaan Partners; BlueRun Ventures (formerly Nokia Venture Partners); Anthem Capital; and the State of Maryland. The company, which has earned nearly two dozen industry awards, can be found online at www.qovia.com.