Making IP Telephony an Easy Call

Enterprise Networks & Servers, Aug 2004 by Thornborrow, Renaye

Preparing for Convergence

Sending converged traffic over an infrastructure that was not properly prepared for voice is a common mistake made by companies without experience in converged networking. Most data infrastructures are not prepared to handle voice traffic. Conducting a network audit to determine network readiness is strongly recommended. An audit should include examining network device status to ensure that the devices can be configured for managing quality of service (QoS), assessing bandwidth requirements to ensure that the network can handle the traffic flow without impacting voice quality, and assessing network security to prevent a security breach of the data infrastructure that carries both voice and data traffic.

Securing converged networks is a hot topic in the IP telephony world today. The legacy telephony environment is inherently more secure than an IP telephony environment because it is a closed architecture. A closed architecture is not an attractive target for hackers or prone to Web-propagated attacks.

IP telephony solutions are more vulnerable because they are part of the data network. Viruses, worms and other denial of service attacks that impact your data network can impact your ability to make phone calls as well if you are not properly protected. Fortunately, securing a converged network does not require different technology or expertise than securing a standalone data network; it requires diligence.

It is important to treat security as a process, not as a technology. Installing firewalls or intrusion detection devices is only beneficial if they are monitored and managed around the clock. According to Computer security Institute, 33 percent of companies who are attacked already have a firewall installed. Diligent patch management is also key. Patches are released on a monthly, sometimes weekly, basis and must be evaluated and applied to ensure security. Most IP telephony equipment vendors have security guidelines that will help you maintain a secure environment.

During the planning, design arid implementation stage it is a good idea to engage a consultant, reseller or integrator to work in partnership with you. Although there are many tools available to step you through the process, an expert who has actually designed and implemented converged solutions can save you time, money and heartache in the end.

Flipping the Switch

One of the most overlooked aspects of moving to convergence is planning for the ongoing support. META Group recently commented on this issue stating: "Users planning IP telephony deployments must plan and deploy management concurrently with the actual planning and deployment of the telephony technology itself... management as an afterthought is unacceptable."

Whether you manage convergence yourself, or outsource the support, focus on 24 x 365 monitoring and remote management.

Constant Monitoring

Around-the-clock monitoring of all of the security devices, routers, switches, and voice gateways as well as the IP PBX and voice mail systems is critical for proactive problem resolution and support. Routers and switches are now your "switching matrix" and are key to good quality of service. Proactively monitoring for issues such as queue depth and dropped packets can help prevent voice quality problems.