Security

7 Security Questions You Should Be Asking Your VoIP Provider

As VoIP services continue to advance, more and more businesses are now switching to this cloud-based phone system to experience it’s myriad of benefits. However, the security aspect of this cloud-based system still remains a concern among experts as incidences of fishing scams, phone hacking, and data breaches are still prevalent.

If you’re a business owner planning to switch your organization’s phone system to VoIP, there are some crucial questions regarding security that you must ask a prospective service provider before giving the go-ahead.

1. What protection do they offer against fraud attempts, fishing scams, and toll fraud?
An efficient cloud phone system should provide protection against a wide range of fraud and scam attempts by encrypting traffic using reset default pins. Millennia Technologies frequently runs vulnerability scans to check for attempts at data breach or other security threats. They also have a Security Response Team to respond to suspected breaches and mitigate the risks immediately.
2. How do they handle a DNS attack?
In a DNS attack, hundreds and thousands of hacked computers spam their targets with data requests, forcing the server to eventually crash. A professional VoIP vendor should use a combination of firewalls, redundant servers, and continuous monitoring to ensure none of their servers get clogged.
3. Do they comply with federal guidelines?
Don’t sign up for a VoIP service unless you have checked their credentials and compliance with the required federal security guidelines. A reputable service provider like Millennia Technologies complies with all the necessary standards and provides the highest …

5 Tips for Programming a WLAN Security Setting

A wireless network offers a myriad of benefits to small businesses that are not only limited to reducing costs. From facilitating connections to both wired and wireless devices to instant access to the Internet from anywhere in the office, the perks of utilizing WLAN are plenty. Setting up a wireless LAN is also easier and less expensive than a wired connection, which explains why so many businesses are fans of this technology.

Despite the advantages, the security of a wireless network is something to take seriously. Because of all the network equipment including Wireless Routers and access points along with dozens of relevant configurations, even a slight slip up of a configuration may lead to a massive breach of security.
Five tips for programming a WLAN security setting
To ensure complete safety of the wireless network, one can make certain changes to their WLAN configuration. By following these simple yet overlooked steps, any business can improve the level of security of their network:

1. Change all Usernames and Passwords

Believe it or not, one of the most common reasons of network security breach happens due to people forgetting to modify the default username and password. The SSID (Service Set Identifier) by default often happens to be the name of the service provider and a preset password which is “password”. Hackers are aware that users often forget to change the SSID setting from default, and so get easy access to the network configuration. It’s important that …

Creating a Secured Unified Communications Strategy

The task of creating a secured unified communications (UC) strategy might seem overwhelming. But with VOIP the convenience of email, instant messaging, web collaboration apps, voicemail, and video means that businesses today are taking on the challenge. In doing so, however, leading businesses are realizing the importance of making the change with security as their top priority.
Valid Concerns
Here are the common security concerns businesses today face with UC:

IP-based security concerns
Mobile usage and password security
Data access and usage
The risks of data loss on public access points
Software and application usage and storage

While your small business may not have the means to implement the sophisticated and costly communications security measures that large organizations can afford, this doesn’t mean you’ll be left to face the threats unarmed. There are many simple and effective solutions you can implement.
Securing Individual Mobile Devices
Authentication

Investigate ways to authenticate each device your employees will be using. Once you’ve found the tool that suits your organization, implement it and only allow access to authenticated devices.

Encryption

Unlike communication exchanged within your brick and mortar location, messages and data sent over the internet aren’t going just to the intended recipient, they are traveling through many servers. Implementing end-to-end message and data encryption ensures your messages and data remain encrypted from the time they are sent to the time they are received, minimizing the chances of sensitive information falling into hostile hands lurking on the internet.

Lock and Kill

Require that every device to be used has a remote lock in place …

Smart Data Solutions: Combating Common Data Security Threats

Data security continues to be a growing concern among businesses today – both large and small.  Rightfully so, with 43% of businesses reporting they have experienced some form of security or data breach within the last year. However, despite the risks involved, a majority of organizations still don’t have a data solution system in place to protect their sensitive company information and systems.

So what can you do to start the process of ensuring that you aren’t becoming one of those impacted businesses? It begins with understanding what causes these attacks and preparing your business accordingly.
Risk #1: Former Employees
One of the biggest security threats against business security today is its employees. Disgruntled former staff (especially those with IT controls) pose a tremendous risk against the security and confidentiality of company information. In order to prevent malicious attacks from those with access to data centers and administrational information, there must be a policy in place that monitors and controls all privileged accounts. Additionally, this process should ensure all former employees are immediately terminated from company systems and data access points. Make this one of the first courses of action after an employee leaves the organization.
Risk #2: Current Employees
Beyond former employees, there are also employees who may be uninformed or careless about how to protect the organization from a security breach. More specifically, they may use weak passwords or keep their devices unlocked frequently – putting the company at significant risk if lost or …

5 Tips for More Secured Unified Communications

Implementing a unified communications (UC) solution comes with some unique security concerns because it combines voice services (VoIP), chat services, email and video conferencing into one system. Because of this combination of elements and their dependence on the internet, the potential for security threats against the business increases. Today’s companies must be taking steps to ensure their communication tools are protected from these more advanced security threats.

Small businesses have a unique challenge because they are often limited by cost and available resources to dedicate to securing their systems. However, there are some effective and simple ways to manage security for small businesses that can help to protect the system from an outside attack.

Here are 5 tips to help better secure your UC solution:
Tip #1: Use a firewall
As a responsible business owner, you need to be able to understand the infrastructure of the security elements you are implementing, that means selecting a firewall that offers a simple configuration and is specifically designed for a small business. When setting up the firewall, block all the unknown traffic and allow traffic only from known sources. The firewall will work to sort through your traffic to ensure it’s safe to utilize.
Tip #2: Require strong passwords
Businesses should require all passwords are used with Session Initiation Protocol or SIP passwords. SIP is defined as, “the protocol defines the messages that are sent between endpoints, which govern establishment, termination and other essential elements of a call. It can be used for …

Is Your Network as Secure as Fort Knox?

Optical LAN provides Military-grade security

More and more companies are realizing the many benefits of equipping their Local Area Network (LAN) with Passive Optical Networks (PON) technology.

With single mode fiber, distance limitations are reduced, making it no longer necessary for large corporations to have multiple devices staggered across plants/campuses along with electrical to run those devices. Additionally, optical LAN eliminates the need for engineers to have to “open PORTs” across multiple devices just to add a device or a user at a far end of a LAN. With PON, the customer can control what goes across that fiber all the way to the end user.

After all, if it’s good enough for the Department of Homeland Security, it must be a great option for business. These solutions offer low cost, high speed and enhanced protection through secure optical fiber connections. They also offer the capability to deliver data, voice and video at gigabit speeds.

Within the list of benefits of an optical LAN and PON solution, are the enhanced security features it offers. With inherent intrusion protection via optical fiber, it interlocks with alarm fiber. This can provide opportunity network managers to plan and identify multiple alarm features through a single conduit.

PON uses both SIPR and NIPR technology.

NIPR:  Non-Classified Internet Protocol Router, which is a private IP network that is used to exchange non-secure information among a private network of users.

SIPR: Secret Internet Protocol Router, is a system of interconnected networks used to transmit …

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Millennia Technologies is a full-service voice and data solutions company for midsize to enterprise customers. Specializing in UCaaS , CCaaS , Cybersecurity , IoT , Voice , Cloud , and more. Our passion is firmly rooted in showing clients how well-designed data solutions can significantly accelerate business operations, and then celebrating their goal-shattering successes.