Securing Voice over Internet Protocol ( Ip ) Networks

Voice over IP (VOIP) the transmis­ sion of voice over traditional packetswitched IP networks is one of the hottest trends in telecommunications. As with any new technology, VOIP introduces both opportunities and security challenges. Lower cost and greater flexibility are among the prom­ ises of VOIP for the enterprise, but security administrators will face signif­ icant issues. Administrators may assume that since digitized voice trav­ els in packets, they can simply plug VOIP components into their alreadysecured networks and expect a stable and secure voice network. Unfortu­ nately, many of the tools used to safe­ guard today’s computer networks, namely firewalls, Network Address Translation (NAT), and encryption, don’t work “as is” in a VOIP network.