IP Telephony

Whaleback Systems (News - Alert) is introducing added features of its CrystalBlue Voice Service that include robust new security and advanced premises-based management functions. The centerpiece is a new voice application firewall – OrcaSentry – that locks down an SMB’s voice network from VoIP security threats such as spam over Internet Telephony (News - Alert) (SPIT) and Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. This is done by terminating and regenerating all inbound voice traffic, preventing packet forwarding and public SIP call addressing.

 

“For each phone call, a session is established from the customer’s handset to the IPPBX, where the private IP address is translated and a new session is established directly to a secure Whaleback co-location facility. This eliminates peer-to-peer dialing with non-secure IP endpoints,” said Mark Galvin (News - Alert), president and CEO of Whaleback Systems. “Everything is locked down and managed from the IP phone to its eventual handoff to the PSTN. Our premises-based managed service architecture gives us a leg up to easily add new security capabilities and functions to address new security threats as they evolve.”

 

This is the first security-focused release of CrystalBlue Voice Service, the industry’s first premises-based managed business telephony solution built from the ground up for broadband. CrystalBlue is designed to help SMBs reduce capital and operating costs while boosting productivity via “big business” IP PBX calling features.

 

The new premises-based management features, which include enhanced security, voice quality management and business continuity, extend Whaleback’s market presence as a provider of an advanced, secure, and reliable broadband-based business telephony solution.

    

“IP security is a major threat to data networking services and VoIP services similarly need to protect the integrity of the IP connection. Cutting-edge VoIP technology provides SMBs with significant opportunities to realize new productivity gains and efficiencies, but this promise is balanced with the same potential risks and threats found in the data networking world,” said Mark Galvin, president and CEO of Whaleback Systems. “This new release, anchored by the OrcaSentry Voice Firewall, leverages Whaleback's unique premises-based managed service architecture, offering robust end-to-end security. Users are ensured protection from common security threats such as SPIT, Denial of Service attacks, call interception and the 'spoofing' of SIP endpoints, to name a few.”

 

The new release features powerful call control functions that automatically re-route calls around network trouble spot areas of degrading call quality, traversing points of congestion to establish more optimal, clearer call paths. This dynamic path control operates as part of Whaleback's OrcaVision Voice Quality Management System, which provides total visibility into the customer's call path as their voice traffic crosses multiple IP networks. OrcaVision is a graphical network mapping tool used to visually monitor the health and performance of these networks and provide multiple views that display call quality information by provider, customer or user.

 

Together, the enhancements to its CrystalBlue service serve to enhance the already feature-rich VoIP platform Whaleback provides it customers looking to gain the benefits of VoIP without having to deal with the management complexities.