Smart enterprises and users have long seen the cost and functionality advantages of IP-based communications such as VoIP and unified communications over wireless via highly capable smartphones. There have been hundreds of communications applications introduced that take advantage of WiFi (News - Alert) and data services such as 3G, GPRS and other technologies.

 

Yet the major holdup has been security. Sipera Systems points out that these applications do not natively integrate into the enterprise security infrastructure. This makes it difficult for communications security managers to ensure communications privacy, data integrity, and other critical security requirements. As a result, employees are using unauthorized VoIP or other UC applications on their smartphones and violating privacy mandates and confidentiality rules, exposing themselves to eavesdropping, and increasing information security risks.

 

In response to these issues and in a timely move that could break open and drive costs down in the wireless market Sipera (News - Alert) has developed and released the Sipera Secure Live Communications mobility solution. Sipera SLiC is believed to be the first security/privacy product enabling enterprises to “tame” the smartphone, permitting employees to use VoIP, UC, cloud telephony and other low-cost and feature-rich communications applications on them with complete security and privacy. The Sipera solution could, by opening the doors to IP-enabled apps to wireless, force traditional carriers to get more competitive, just as IP-enabling the landlines have done.

 

And in an important industry first, Sipera SLiC enables smartphone VoIP to include smart-card card authentication for accessing enterprise resources, providing unparalleled access control, and communications privacy. As a result, enterprises can:

 

*          Extend UC and VoIP to smartphones while ensuring privacy and security compliance by seamlessly extending the enterprise security perimeter to these devices

 

*          Securely enable office phone functionality on smartphones, such as interoffice extension dialing, no matter where the employee is using them

 

*          Offload cellular minutes to VoIP for dramatic savings, while maintaining confidentiality of mission-critical communications. This enables fully secure utilization of VoIP with dual-mode mobile phones

 

*          For the first time ever, use Two-Factor Authentication with smartphone VoIP for enhanced access control

 

*          Block threats that result in data leakage, toll fraud and a host of other security risks

 

*          Enforce control on incoming voice spam with a one-click option on the phone to black list calls

 

*          Easily manage and enforce the enterprise communications security posture on any device in any place, both inside and outside the enterprise border. This includes office phones, home office UC devices, soft-clients on PCs and, now, smartphones, and similar smart mobile devices.

 

Sipera SLiC already is in use by multiple customers, including a Fortune Global 500 enterprise, which is using Sipera SLiC to securely offload millions of minutes in cellular usage to VoIP.  This case study and others will be introduced when Sipera SLiC is unveiled during a special free webinar on UC Security: “The Final Frontier:  Secure Unified Communications (News - Alert) to Any Device in Any Place”; http://tinyurl.com/yfbaacd

 

“Secure unified communications on the smartphone will revolutionize enterprise communications, dramatically improving company agility and employee responsiveness,” says John Lochow, president and CEO of Sipera Systems (News - Alert). “Enterprises can take advantage of significant efficiencies and cost savings of VoIP on the smartphone without creating unacceptable security and privacy risks.”

 

 Sipera SLiC solves the smartphone security challenge by integrating them into the enterprise communications security infrastructure.  The solution automatically authenticates smartphones back into enterprise PBXes or call managers and ensures encryption of IP-based communications. It enforces security policies in realtime, and blocks threats or blacklisted callers. With SLiC, enterprises can ensure smartphone VoIP communications support compliance with FERPA, GLBA, HIPAA, PCI DSS, Sarbanes-Oxley and other government and industry mandates regarding control and privacy of information.

 

“As VoIP and other UC applications become increasingly practical on smartphones, enterprises want to take advantage of the flexibility and cost savings these devices provide,” said Ravi Varanasi, vice president of engineering at Sipera. “As these devices crumble the enterprise perimeter, enterprises must ensure that communications with these roaming corporate assets meet the same stringent security standards that apply to other enterprise communications. Sipera SLiC makes it possible for an enterprise IT or information security manager to extend the enterprise’s communications security posture simply and easily to the smartphone.”