While there's no shortage of benefits to the concept of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) systems, there are some downsides that need to be considered in bringing such a system into play. Perhaps one of the most dangerous downsides involved is the potential for VoIP fraud, in which those who aren't authorized users take over the system to place phone calls, with no charge to the fraudulent user. Several systems are on hand to address such fraud, and Telinta's own TeliShield recently took on a set of new upgrades designed to face down the threat of VoIP fraud.

TeliShield got its start back in 2013, where it was able to offer up several useful features from traffic monitoring in real time to automated protection tools and rapid alert mechanisms to let users know when potential issues were taking place in the system. TeliShield was also part of a larger operation, adding its protective capabilities to Telinta's lineup of Class 4 and Class 5 switching tools, as well as billing and customer management mechanisms, using PortaSwitch switching and billing to round out the set. TeliShield is able to not only detect threats like brute force attacks, but it can allow users to operate whitelists, which enabled them to define which IP addresses can access the system.

But as strong as TeliShield was already, the refinement of fraud methods required some further augmentation to prepare it against the kinds of assault that organizations using VoIP may have to face down routinely. The enhancements include a new algorithm analysis tool to help spot unusual activity beyond the brute force attack level, and even offer a graphical interface designed to make finding and addressing problems simpler. The whitelisting—and blacklisting by extension—has also been modified, allowing every wholesale account to operate one. Destination lists can be reviewed and modified from a central interface, the alert system now offers text messaging and email alerts, and account blocking can be done automatically.

Telinta even goes so far as to offer 24 x 7 x 365 technical support engineers available live, and since said engineers are specifically skilledin addressing fraud issues, it helps ensure the best possible response to issues regardless of when said issues happen.

Upgrades to a service like this were, admittedly, likely inevitable. Even Telinta's CEO, Alex Ferdman, noted that VoIP fraud represents “...constantly evolving challenges...”, so to have a tool that remains static in a field where conditions are dynamic just doesn't make much sense. Still, given what we know about VoIP fraud these days, it's hard to imagine  a situation that the newly augmented TeliShield wouldn't be able to cover. That's likely going to prove welcome for the growing numbers of businesses bringing VoIP systems into play, and it will likely also have an impact on the total number of systems going into place as businesses believe it safer overall.

There are dozens of reasons to put VoIP to work, and potential fraud shouldn't eclipse them. Being able to defend against such fraud only makes the idea more palatable, and tools like Telinta's TeliShield should go a long way toward providing peace of mind.