According to Zar, responding to VoIP security threats and, consequently, the taxonomy upon which such a response will be based, is essential for the widespread adoption of IP telephony technologies. With VoIP adoption progressing rapidly, he says that, unless security is addressed now, "there will be problems." The key, Zar says, is to have security requirements and best practices in place before VoIP becomes as ubiquitous as traditional telephone service.
"There will be concern about security, of course, but we have created the conditions to develop solutions for these problems ahead of the curve," he says. "We expect some latency, as there always is with security technologies, but we expect the folks in the regulators community and in larger and midsized companies to act more quickly."
Though Zar says the taxonomy will probably undergo considerable elaboration and revision as VoIP security technologies and practices develop, he says that it represents a major milestone in IP telephony. Now, the alliance can get down to its other work. "This is a significant accomplishment of only one of the goals we set for ourselves, which is foundational," Zar says. "But we've also spoken to multiple communities about this -- not just the technical community, but the policy community as well."
Indeed, VoIPSA's membership has swelled considerably in the last eight months. Since it was founded last winter, the alliance has grown to over one hundred member organizations, including virtually all of the major VoIP equipment vendors and many of the service providers, "Pretty much anybody who is anybody in VoIP is a member," Zar says.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
