Qovia Readies Tool To Block VoIP Spam

Qovia Inc. on Monday unveiled software that would block spam from entering the networks of corporations that have replaced traditional telephone systems with Internet telephony.

The Frederick, Md., company said the anti-spam software would be available in the fourth quarter as a module for Qovia's VoIP Monitoring and Management System.

Because voice over Internet protocol uses technology similar to email, it's vulnerable to the many of the same abuses, such as spam. To avoid overloading corporate mailboxes with junk voice mail, Qovia's technology would scan incoming traffic at the voice server, blocking spam before the calls are directed to recipients in the corporate network.

The patent-pending technology includes algorithms that look for call characteristics that would indicate spam, company officials said. For example, many calls coming at once from the same source would be an indicator, along with multiple calls of the same time duration. The software would also enable companies to block calls from certain domains, similar to the way they can block email.

VoIP spam is yet to be a problem, since Internet telephony adoption is just starting. Internet-based telecommunications, however, are expected to eventually surpass traditional PBX phone systems in the enterprise. Shipments of VoIP PBX phones are expected to grow at an annual compounded rate of more than 20 percent through 2009, while use of the older systems decline about the same rate, according to Insight Research. As a result, more VoIP PBX systems are expected to be found in enterprises by 2009.VoIP systems are not less expensive than traditional systems, however, they provide the potential of higher worker productivity by combing voice and data services, such as the ability to access voice mail through a notebook.

Because VoIP spam doesn't exist, Qovia's technology has yet to be tested in the real world. "We have demonstrated in the lab that you can generate VoIP spam, and we have built the tools to block it," Pierce Reid, vice president of marketing, said.

Qovia's anti-spam software will be sold separately, but pricing has not been determined. The complete VoIP monitoring and management system, however, costs between 10 percent and 20 percent of a company's Internet telephony system.