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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.

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