Unified Communications Security — Key Considerations UCaaS, or Unified Communications as a Service, is becoming an increasingly popular way for companies to manage their communications solutions. Unified communications security is a natural concern for any business. How can you be sure your systems are robust and that your internal data is protected?

Unified communications security in the cloud

Cloud-based UCaaS services, such as our all-in-one communications service, offer businesses a scalable, efficient, and comprehensive way of managing a contact center. However, there are special considerations for securing services in the cloud. Managing unified communications security means addressing the infrastructure that powers the IP telephony, chat, APIs, integration with third-party tools, and other services that make up your communications platform.

UCaaS security is a complex topic and includes:

  • Infrastructure-level security
  • Access control for communication tools
  • Encryption and secure data storage
  • Data protection and regulatory compliance

At 8x8, we take into account several unified communications security mechanisms to ensure all of our business communication tools are as powerful as possible. Here are a few security-related topics to consider when evaluating UCaaS services.

Data center security

Businesses need communications systems that they can depend on. Any UCaaS service must be hosted somewhere with redundant power, backup data connections, fire suppression systems, and trustworthy networking and firewalls. Service level agreements should guarantee maximum uptime, and any security promises should be independently verified and backed up by certifications. Providers should have business continuity and security plans in place to keep services running in the event of an outage at their main data center.

Encryption and data storage

All communications should be encrypted for the privacy and security of your customers. This includes VoIP, text, and video communication, as well as API-related network traffic. Ideally, the encryption should cover not just logging in to the platform and connecting calls, but also the contents of the communications themselves. In addition, any data that's stored long-term, such as records of communications, must be kept securely and in a way that is compliant with relevant regulations, such as the European GDPR or the California Consumer Privacy Act.

Account-level security

UCaaS tools make it easy for contact centers to add and remove team members, assign privileges to different team members, set up call forwarding, and manage other features that would have previously required a complex PBX and dialing system. It's crucial that access control lists and security systems associated with CRM and UCaaS tools allow contact center managers to control who has access to which features of the system in a careful and granular way.

Disgruntled employees or poor security systems can lead to a variety of problems. At a minimum, there should be two-factor authentication, strong password policies, and systems to ensure employees, team leaders, and managers can access only the features they need.

8x8's Unified communications security mechanisms keep you in control

Are you interested in moving your communications systems to the cloud? Want to know more about how 8x8's business communications systems can help you scale and manage your contact center? Get in touch with us today for a free, no-obligation quote or a demo of our platform. We'd be happy to explain how our VoIP and all-in-one communications systems work, and how our platform can maintain your security at all times.