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The Communicator

 

Volume 11, Issue 3

    

In This Issue
Heard it On the Web
Thank You
Protecting Your IP Phones
Barb's Desk
RAM Referral Program

Quick Links

 

Link to RAM Mailing List
Heard it on the Web
 
tincan phone via computer
Here are some business-related news articles you may find interesting . . .

   

 Tracking Your Behavior at Work

 

Protect Yourself from Password Hacking

   

 

An Alternative View on the Sequester  



Greetings!


                   
I hope this letter finds you well. How is your first quarter of 2013 going? I hope your business is productive and profitable too!

In this month's issue we focus on phone system security. Business security is a popular topic but how may of us actually execute and provide all the internet and system security measures we should? Please read our feature article. Perhaps it will motivate you to take a few extra precautions to protect your business.

As always, please let me know if there are telecom-related topics you would like more information on.  We're here to help.

 

Best Regards,

Rob McCoy

RAM Communications Inc

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View our profile on LinkedIn          View our videos on YouTube          Visit our blog

 

Thank You!


RAM Communications would like to thank the following clients for their continued business:

 

American Access Casualty

Kusper & Raucci 

House of Trucks 


We would also like to thank the following for their recent referrals:

Paul Menard, Pinnacle Services


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Protect Your IP Phone System from Hackers

IP Phone systems have delivered great features and greater productivity for business large and small. If your business is using an IP phone system, however, you need to keep a few items in mind.

Do you realize your system may use the Internet to connect with the outside world? If this is applies to your system then you need to protect your phones in the same manner you protect your computers and email servers.

The Problem
Recently, we have had reports from a few clients regarding attacks on their IP-based systems. The  attackers usually search public IP addresses and gain access to your phone server. Or, the atack is directed at remote handsets. Remote handsets are usually ones based in home offices. Like many folks you may think you're more 'safe at home'. But cyber attackers don't play favorites. We have also received reports of recent toll fraud incidents. The client's phone service is hijacked via the phone system. Once the attacker gets into the phone system,  he will then use the phone service to dial calls. Unfortunately, you may not realize the problem until you see a spike in your phone bill the next month.

What You Should Do
Make sure your phone system provider has followed the recommended security procedures during the installation process. Let's put it another way, your vendor better have a security process in place. If you're not sure how secure your system is then follow these guidelines and contact your vendor to confirm your system's security.

* turn on all available security settings from the phone server
* make sure the phone system admin pages are not available on your public network
* Use strong passwords for server and phone administration          pages.  DO NOT use simple passwords such as "1234"
* turn off or block all unused ports on the system
* all remote phones should sit behind a firewall or connect to your office on a secure VPN connection
* in the event an employee leaves, be sure to have phone equipment returned and passwords changed immidiately

If you believe your system has been compromised notify your PBX vendor and IT staff immediately. Your system may need to be reset and re-programmed for better security. You should also contact your phone company and report any fradulant calls found on your bill.

As always, please contact RAM if you have any questions or if you need further assistance.


Help Desk Tips from Barb  
Barb
 
RESOLVING TROUBLE TICKETS THE RAM WAY

No one likes service outages.  But "stuff" happens from time to time.  When something goes wrong, using an organized service-call process can lower your stress level and also lead to a substantial decrease in problem resolution intervals.  Whether you are a long-time client or a new one, this is a great time to review our trouble-ticket procedures with your staff.  Here are the six steps RAM follows to solve your telecommunications issues:

1. Initial Call.  We record all service issues in detail.  Most problems follow a certain pattern. So, with your help, RAM thoroughly documents the problem and time of occurrence.
2. Verify Type of Issue.  Is it voice quality?  (Dialing, local, long distance, both?) We make a test call on the service in question, send an email or access the Web.  We help you test and determine the issues.
3. Open Trouble Ticket.  We call the service provider and open a trouble ticket with them.  We also create our own 'tracking' ticket in our client database.  This gives us a 'history' of all your service issues, past & present.  (This documentation is invaluable when escalating re-occurring problems with service providers!) 
4. Ticket Monitoring.  RAM monitors all open tickets based on priority.  This allows us to determine which monitoring activity to address first, based on the following categories: email, voice mail, VOIP, Internet access, MPLS and voice service.
5. Escalation.  If needed, we escalate the issue with channel managers, local engineers or, if necessary, the vice president or even president of the telecom company.
6. Resolution.  We verify the 'fix' with you and close the ticket with the service provider.

It is always important to keep in mind that your service provider cannot have enough detail about the issue. The more information you can provide us the more likely the problem can be resolved quickly. By following this process, we can help you resolve quickly and get back to business.

Regards,

 

Barbara Yurisich

Help Desk Manager

847-358-0917 x201

barb@ramcomminc.com    

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RAM Referral Program

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Referral Program 2013

Ram Communications wants to show our appreciation for your quality referrals.  We will send you a $25 restaurant.com certificate for every qualified referral that schedules an appointment.  If they then become a client within six months of that appointment, we will donate $100 to the charity of your choice.

Our business contacts give referrals because we have earned their trust and they appreciate the value we can offer someone else.  Contact us to learn how to spot our ideal client.

LInda McWhirt
Marketing Dept.
847.358.0917 x205
linda@ramcomminc.com  

 

RAM Communications Inc. Copyright 2013. All Rights Reserved.