The importance of Session Initiation Protocol

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is used for initiating, modifying, maintaining and terminating real-time sessions that involve voice, video, messaging and other communications applications. The main function of the SIP is to establish a session and afterwards end it when necessary.

SIP is a signalling protocol and not an integrated communication system. This protocol does not encode or transport any audio information in a phone call. Rather it is a component which when used with other Internet Protocols help to construct a complete multimedia architecture.

The network elements in SIP are as follows:

User-Agent: User Agent is the most important one of the Network Elements. It is the endpoint which initiates, modifies or terminates a session through devices like softphone, a mobile, or a laptop. 2 types of User-agents are User Agent Client (UAC) and User Agent Server (UAS)

Proxy Server: The proxy server takes request from a user agent and forwards it to another user. There can be a maximum of 70 proxy servers between a source and a destination. The 2 types of proxy server in use are Stateless Proxy Server and Stateful Proxy Server. To know about VoIP Server check here: Things Must Know about VoIP Server

Registrar Server: Registrar Server accepts registration requests from user agents. This authenticates users within the network. The registrar server stores the URI and user locations in a database. In this turn, helps other SIP servers in the same domain.

Redirect Server: This user agent server generates 3xx redirection responses. It does not initiate any action, instead, it receives requests and responds to the user accordingly.

Gateway: Gateway helps to interconnect a SIP network to other networks. SIP gateways are essential in VoIP networks because they allow multiple audio and video connections to take place over the Internet simultaneously. To know about VoIP Gateway check here: VoIP Gateway important facts that you need to know

Difference between a Session Initiation Protocol and VoIP

• VoIP Technology focuses more on phone calls over the internet. While, SIP is the application layer protocol that establishes, modifies and terminates multimedia sessions like VoIP Calls.
• VoIP is a combination of other technologies and is used within the present day telecommunication network. On the other hand, the signalling protocol, SIP is used within VoIP.
• While VoIP majorly focuses on voice, Session Initiation Protocol deals in all forms of media including voice.

To know more in details about the Session Initiation Protocol and its relation to VoIP Technology check here: Details about Session Initiation Protocol and its Relation to VoIP 

Tips to Avoid Fraud Companies in VoIP Business

Potential Risks in VoIP Business that You Need to Know

VoIP Business

It is easier to think of a business than actually start it. But the difficult part is managing the business well and overcoming any issue that comes up. And this is where many businessmen make mistakes. Similar to every other business, VoIP business also has its share of pros and cons. To manage a VoIP business efficiently, it is necessary to have a good knowledge regarding the workings of the business. In addition to this, one needs to be aware of any potential risks and prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.

The Potential Risks

VoIP Frauds

VoIP Frauds are a serious threat to VoIP Business. VoIP Frauds are of 2 types. Firstly, the fraud service provider. Secondly the frauds attacks on the ongoing service. These frauds are common and one can easily avoid them through careful observation and management. To know more check here: 10 Tips to Avoid VoIP Fraud Companies in VoIP Business.

Security Breach

Arbitrage, Buffer overflow, Bypass/GSM gateway fraud, Call transfer fraud, Premium rate calls, PBX hacking are some common threats that exploit the VoIP system. Keeping strong password and changing it at a regular interval, two-factor authorisation and limited access with validation at every step are some of the best practices. To know more about VoIP Security check here: Security Measures For VoIP Business Components

Data Loss

Without proper backup, data recovery is nearly impossible. Data loss not only affects revenue but also results in many other problems. Hence, it becomes extremely necessary to adopt a disaster recovery plan for minimizing loss and give continuity to the business. The best way to counter this is to use a secure softswitch or billing software which also has the option of data backup. 

Degrading Route and Service Quality

For a business to maintain its position, quality is an important factor. Businesses need to maintain their service standard and therefore it is necessary to check and monitor the service quality. If the quality of route and service degrades over time, the business suffers.

Cash Shortage

A shortage of cash is one of the potential risks in VoIP Business. At times, businessmen fall short of cash because payments in wholesale VoIP usually follow a monthly billing cycle. There are many service providers who offer a solution to this problem through an instant payment business model. To know more about the instant payment option, check here: Instant Wholesale- An Innovation for Wholesale VoIP Providers 

While the risks may sound heavy, these are common and proper preventive measures are enough to counter these. Also being a little careful helps a lot. To know more in details about the potential risks of VoIP Business check here: Top 5 VoIP Business Risks to know Before Starting