Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Skype drawbacks - Botnet hack threat
The revelation that VoIP traffic can be used as a covert control channel for a botnet is just one more security worry for Skype. In the botnet threat, Skype is not the threat itself, but a tool others might use. In a "botnet" a set of PCs are infected with Trojan software; they can then be controlled remotely and used to launch a denial of service attack on any victim , among other unsavory deeds.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Start Your Own conference Call Service
For the technologically savvy Free or inexpensive software abounds to allow you or your business to start your own conference call service and avoid paying the big conference call services. This can save you or your business a ton of money if you use conference call services often. Sure there are the free conference call services such as Skype, but they all have there issues( and they are free after all, what in this world truly is free, if these services were any good they would not be free). It doesn’t take much to download Asterisk or the Ondo PBX and run your very own conferencing service. This can save you money in the long run if you run a business that has a tech guy and also relys on conference calling. It might seem very difficult to set up , but with a good tech team on your staff it is very easy to do so.
Asterisk as a gateway
It can also be built out as the heart of a media gateway, bridging the legacy PSTN to the expanding world of IP telephony. Asterisk’s modular architecture allows it to convert between a wide range of communications protocols and media codecs.
What is Asterisk
Asterisk® is the world’s leading open source telephony engine and tool kit. Offering flexibility unheard of in the world of proprietary communications, Asterisk empowers developers and integrators to create advanced communication solutions...for free.
Asterisk® is released as open source under the GNU General Public License (GPL), and it is available for download free of charge. Asterisk® is the most popular open source software available, with the Asterisk Community being the top influencer in VoIP.
Asterisk as a gateway
It can also be built out as the heart of a media gateway, bridging the legacy PSTN to the expanding world of IP telephony. Asterisk’s modular architecture allows it to convert between a wide range of communications protocols and media codecs.
Asterisk as a switch (PBX)
Asterisk can be configured as the core of an IP or hybrid PBX, switching calls, managing routes, enabling features, and connecting callers with the outside world over IP, analog (POTS), and digital (T1/E1) connections.
Asterisk runs on a wide variety of operating systems including Linux, Mac OS X, OpenBSD, FreeBSD and Sun Solaris and provides all of the features you would expect from a PBX including many advanced features that are often associated with high end (and high cost) proprietary PBXs. Asterisk's architecture is designed for maximum flexibility and supports Voice over IP in many protocols, and can interoperate with almost all standards-based telephony equipment using relatively inexpensive hardware.
Asterisk in the network
Internet Telephony Service Providers (ITSPs), competitive local exchange carriers (CLECS) and even first-tier incumbents have discovered the power of open source communications with Asterisk. Feature servers, hosted services clusters, voicemail systems, pre-paid calling solutions, all based on Asterisk have helped reduce costs and enabled flexibility.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Video Conferencing Tips
Video Conferencing Tips
by Gary Pearson
One of the most important technologies of modern times which has changed our lives and our ways of communication is Video conferencing. This technology has a long history into developing into one of the most important technology solutions of today. Similar to modern technologies of today we can do many things which can make video conferencing a much more enjoyable experience.
Before you make the video conferencing call, make sure that you have all of your materials ready. This can include presentations, videos, reports or anything else you might use. You want to make a seamless video conferencing call. The best way to do that is to be prepared just as if you were there in person.
While making a multi point video conferencing call it is necessary to have all important video call numbers ready with us. It creates a bad impression if the person on the other side of the call is put on hold because of the fact that you were not ready with all the necessary materials.
The use of streamed video while making video calls allows us to make certain adjustments which would improve the clarity of the images. The first thing to be checked is the lighting. Excessive light can horribly hamper the image quality of the face. On the other hand lack of light can act as a darkening agent. It is also necessary that bright colors of clothing are not worn since they will attract more light than your face. It is essential that milder colors of clothes are worn so as to have a good quality of image being broadcasted to the viewers.
Another important point to check is the audio system so that your voice is distinct at the time of the video conference. Do not talk very loudly and get a good set of microphone. You can speak normally as a superior quality microphone will transmit soft sound also. It is required to talk in the same way as one speaks during a normal conversational.
The most important tip is to be as you would be if all the people were in the room with you. Keep in mind everyone is able to see all your actions as well as expressions. You just have to behave as if you were talking to someone directly in front of you. In fact people are just in front of you during a video conference.
You will have a very good video conferencing experience if you follow these easy tips. Video conferencing is the same as when you have a meeting with people present in the same room only here they are present on the screen of the video.
About the Author:
Gary Pearson is an accomplished author.
by Gary Pearson
One of the most important technologies of modern times which has changed our lives and our ways of communication is Video conferencing. This technology has a long history into developing into one of the most important technology solutions of today. Similar to modern technologies of today we can do many things which can make video conferencing a much more enjoyable experience.
Before you make the video conferencing call, make sure that you have all of your materials ready. This can include presentations, videos, reports or anything else you might use. You want to make a seamless video conferencing call. The best way to do that is to be prepared just as if you were there in person.
While making a multi point video conferencing call it is necessary to have all important video call numbers ready with us. It creates a bad impression if the person on the other side of the call is put on hold because of the fact that you were not ready with all the necessary materials.
The use of streamed video while making video calls allows us to make certain adjustments which would improve the clarity of the images. The first thing to be checked is the lighting. Excessive light can horribly hamper the image quality of the face. On the other hand lack of light can act as a darkening agent. It is also necessary that bright colors of clothing are not worn since they will attract more light than your face. It is essential that milder colors of clothes are worn so as to have a good quality of image being broadcasted to the viewers.
Another important point to check is the audio system so that your voice is distinct at the time of the video conference. Do not talk very loudly and get a good set of microphone. You can speak normally as a superior quality microphone will transmit soft sound also. It is required to talk in the same way as one speaks during a normal conversational.
The most important tip is to be as you would be if all the people were in the room with you. Keep in mind everyone is able to see all your actions as well as expressions. You just have to behave as if you were talking to someone directly in front of you. In fact people are just in front of you during a video conference.
You will have a very good video conferencing experience if you follow these easy tips. Video conferencing is the same as when you have a meeting with people present in the same room only here they are present on the screen of the video.
About the Author:
Gary Pearson is an accomplished author.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
World Wide Time Zone Converter
Need to place a conference call to multiple world wide locations yet having problems figuring out when is the best time to initiate the call ? Use this app to figure out the time zones in multi call locations !
EasyTZ works like this:
1. The blue marker shows your location - the time reference point.
2. Add locations of additional participants anywhere in the world by simply clicking on the map
3. Set the Scheduled Time & Date and duration using the calendar on the right
4. At a glance, you can see the local time for each participant in the list at the bottom
5. Finally, share your schedule using one of the easy sharing options
http://www.easytz.com
EasyTZ works like this:
1. The blue marker shows your location - the time reference point.
2. Add locations of additional participants anywhere in the world by simply clicking on the map
3. Set the Scheduled Time & Date and duration using the calendar on the right
4. At a glance, you can see the local time for each participant in the list at the bottom
5. Finally, share your schedule using one of the easy sharing options
http://www.easytz.com
Friday, November 14, 2008
Comxo - Service review
Comxo
This conference service can host your company from a 3 person to a 4000 person conference call. There customer Service was excellent - 24/365 technical support by a person, not a computer, good for doing business on a global scale and getting customer support anytime you need regardless of time zone. The prices were reasonable. Quality of calls was on par. This company is U.K based. They offer on demand conferencing and webinars as well. They develop tailor-made solutions for your requirements: reservationless booking, event conferencing, online accounting, branded conference calls. Recommended service.
http://www.comxo.com/product3.php
This conference service can host your company from a 3 person to a 4000 person conference call. There customer Service was excellent - 24/365 technical support by a person, not a computer, good for doing business on a global scale and getting customer support anytime you need regardless of time zone. The prices were reasonable. Quality of calls was on par. This company is U.K based. They offer on demand conferencing and webinars as well. They develop tailor-made solutions for your requirements: reservationless booking, event conferencing, online accounting, branded conference calls. Recommended service.
http://www.comxo.com/product3.php
Monday, November 10, 2008
Speakspace Review
Web conferencing tool was easy to understand and navigate. Audio was clear. Many useful account management tools available as well. Customer service was outstanding. No problems with audio call or data conference. Billing was accurate and even a little less as rates dropped.
Short and to the point review. Rates were not super cheap but not expensive either. The account management tools ease of use was nice , I would recommend this service to those who are not tech savvy and handy with a computer.
http://www.speakspace.com/
Short and to the point review. Rates were not super cheap but not expensive either. The account management tools ease of use was nice , I would recommend this service to those who are not tech savvy and handy with a computer.
http://www.speakspace.com/
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Free conference calling service problems
You can opt for the free (or conditionally free) Web-based communication services like Skype, Tapioca or GoogleTalk... but since many of such services are built on open source codes, you may be in danger of having your transactions hacked into, interrupted or downright blocked.
As far as hacking into conference calls , yes it can be done:
http://www.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=26182429
Be careful, though, as a great many open source programs may have security loopholes that don't make them safe for exclusive corporate use. So it may be a big mistake to trust free VoIP engines to handle mission-critical discussions and large-scale event teleconferences.
More voice traffic equals more concerns, free services are over burdened on there lines With increased voice and data traffic, the packeted voice data on the network soon becomes overloaded and delayed. Security also suffers, leaving the network vulnerable to hackers and viruses. In addition to spreading viruses, hackers also wish to manipulate and reassemble the packeted voice data.
Cingular/ATT downright blocks access to free conferencing services and telephone numbers. Mark Seigel, Cingular spokesperson, explains Cingular’s position in this whole situation. “We have to pay terminating access for every minute the person is on the line,” says Seigel, “typically these companies run them through local exchange companies that charge high access rates, so we end up paying high access charges.” So it seems that Cingular doesn’t like getting reamed on ridiculously high rates that are based on nothing.
The long and short of the matter is nothing is really free. You must ask yourself why is this company offering a free service ? It costs them something to to offer the service, how are they making a profit? Some so called free services monitor phone calls and sell the data they gather. You get what you pay for and if you pay nothing well....
As far as hacking into conference calls , yes it can be done:
http://www.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=26182429
Be careful, though, as a great many open source programs may have security loopholes that don't make them safe for exclusive corporate use. So it may be a big mistake to trust free VoIP engines to handle mission-critical discussions and large-scale event teleconferences.
More voice traffic equals more concerns, free services are over burdened on there lines With increased voice and data traffic, the packeted voice data on the network soon becomes overloaded and delayed. Security also suffers, leaving the network vulnerable to hackers and viruses. In addition to spreading viruses, hackers also wish to manipulate and reassemble the packeted voice data.
Cingular/ATT downright blocks access to free conferencing services and telephone numbers. Mark Seigel, Cingular spokesperson, explains Cingular’s position in this whole situation. “We have to pay terminating access for every minute the person is on the line,” says Seigel, “typically these companies run them through local exchange companies that charge high access rates, so we end up paying high access charges.” So it seems that Cingular doesn’t like getting reamed on ridiculously high rates that are based on nothing.
The long and short of the matter is nothing is really free. You must ask yourself why is this company offering a free service ? It costs them something to to offer the service, how are they making a profit? Some so called free services monitor phone calls and sell the data they gather. You get what you pay for and if you pay nothing well....
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