NEW YORK, USA: The potential for major security breaches of unified communications (UC) systems is escalating, and the biggest problems are arising from the improper or incomplete use of security features by business and enterprise users, according to the latest report published by Light Reading's VOIP Services Insider.

Unified Communications: A Sense of Insecurity examines security issues in the UC market, providing an in-depth examination of what attacks are likely in the UC arena and where those attacks are likely to occur. It examines measures vendors are developing to provide security for UC platforms, including how to protect against attacks, as well as plans for security in the field. Additionally, this report provides a comparative analysis of 12 top companies in the UC industry and how their products address UC.

"Even as vendors put technologies in place to provide protection from the threats that exist, as well as from impending threats, the likelihood of a major and successful attack on UC systems is growing for one simple reason, end-user failure to implement security techniques properly," notes Denise Culver, research analyst with Light Reading's VOIP Services Insider and author of the report.

"Simple measures such as encryption aren't utilized by customers, even though their UC platforms enable such protection, leaving vendors to wonder what kind of disaster must occur before enterprises realize the need for implementing the security measures on their UC platforms."

Culver notes that while UC services run by service providers appear to be less prone to attack because security measures are more likely to be deployed properly, end-user misuse could trickle up to affect larger UC installations. For that reason, service providers are relying heavily on technology suppliers to build better and easier-to-use security mousetraps that can be deployed by enterprise users, she says.

Suppliers that stress the cost factor in SaaS deployment are likely to make the biggest inroads with smaller customers, Culver says. "Vendors are working diligently to build more security into their UC platforms, teaming up with third-party security experts and, in some cases, with vendors that normally would be considered competition," she adds.

Other key findings of Unified Communications: A Sense of Insecurity include the following:

* Enterprise users represent the most glaring point of vulnerability regarding potential UC security breaches.
* Third-party specialists in UC security are emerging as an important factor in protecting UC applications, even with vendors that already have security measures in place.
* The potential damage from a major UC breach is leading major competitors like Cisco, Microsoft, and Avaya to work together to establish tighter UC security.