Drive safe and check your passwords before leaving the office this Festive Season. That’s good advice for a connected world this holiday season from Independent telco, ICTGlobe.

“Just as one would lock up the house before leaving on holiday, it’s important for businesses and end users to properly secure their home and work ICT networks before heading to the berg, bush or beach,” says Riaan van Stryp, ICTGlobe General Manager.

Hacking attempts often take place over the holidays when many IT administrators are offsite. “Strong passwords are the best protection against potential security breaches, as is the ability to monitor networks remotely and in real time,” Mr Van Stryp explains.

A reliable ICT service provider is worth their weight in gold as they proactively work to prevent such holiday season telecoms nightmares as reverse billing fraud that could easily sink a small business.

“A good VoIP or WiFi provider would ensure that system passwords are secure in the run-up to the December holiday period and that on-site connected devices like IP phones and PBX systems are not easily accessible from the Internet,” Mr Van Stryp continues.

While South Africa’s many reputable VoIP providers have measures in place to alert clients of fraudulent activity, the best defense for any business VoIP user is always to be proactive.

Top of the list of proactive anti-fraud measures is to ensure that quality VoIP systems have been installed by one’s VoIP provider. Leading VoIP systems like 3CX are the absolute gold standard in VoIP PBX systems and have outstanding security features to match their solid reputation.

“Business users ideally want a PBX system that efficiently and effectively blacklists IP addresses associated with suspicious activity and 3CX really is top of the game here,” Mr Van Stryp says.

He adds that reputable VoIP resellers would regularly check customer equipment and SIP accounts for weak or absent configuration passwords and outdated software, amongst other measures aimed at ensuring the SA VoIP user can transact with confidence.

As a Tier 1 operator, ICTGlobe owns its telecoms network meaning it has full control over roll-out and maintenance of this core asset. Operating its own interconnect and networking facilities means ICTGlobe can reliably offer highly affordable voice calls. Finally, 3CX distribution rights for Africa complement ICTGlobe’s guaranteed uptime voice and data services.