Unified Communications Technologies

This paper will cover the basics of unified Communications. What it is, how it works and how it is vulnerable to attack. I will begin with a short discussion on how the Unified Communications Server fits into the traditional communications networks of telephone, voice mail, fax, and Email, and the new technologies involved in making a messaging environment a communications environment. The paper will then discuss the security implications of unified communications particularly focusing on new technologies and how traditional technologies are exposed in new ways. Finally I will finish up by discussing design of a secure Unified Communications Environment. In order to simplify this topic I will use the Avaya Unified Messenger Application Server as an example. This product integrates Microsoft Exchange and many PBXs' and Voice mail systems. Although there are products available which perform all the functions of Unified Messaging the most popular products are those which leverage existing investments in voice and data communications. In this category are also the Cisco Unity and Nortel Networks Call Pilot