Source: www.voip-news.com

Avistar Communication’s C3 desktop and room-based videoconferencing and collaboration software will now have firewall traversal technology

“With Paradial, Avistar has taken a significant step forward in increasing the availability — and therefore the impact — of videoconferencing and collaboration tools in the workplace,” said Chris Lauwers, Chief Technology Officer at Avistar. “Our C3 software is now capable of independently managing interconnectivity with different vendor systems, and is a cinch to deploy and manage. These factors make it realistic, indeed even compelling, to extend the rollout of more effective video-enabled communications beyond the borders of an enterprise to include external clients, suppliers and home-based or mobile workers.”

Paradial’s RealTunnel Firewall/NAT is embedded into all versions of Avistar C3 including Desktop, Teamroom, Teamroom MP, Executive Teamroom and Mobile Teamroom.

“A key challenge for the video communications industry is to move from being an intra- to an inter-company solution. The agreement to embed our software within Avistar C3 means video and audio collaboration traffic can flow outside of the corporate network without hassle or compromise to security,” Ingvar Aaberg, CEO of Paradial, said.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

It has been long debated how skype gets through firewalls. Many a network admins have tried to block or stop skype at the perimeter have failed time and time again. May be that is the reason that VOIP IP Telephony: Number 1 article for 2006 is "remove Skype" at VOIP IP Telephony, all those admins trying to get rid of skype.
But the reason for this post is different. Now someone has written a technical article that reveals inner workings of skype through firewalls. That someone is Jürgen Schmidt of Heise Security. So head over to Heise Know how and you may find a way to patch your firewall like stopping UDP traffic.

Links;
Heise Security know how

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

It has been a few months now since Netopia released Timbuktu that solved a long standing problem for Timbuktu, NAT traversal. Timbuktu is a remote desktop software which was initially developed for Apple Macintosh but now run on both platforms, MAC and windows. Earlier versions, required users to have a routable IP address in order to connect. If you were behind a NAT or a Firewall, you were out of luck.
But good folks at Netopia saw the chance in Skype, Skype connects two or more users, without any problems, where ever they are as long as they are connected to the internet. It reverse firewalls and NAT routers without any hindrance. So Netopia decided to take a ride on Skypes back.
It is a good achievement for Timbaktu and now users can talk to each other via Skype while Timbuktu connects desktops.
I have not used Timbuktu in a long while, I think more than 10 years, so I cannot tell you how it operates now. But it does not matter, the point I am bringing out is, if Timbuktu can take a ride on Skype’s back, what else will?
According to Netopia,
"Skype Integration - Timbuktu Pro features integration with Skype’s popular Internet Telephony software to enhance Timbuktu Pro’s connectivity options.

* From the familiar Timbuktu Pro interface, search for and connect to other Timbuktu Pro and Skype users through your Skype contacts list
* Timbuktu Pro leverages SkypeÂs API to automatically navigate through routers, firewalls and NAT devices".
Italsos states that, "Timbuktu Pro 8.6 works with Skype software. This product uses the Skype API but is not endorsed or certified by Skype. Skype is a trademark of Skype Technologies S.A. in Luxembourg and other countries."
So anyone could, many have already done similar to Netopia, develop an application thatleveragess Skype’s connection profiles.
The Skype API is available for anyone to download and I would suggest, that users take good care as to what runs through your Skype connection. It could be a good application as well as bad applications such as rootkits, malware etc.
This is not only a fault of Skype, any P2P software could bring you the same risk. But the shear number of users of skype, (many malware and viruses were written for windows also the same reason, shear numbers), will attract those bad people. Users must take care of their PC’s or MAC’s, using appropriate firewall and virus protection software, and good old common sense.
I did a search on google to find if any one has noted this danger, but all I found in first few pages were phrases and encouragement, to both Netopia and Skype. So there goes the common sense, so rely on the other two.

Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

Got VOIP? And if you are a company that deals with the internet most probably, you got a firewall too! Could it be a Cisco PIX? Well fear no more.
You can configure the PIX to allow the VOIP traffic and still keep your network safe.
Cisco itself is offering a sample configuration for PIX 500 series Firewalls.
The sample configuration, a PIX firewall is configured to allow the traversal of two different Voice over IP (VoIP) protocols, H.323, and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). Due to the fact that VoIP protocols are made up of signaling and IP address/port combinations, there are a number of issues with VoIP and Network Address Translations (NAT). The PIX firewall fixup protocol addresses these issues.
Here is the document