Audio vs chat: Can media speed explain the differences in productivity?

Most popular instant messaging clients are now offering Voiceover-IP (VoIP) technology. The many options running on similar platforms, implementing common audio codecs and encryption algorithms offers the opportunity to identify what factors affect call quality. We measure call quality objectively based on mouthto-ear latency. Based on our analysis we determine that the mouth-to-ear latency can be influenced by operating system (process priority and interrupt handling), the VoIP client implementation and network quality.

Chapter 16 - The IP Multimedia Subsystem: True Converged Communications

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is one of the most popular technologies nowadays that facilitate the user by providing different features as instant messages, phone calls, video calls, and voicemails. Basic VoIP protocols were designed to be efficient instead of secure. After numerous attacks on these protocols several solutions were proposed to prevent against these threats. In this paper, we focus on the security of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) that is used to initiate, modify, and terminate the VoIP sessions. The paper presents the design and implementation of secure layered architecture for SIP, which adds a new layer to the standard SIP layer model and entitled as Security layer. The Security layer provides authentication, authorization, adaptable feature, and secure key exchange, based on our newly designed protocol, named as Session Initiation Protocol using Single Sign-On (SIPSSO). In order to implement the secure layered architecture based on SIPSSO, we have developed an Android Secure Call application and extend the open source Asterisk accordingly. After the designing and implementation phases, we have verified the SIPSSO protocol formally by using an automated security verification tool, Scyther. Our analysis results reveal that by adding Security layer, we ensured protection against different SIP attacks such as Eavesdropping, Man In The Middle (MITM) attack, Message Tampering, Replay attack, Session Teardown, and Spam over Internet Telephony (SPIT).

After analyzing SRTP (Secure Real-time Transport Protocol) and SIP (session initiation protocole), we identified the need to secure VoIP (Voice over IP) network. Our study assesses the risk of attacks on the VoIP network. Additionally, it offers solutions to the existing VoIP network vulnerabilities while issuing Instant Messages. Using cryptography, we present a general proposal for secure VoIP instant messages and SIP protocol.

The major players in the Public Branch Exchange (PBX) market are moving rapidly towards the implementation of IP Telephony. What will be the effect on network security overall? Will the push to IP Telephony damage the good work already devoted to security networks? As more doorways open up on our networks there is an increased chance we have opened another unseen vector for hackers and other malicious organisation or individuals to access the data stored on server and users workstations, corrupting that data or destroying it. Is it better from a security perspective to have IP telephony only between PBX equipment – a significant saving in itself or is it imperative that an organisation have IP telephony to the desktop? Is there any real difference, once IP Telephony is past the network boundary does it matter if it also appears at the desktop? What about the future with collaboration and unified collaboration? This paper will discuss a number of implementations and attempt to understand the pros and cons of each. No one solution is going to fit all networks but hopefully this paper will be able to increase our understanding of the dangers and therefore allow for the development of robust solutions.

Purpose: The general objective of this study was to examine the impact of instant messaging apps on interpersonal communication and relationship dynamics. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to instant messaging apps on interpersonal communication and relationship dynamics. Preliminary empirical review revealed that while instant messaging increased connectivity and immediacy between couples, it also led to blurred boundaries and potential stress due to expectations for immediate responses. Frequent communication via IM enhanced relationship bonds but also introduced miscommunications due to the lack of non-verbal cues. The impact varied based on individual differences and relationship contexts, with younger and long-distance couples benefiting more. The study concluded that balancing IM with face-to-face communication was essential for maintaining high relationship satisfaction. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Social Presence Theory, Media Richness Theory and Uses and Gratification Theory may be used to anchor future studies on the impact of instant messaging on interpersonal communication. The study recommended expanding traditional communication theories to incorporate digital nuances, developing practical strategies for relationship counselors to navigate instant messaging challenges, and implementing policy changes to support healthy digital communication practices. It also suggested educational programs to enhance digital literacy, encouraged further research on demographic variations in IM use, and integrating findings into relationship intervention programs. These recommendations aimed to improve theoretical understanding, practical application, and policy development to foster healthier and more satisfying relationships in the digital era.

The innovative economy and business environment are important factors in socio-economic development of regions. In this paper, the analysis of the spatial differentiation of the socio-economic development level in Poland in the years 2000–2010 in the aspect of the innovative economy and the business environment has been carried out based on 13 characteristics related to the spatial units at the regional level (NUTS 2) and 3 characteristics relating to the local level (NUTS4). The resulting spatial distributions of economic growth and stagnation areas for 11 observations in the period from the year 2000 to 2010 made i t possible to identify the essential features of the development of these areas, and to identify factors influencing these distributions. The specific objectives of this analysis are as follows: 1. Identification of the spatial distribution of the development level in terms of: innovative economy and the business environment in Poland, leading to distinctions of the areas of growth and stagnation. 2. Analysis of the trajectory of the development of growth and stagnation areas in this aspect, including an attempt to answer to the degree to which the economic crisis has an impact on this part of economy. 3. Identification of factors affecting the distribution and variability of growth and stagnation areas in terms of: innovative economy and the business environment. This article presents the results of the research project “Socio-economic development and the development of the areas of growth and economic stagnation”, funded by the National Science Centre (N N306 791940), conducted at the Department of Regional Studies University. Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan.

Success in today's fast-paced global economy requires precision, agility, and speed. Organizations must quickly respond to changing market demands and make timely decisions that impact the success or failure of their business. Through the use of available and proven technologies to increase the velocity of collaborative decision making to match the speed of doing business, the demand for information is driving the need for real-time communications in today's organizations. Instant access to information across internal collaborative groups, important customers, and external trading partners creates business efficiencies and sets the real-time organization above the rest. However, rapid and often unmanaged real-time communications, such as instant messaging (IM) and Voice-over-IP (VoIP), pose grave information and network security risks. Industry analysts Radicati, IDC, and Gartner have all estimated that more than 200 million people, across organizations of all sizes, engage in IM for business and non-business use while at work. Although some companies have policies defining authorized and unauthorized use of IM, most organizations lack the most basic security and management controls. This article explores the underpinnings of the security threats posed by the growing use of unmanaged IM in the enterprise. It also examines the components of a holistic strategy for protecting enterprises against the emerging IM security threat.

Collaborative Editing Systems often use communication channels in order to make the collaboration more effective. In this work, we present a case study of pair communication using audio via VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology during collaborative modeling sessions. The study provides an analysis of audio and textual chat as communication medium and presents data on usage patterns, user interaction and attitudes when using collaborative editing systems. The qualitative and quantitative analysis suggests that VoIP technology does have advantages over textual chat in collaborative modeling when used for communication.

WhatsApp is a very popular mobile messaging application, which dominates todays mobile communication. Especially the feature of group chats contributes to its success and changes the way people communicate. The group-based communication paradigm is investigated in this work, particularly focusing on the usage of WhatsApp, communication in group chats, and implications on mobile network traffic.

Towards improving detection of early warning signals within organizations : an approach to the identification and utilization of underlying factors from an organizational perspective

NASA is a good investment of federal funds and strives to provide the best value to the nation. NASA has consistently budgeted to unrealistic cost estimates, which are evident in the cost growth in many of its programs. In this investigation, NASA has been using available uncertainty factors from the Aerospace Corporation, Air Force, and Booz Allen Hamilton to develop projects risk posture. NASA has no insight into the developmental of these factors and, as demonstrated here, this can lead to unrealistic risks in many NASA Programs and projects (P/p). The primary contribution of this project is the development of NASA missions uncertainty factors, from actual historical NASA projects, to aid cost-estimating as well as for independent reviews which provide NASA senior management with information and analysis to determine the appropriate decision regarding P/p. In general terms, this research project advances programmatic analysis for NASA projects.

This study is a discussion about the role that social media plays in enhancing communication among individuals, highlighting its prospects and related challenges. This research examines the impact of social media on improving communication among individuals and its prospects and challenges. This study had taken an integrated approach of secondary data analysis methodology through an extensive systematic review of the existing literature, along with the Canadian Research Data Collection (CREDC) national web-survey, to collect the attitudinal and behavioral insight of social media users on different platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn considering theoretical frameworks like Social Presence Theory and Media Richness Theory. Further, this conceptual review used PRISMA guidelines to examine how social media improves communication. Eligibility and exclusion criteria ensured peer-reviewed article selection and credibility. Study reveals that social media platforms significantly enhance interpersonal communication by fostering increased interconnectedness, more accessible information, and community formation. Notably, while these digital environments have considerable benefits, such as the facilitation of learning and support networks, they are also fraught with challenges, including misinformation, privacy concerns, and potential adverse effects on mental health. These findings therefore have dual approaches to reaping the benefits of social media in communication: the promotion of user education to reduce misinformation and building up digital literacy, while there is also a need to consider regulations that will protect against violation of privacy and cyberbullying. It is at this point that stakeholders will, arguably, have fewer difficulties in making use of social media to continue developing active citizenship and rich interpersonal relationships. Future research is encouraged to further explore the implications of emerging technologies on social media communication practices.

Computer networks have become central to almost all computing and information processing applications. The arrival of the Internet into daily life has greatly increased the relevance and importance of computer networks. More and more applications rely on efficient and reliable network operation, such as the world wide web, email, instant messaging, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), and network–based audio and video. Networks such as the Internet and individual corporate networks have become as essential as to qualify as critical infrastructures for home, work, and government. Ensuring proper operation of the networks is an extremely important task, as also the task of properly designing and improving the network infrastructure. Simulation is an indispensable method in designing and improving networks. Network simulations are now routinely used in all aspects of network design, configuration, and analysis.

MOST READERS of this column, I suspect, don't have time to read a lot of IT (information technology) insider newsletters, reports, and so on. Since I spend a day or two a week reading this kind of material, I thought I would share with you some of the more interesting and sometimes disturbing things I've read recently. Despite the downturn in the economy in the last quarter of 2001, the Internet did not seem to be affected: it just kept on growing exponentially. Here are some recent figures from NetworkWorld. The number of host computers connected to the Internet rose to 137 million last year, up 40% over the 97 million reported in December 2000. It is interesting to note that about half of the three billion documents indexed by Google are corporate pages, and that proportion is expected to grow. Thus when students surf the Web, half of what they see is generated by a corporation, not by an educational organization. Maybe we need to add required courses such as Media Literacy and Knowledge Work to the curriculum. At the very least we need to help our students understand that they need to consider the source. Traffic on the U.S. portion of the Internet backbone rose to over 55 pentabytes (a pentabyte is a million gigabytes) per month, more than double the 23 pentabytes recorded in January 2001. (Supposedly one pentabyte equals 20 million four-drawer file cabinets filled with text. I wonder who figured this out?) In addition, the number of U.S. adults connected to the Internet rose 5% last year, with 62% now connecting to the Internet at least three times in the past three months. I find this last figure hard to believe, and I am still trying to digest it. I suspect it means that the Internet is becoming a mass medium, like television or radio. The rapid growth in the number of connected servers, in the amount of content available, and in the number of users is creating technological and economic headaches for education IT departments. Consider Oregon State University, for example, which has 22,000 students and employees and supports them with two leased DS-3 lines that provide a combined bandwidth of 90 Mbit/sec. Even at that, the university has to restrict inbound Internet traffic to 22 Mbit/sec. Internet connections of this kind cost more than $300,000 per year, and that is only for the connection -- not for all the hardware, software, and people needed to maintain it. School districts with a similar number of students and employees face even worse problems, since their schools are spread out over large geographical areas. Most moderately sized school districts probably have Internet connections in the 1-10 Mbit/sec. range and desperately need more bandwidth. E-rate funding (federal subsidies to schools for Internet access) has helped some, but much more needs to be done to support school and district connectivity. It varies widely, but my guess is that it takes a budget category of about one to five times the cost of the Internet connection to support it with people and equipment. So, even if the government gives you the money for your Internet connection, you still have to use large sums of local money to support it. If people only wanted to use the Internet for text-based traffic, such as e-mail and reading text-based Web pages, life would be simple. But such is not the case. People are beginning to expect the Internet to be a multimedia medium that supports voice calls (voice-over IP [Internet protocol]), instant messaging, videoconferencing, streaming video on demand, and MP3 music. Since the Internet was not designed for such things and since these kinds of uses take massive amounts of bandwidth, we've got problems -- big ones. One of the biggest problems facing the Internet community is multimedia instant messaging (IM). I didn't realize that IM or Internet chat was so popular until I polled 100 or so of my university students: more than three-quarters said they used IM daily. …