SMS Firewall: Top 5 Ways It Can Bulletproof Your Business

Enterprise SMS is a rapidly growing sector, with countless companies relying on SMS services to streamline customer communication, marketing, and authentication. SMS firewall solution has become indispensable to business strategies with increasing market players, subscriber complaints, and regulatory pressures.

The rise of frauds in spam, flooding, spoofing, hacking, phishing, and the exploitation of non-billable grey routes pose significant risks to the customer experience. Managed SMS firewall operates on a comprehensive approach to control SMS traffic cost-effectively, preventing network abuse and subscriber threats.

The global SMS firewall market is estimated to reach $4.1 billion by 2028, driven by rising concerns regarding privacy and security, with international SMS traffic showing a significant revenue share. Let’s explore the critical importance of SMS firewall in protecting your business, five innovative strategies to achieve that, and subsequent benefits.

The Vitality of SMS Firewall in Securing Your Business’s Reputation and Revenue

The importance of an SMS firewall solution cannot be overstated amidst the widespread growth of grey routes and the increasing threat of fraudsters exploiting SMS networks. Grey routes, characterized by the absence of commercial agreements between senders and mobile operators, pose a significant threat, leading to revenue leakage and tarnished brand image.

Managed SMS firewalls employ high-performance scanning techniques to combat this menace, scrutinizing every message, originator, source, and route. From rule-based filtering to clear traffic segregation, an SMS firewall is a must to secure the enterprise messaging value chain and realize long-term capital gains.

Bulletproof Your Business: 5 Essential SMS Firewall Strategies

Incorporate Machine Learning into Spam Filters

Unlike traditional rules-based approaches, modern SMS firewall solutions combine spam prevention rules with advanced machine-learning techniques to identify suspicious patterns automatically. With features like content learning and signature analysis, it distinguishes between spam and legitimate messages.

It leverages artificial intelligence, entity reputation tracking, and real-time threat intelligence to prevent phishing, spam, and A2P abuse. This unique approach ensures enhanced network protection, policy compliance, and actionable insights for businesses.

Cloud-Based Deployment of Fully Managed SMS Firewall

The cloud-based deployment of a fully managed SMS firewall and messaging hub can effectively filter international messages. Such firewall hosted in carrier-grade networks offers 24×7 management, empowering MNOs with control over filtering rules, parameters, and reporting via an online portal.

Businesses can gain complete visibility and control with a web-based user interface, dashboard, rule management, real-time monitoring, and alerts. This solution’s fully managed nature ensures source-agnostic service and high availability.

Establish a Fraud Response Framework

Given the regular occurrence of SMS fraud attacks, it is imperative to have a well-defined process in place to identify and respond to threats swiftly. The framework incorporates a suspicious event notification system that promptly alerts subscribers regarding potential risks when suspicious events are detected. SMS firewall solution facilitates multiple response options, enabling businesses to allow, block, or ignore received SMS messages based on the context and risk assessment.

Review and Upgrade Content and Sender Number Screening Rules

Auditing the rules configured on the SMS firewall solution is crucial, mainly if default settings were applied during the initial installation. Businesses must stay abreast of emerging threats by regularly updating screening functions like keyword matching, phrase matching, and UDH pattern screening for detecting phishing attacks, malware, and illegal URLs.

Upgrading rules-based filtering of sender numbers allow businesses to proactively prevent frauds from spoofing, faking, and spamming addresses. Ensuring full compliance with the latest GSMA IR.92 requirements, businesses can maintain robust defenses against SIM boxes, flooding, and subscription frauds.

Introduce a Shortcode for Subscribers to Report Fraud

As targets of SMS fraud, subscribers often feel annoyed and concerned about the potential dangers lurking behind seemingly harmless messages. Businesses can provide a convenient way for subscribers to forward suspicious messages to a designated shortcode to gain insights into the extent of the problem within their network. Enabling this reporting mechanism establishes a two-way communication channel that enhances subscriber trust and bolsters the overall security posture of the business.

Benefits of Employing These SMS Firewall Strategies

Complete Regulatory Compliance

SMS firewall solution ensures complete regulatory compliance by adhering to industry standards such as GSMA IR.92 v14.0. It helps block unauthorized international, national, application-originated, and on-net A2P traffic.

Improved Customer Experience

With always-on SMS threat monitoring and protection based on policies and spam traps, managed SMS firewall protects mobile subscribers from fraudulent activities. It ensures customers a seamless and secure messaging experience with round-the-clock technical support.

Reduced Total Cost of Ownership

Managed SMS firewall reduces the total cost of ownership by eliminating the need for building and maintaining in-house MNO-based firewalls and spam detection software. The managed service approach offers an affordable and comprehensive solution, sparing businesses from the overhead of deploying, monitoring, and maintaining internal systems.

Revenue Growth

Businesses protect their customers, uphold their brand reputation, and unlock revenue potential by blocking unauthorized A2P messages and preserving the integrity of legitimate offerings. Insights from customer traffic patterns and market understanding further contribute to identifying revenue generation opportunities and boosting profitability.

Put an End to Losses: Unbeatable Protection of SMS Firewall Solution

In the highly regulated A2P SMS sector, ensuring security has become a differentiating aspect for carriers to safeguard their brand’s reputation, protect subscribers, and boost A2P revenues. One way to address this need is employing a robust SMS firewall solution that offers bulletproof defense against a wide range of risks, from flooding and spam to hacking and phishing. Proactive measures like machine learning, cloud-based deployment, fraud response frameworks, and reporting mechanisms can help you fight against fraud and revenue leakage, securing subscriber trust and a stronger bottom line.

B-SMSCProtect SMS Firewall from Broadband Telecom is an operator-grade solution that harnesses the power of AI to keep your subscribers safe from spam, flooding, SMiShing, and more. Get in touch to seize every A2P monetization opportunity with minimum network abuse.