Hey everyone! With AT&T discontinuing their email-to-text service, I'm on the hunt for alternatives to send system alerts via text message. I'm checking out Pushover.Net and a few others, and while I really like what Pushover offers, I have some security concerns. Since Pushover stores messages in clear text on their servers, I'm not sure if that'll pass muster with our compliance team.
So, I've started researching how to set up a GSM modem to send text messages directly from our data center, avoiding third-party services like Pushover or Twilio. We have developers who can create a process to manage and send these texts through a GSM modem, so it's not quite as plug-and-play as Pushover, but I'm looking to compare the pros and cons of each approach for security purposes. Any insights or recommendations would be appreciated!
5 Answers
We used to rely on GSM modems, but we moved to a heartbeat solution instead. It notifies us if our monitoring servers can't reach an internet service, which is useful if you're concerned about internet downtime. It might be beneficial for you to explore similar heartbeat services to maintain notifications effectively.
You could always have a Linux expert set up a local SMS gateway for you. That way, you'd eliminate some risks of third parties accessing your messages altogether.
I switched to using Azure for sending SMS after having some trouble with Nexmo's registration rules. I primarily use it with logic apps, but it should work from any system that can make web calls. If you're looking for a cloud solution with decent reliability, it could be worth checking out.
Could you elaborate on the Azure setup? I wasn't aware that was an option!
Using GSM modems for SMS is great but remember that text messages are generally sent in plaintext, which raises questions about security. If your compliance team is concerned about storing plaintext, they'll likely have similar concerns about sending it as SMS. It’s worth discussing how the previous systems compared before transitioning to a GSM modem.
Exactly! If your past method involved plaintext emails, the compliance team might not have issues with sending direct SMS since it's all plaintext anyhow.
You could consider encrypting your SMS content, then encoding it. This isn't much different from using a third-party service though, so weigh your options carefully.
Consider looking into SMSEagle; it’s quite an appealing out-of-the-box solution with solid APIs and features. While you could build your own system, SMSEagle offers great value without the hassle of managing everything yourself.
That sounds interesting! Do you think we should separate the causes of failure (like power vs. communication)? A combined approach might be more effective.