In the ongoing battle against SMS scammers, visionary leaders emerge to challenge the status quo and advocate for innovative solutions. One such visionary is Laurence Buchanan, the CEO of BNS Group. With his deep understanding of the industry and concern to protecting consumers, Buchanan is positioning himself as a thought leader in the war against SMS scammers. In this blog piece, we explore Buchanan’s perspective on the $10 million funding allocated by the Australian Federal Government to establish an SMS ALPHA Sender ID Registry, and his belief that Australia should follow the footsteps of countries like the United States of America and New Zealand by abolishing ALPHA sender IDs altogether.

The Rising Threat of SMS Scammers:

The proliferation of SMS scams poses a significant threat to individuals and businesses alike. These scams manipulate the trust placed in text messages and exploit unsuspecting victims, leading to financial loss, identity theft, and personal distress. As SMS scammers become increasingly sophisticated, it becomes crucial for governments and industry leaders to collaborate and devise effective strategies to combat this menace.

Scammers are still able to spoof caller IDs on phone calls and also sender IDs on SMS text messaging.  The Federal Government imposed obligations on the industry a long time ago to detect scammers using spoofed calling numbers on the voice and SMS network.  To block ALPHA sender IDs in SMS would make it easier for industry and government to regulate legitimate SMS numbers called ‘MSISDNs’ which are allocated within the Australian mobile networks. To set up a registry of Alpha sender IDs and then attempt to control who has the right to send as “Google”, “NAB”, “Nab”, “ATO”, “Ato” or “BNS” will be complex.  Case sensitivity has already affected one BNS customer sending Upper and lower-case Alpha Sender IDs using one major SMS Service provider.

Laurence Buchanan’s Stance:

Laurence Buchanan firmly believes that addressing the SMS scamming epidemic requires bold and decisive action. While acknowledging the Australian Federal Government’s effort to allocate $10 million for establishing a SMS ALPHA Sender ID registry, Buchanan contends that this approach might not yield the desired results and could be a waste of taxpayers’ money.

Drawing inspiration from countries like the United States of America, where SMS ALPHA Sender IDs have been abolished altogether, Buchanan proposes an alternative approach for Australia. He argues that eliminating  SMS ALPHA Sender IDs would restrict the scammers’ ability to deceive individuals by masking their true identity. Instead of investing in infrastructure to manage and regulate  SMS ALPHA Sender IDs, Buchanan suggests that redirecting those resources toward more comprehensive anti-scam initiatives could be more effective in combating SMS fraud.

The Benefits of Abolishing SMS ALPHA Sender IDs:

Advocating for the abolition of SMS ALPHA Sender IDs not without merit. By eliminating ALPHA sender IDs, Australia would join countries that have already taken this step, effectively curtailing scammers’ ability to exploit this SMS feature. This approach simplifies the regulatory landscape, making it easier to identify and block suspicious or malicious sender IDs. Additionally, it alleviates the burden on individuals and businesses to verify the authenticity of messages, fostering a more secure and trustworthy SMS environment.

A Comprehensive Approach:

While advocating for the elimination of ALPHA sender IDs, Laurence Buchanan emphasises the importance of adopting a comprehensive approach to tackle SMS scams. He suggests a multi-pronged strategy that combines technological advancements, public awareness campaigns, and collaboration between government agencies, telecommunication providers, and industry stakeholders. By fostering information sharing and implementing robust security measures, this approach aims to stay one step ahead of scammers and minimise the impact of SMS fraud. The challenge for Government and Industry, even if ALPHA sender IDs are blocked, is to identify legitimate MSISDNs (real SMS numbers) allocated to customers within Australian networks. Other countries implement numeric long or short codes to help manage SMS messaging which could play a significant role for managing overseas sourced messages for example.      

A compelling illustration of this can be observed through the Federal Government National Anti-Scam Centre, a recent announcement that showcases commendable progress. Commencing on 1 July 2023, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has embarked on the development of a novel system aimed at enhancing the exchange of scam-related information between the Government and private sector entities. This advanced system will facilitate secure and frequent data sharing among various agencies, law enforcement bodies, and industry stakeholders. By enabling swift action against scammers and safeguarding customers, businesses will be empowered to protect their clientele effectively. The implementation of this initiative is projected to span a period of three years.

The centre will establish partnerships and use expertise from the private sector, consumer groups and other regulators. The ACCC has final responsibility for decisions. The Centre will be guided by an Advisory Board with representatives to be drawn from the finance, digital platforms, and telecommunications sectors as well as consumer advocates, victim support services, and others with relevant expertise. The ACCC will run a process to finalise membership on the Advisory Board.  There will also be opportunities to contribute to work across a range of working groups and fusion cells. An initial Regulator Steering Group was set up to support the planning of the centre. It included representatives from the: 

• Australian Taxation Office 
• Department of Home Affairs 
• Australian Communications and Media Authority 
• Australian Securities and Investment Commission 
• Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

Additionally, the National Australia Bank (NAB) has made a significant stride in combating scams and fraudulent activities. In a proactive endeavor, NAB has recently declared the discontinuation of utilising unexpected text message links to reach out to customers. This decisive measure serves as a major crackdown to mitigate the detrimental impact of scams and fraud.

Conclusion:

In the fight against SMS scammers, thought leaders like Laurence Buchanan play a crucial role in shaping the industry’s response and pushing for meaningful change. His belief that the $10 million funding allocated by the Australian Federal Government for an ALPHA Sender ID registry may not stop scammers finding ways to spoof ALPHA sender IDs. By advocating for Australia to follow the lead of countries that have abolished ALPHA sender IDs altogether, Buchanan positions himself as a visionary leader, driving innovation and progress in the war against SMS scammers. It is through such bold initiatives and collaborations that we can hope to create a safer digital environment for all.

References:

https://www.accc.gov.au/national-anti-scam-centre

https://news.nab.com.au/news/nab-removes-links-in-text-messages/ 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-11/uk-laws-force-to-banks-reimburse-scam-victims-unless-negligent/102563000

BNS Group is delighted to announce the rebranding of its Enterprise SMS Server, formerly known as msXsms, to better align with its tight integration with cloud architecture. 

The Enterprise SMS Server has been revamped from the ground up to offer businesses greater flexibility, scalability, and reliability in their communication processes. 

Built on state-of-the-art cloud technology with AWS, the Enterprise SMS Server enables businesses to send and receive secure SMS messages across various devices and platforms securely and efficiently. The product allows businesses to easily integrate the Enterprise SMS Server into their existing workflows and systems, providing a seamless communication experience. 

“Our rebranding to Enterprise SMS Server reflects our ongoing commitment to providing innovative, reliable, and effective communication solutions to our customers,” said Laurence Buchanan, CEO of BNS Group. “Our customers can now benefit from a cloud-based SMS communication platform that is designed to meet their specific requirements, helping them stay connected with their audience and driving business growth.” 

“We are excited to introduce our Enterprise SMS Server and believe it will be a game-changer for businesses seeking to enhance their communication processes,” added Buchanan. “We encourage businesses of all sizes to try our product and see for themselves how it can help them achieve their communication goals.” 

With its rebranded Enterprise SMS Server, BNS Group continues to lead the way in delivering enterprise communication solutions that help businesses streamline messaging and enhance cost management.

BNS Group, a communication solutions provider founded in 1989, is proud to announce that it will be attending the AWS Summit Sydney in April 2023 for the very first time. This exciting opportunity comes after the company was recently accredited as an AWS differentiated partner, placing it among the top 2% of AWS partners worldwide. 

Over the years, BNS Group has worked with some of the largest organisations in Australia, including the Australian Tax Office, Suncorp Group, and the Defence Force. These collaborations have allowed BNS Group to develop a deep understanding of the unique communication needs of businesses in various sectors. 

“We are thrilled to be attending the AWS Summit Sydney for the first time,” said Laurence Buchanan, CEO of BNS Group. “This is an incredible opportunity for us to not only thank the AWS ISV team for their help along this journey, but it provides us a chance to connect with other industry leaders who are also working to transform the way businesses operate.” 

As an AWS differentiated partner, BNS Group is now able to offer customers its Enterprise SMS Server solution, optimised for use with the AWS platform. “We are excited to demonstrate how the Enterprise SMS Server solution can help enterprises streamline messaging, reduce overheads and succeed in today’s fast-paced technology environment,” added Buchanan. 

BNS Group’s attendance at the AWS Summit Sydney underscores the company’s steadfast commitment to providing its customers with innovative, dependable, and efficient communication solutions that cater to their specific needs. As the company continues to grow and transform, it remains fully devoted to offering advanced solutions that empower businesses to flourish in the digital era.

BNS Group, a leading provider of enterprise communication solutions, is proud to announce that its Enterprise SMS Server software has been awarded the AWS Qualified Software badge. 

The AWS Qualified Software program is designed to help customers easily discover software solutions that are compatible with Amazon Web Services (AWS). This program recognises software products that have been tested and verified for security, architecture, and best practices on AWS infrastructure. 

The BNS Group Enterprise SMS Server product provides businesses with a reliable and secure messaging solution that enables efficient communication with customers, employees, and stakeholders. With this badge, customers can be assured that the software has been thoroughly tested and meets the highest standards of security and functionality on AWS. 

“We are delighted to receive the AWS Qualified Software badge for our Enterprise SMS Server software product,” said Laurence Buchanan, CEO of BNS Group. “This recognition underscores our commitment to providing our customers with innovative and reliable communication solutions that are built on the best-in-class cloud infrastructure of AWS.” 

The AWS Qualified Software badge is a testament to the BNS Group’s dedication to delivering software products that meet the highest industry standards. As a trusted partner of AWS, BNS Group will continue to provide its customers with cutting-edge communication solutions that are secure, scalable, and reliable.

Original Article published via AWS (Amazon Web Services)

When harnessed strategically, Short Message Service (SMS) can be an extremely effective marketing tool. According to Gartner, SMS open rates are as high as 98 percent compared to email’s 20 percent average. Companies looking to run scalable SMS applications often rely on commercial software from independent software vendors (ISVs) such as BNS Group to reach their target audience.

BNS is an Australian software provider focused on secure enterprise SMS and fax messaging. Its software runs on the Windows platform and is licensed to public sector organizations such as the Australian Taxation Office and to private firms like Suncorp. For Suncorp, BNS software handles between 2 million and 3 million monthly SMS messages.

Pursuing a Cloud-Based Deployment Model

24 June 2022

BNS Group Achieves 100% Cloud Migration and Saves 50% On Ongoing IT Costs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory – Australia’s leading Enterprise SMS text messaging software developer has left the world of physical data centres behind and partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to fully migrate both the business and its technology solutions into a cloud environment.

Starting its business in 1989 developing fax server software, BNS added enterprise SMS text messaging server software to its product offering in 2009.   Today BNS Group provides enterprise SIP based FAX and SMS communications cloud based software solutions to some of Australia’s leading government agencies and corporations.

In a significant restructuring of the business operations and client infrastructure, BNS Group has achieved what many similarly placed organisations have not; 100% migration to a cloud-based environment.

Following months of research and discussion, Co-Founders Laurence Buchanan and Clive Pereira focused on simplicity and efficiency in their move to AWS, opting to build new virtual machines and relicensing software development tools rather than what other organisations appeared to be doing, in migrating, lifting, and shifting.

What appeared to be a significant obstacle in replacing their physical Optus SIP trunk in the data centre was made easy with Switch Connect CEO Rohan Milne, who commissioned a hosted session border controller supporting T.38 Fax protocol, resulting in BNS Group’s AWS-based fax technology being able to talk directly to Switch Connect.

“Replacing the Optus SIP trunk in the data centre was probably the most complex part of our migration. We had to find a reliable cloud based T.38 service to the PSTN for our fax server technology to use. As Switch Connect was handling our MS Teams PSTN calling already, this was just an easy addition to our monthly service plan” said Laurence Buchanan CEO BNS.

About BNS Group:

BNS Group is a privately owned company based in Sydney and Canberra focused on secure enterprise FAX and SMS messaging. BNS manufactures commercial software products on the Windows platform which are licenced to customers and reseller partners globally.

BNS’s customers include Australian Taxation Office, Defence, Computershare, Panalpina Freight, Suncorp Group: Suncorp Bank and Insurance, AAMI, GIO & Shannons.

BNS has been a certified Microsoft developer partner since the early 1990’s.

To learn more about BNS Group, visit

https://www.bnsgroup.com.au/about/

About AWS ISV Accelerate Program:

The AWS ISV Accelerate Program is a co-sell program for organisations that provide software solutions that run on or integrate with AWS. The program helps you drive new business and accelerate sales cycles by connecting participating independent software vendors (ISVs) with the AWS Sales organisation.

To learn more about AWS ISV Accelerate Program, visit https://aws.amazon.com/partners/programs/isv-accelerate

Media Contact:

Laurence Buchanan
Tel. +61 412 869 531
Email: ceo@bnsgroup.com.au

24 May 2022 BNS Group Leaves Physical Data Centre Behind To Join Global Community Of Amazon Web Services Partners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory – BNS Group, Australia’s leading SMS and Fax software developer for government and private firms, has left the world of physical data centres saving its clients time, money, and providing them SMS service provider flexibility. Upon partnering with Amazon Web Services, BNS has fully migrated its entire technology suite to the cloud in under two months.

Co-founders Laurence Buchanan and Clive Pereira had been discussing the importance of offering their clients a solution based in the cloud for years, utilising either AWS or Microsoft Azure, however it was a new client, technology start-up Praisal, that eventually forced the duo into action.

An off-market residential listing marketplace, Praisal needed a way to connect with its users, monthly, to update them on the total number of digital rings, the views their property accumulated, and distribute leads to property professionals.

“Ultimately, the decision was made for us when we were approached by Praisal,” said Clive Pereira, also Technical Director at BNS Group. “Praisal wanted to launch a progressive web app that runs on phones and runs on desktops and they wanted to deploy out of AWS. They asked the question of BNS… ‘What can you do? What can you do with SMS that can run in our tenancy?’” said Pereira.

Pereira continued, “We had a solution that was running on premise, but they wanted us to provide something that we didn’t have and that was to be able to take requests from SQL. That got us thinking, ‘Hey, why can’t we drop our traditional mechanism, which was an email type feed mechanism and go to SQL?’ That’s what got us thinking about not only SQL, but also about running in AWS.”

Following months of beta testing and collaboration with Praisal, BNS Group were able to successfully deploy their SMS technology via AWS and have it verified with AWS’s ISV Accelerate Program, making the solution even more attractive to enterprise organisations who utilise SMS as a means of communication.

Laurence Buchanan, also Chief Executive Officer, quotes the open standards approach as a key benefit of their solution. “In taking an open standards approach, the customer can now negotiate the cost of their SMSs because they can move from one service provider to another without having to re-engineer.” he said.

“Their software developers do it once and once only.” Buchanan continued. “They don’t have to go and change, and they’re not using proprietary APIs. For example, if they’re locked into Telstra and they use the Telstra rest API just to send and receive SMSs, then they’re locked into Telstra. They don’t have that flexibility. With our platform, they do.” he concluded.

For enterprises interested in the SMS solution, the application will shortly be listed within the AWS Marketplace as a part of the Accelerate Program, with BNS Group spent 6 months documenting the architecture, deployment guides and prerequisites for installation. In the interim, BNS Group can provide guidance on system compatibility.

About BNS Group:

BNS Group is a privately owned company based in Sydney and Canberra focused on secure enterprise FAX and SMS messaging. BNS manufactures commercial software products on the Windows platform which are licenced to customers and reseller partners globally.

BNS’s customers include Australian Taxation Office, Defence, Computershare, Panalpina Freight, Suncorp Group: Suncorp Bank and Insurance, AAMI, GIO, and Shannons.

BNS has been a certified Microsoft developer partner since the early 1990’s and are a certified AWS ISV Partner as of 2022.

To learn more about BNS Group, visit

https://www.bnsgroup.com.au/about/

About AWS Partner Network:

The AWS Partner Network (APN) is a global community of partners that leverages programs, expertise, and resources to build, market, and sell customer offerings. This diverse network features 100,000 partners from more than 150 countries.

To learn more about AWS Partner Network, visit

https://aws.amazon.com/partners/

About Praisal:

Praisal is an off-market residential listing marketplace, where owners can create a listing for free and buyers can digitally ring their doorbell to express an interest in the property.

To learn more about Praisal, visit

https://www.praisal.com.au/

About AWS ISV Accelerate Program:

The AWS ISV Accelerate Program is a co-sell program for organisations that provide software solutions that run on or integrate with AWS. The program helps you drive new business and accelerate sales cycles by connecting participating independent software vendors (ISVs) with the AWS Sales organisation.

To learn more about AWS ISV Accelerate Program, visit https://aws.amazon.com/partners/programs/isv-accelerate

Media Contact:

Laurence Buchanan
Tel. +61 412 869 531
Email: ceo@bnsgroup.com.au

Photo Credit: @vibe.imagery

1 February 2022, BNS and Switch Connect announce the availability of a cloud-based T.38 fax service to solve the issues customers face when migrating away from legacy telephony to solutions such as Microsoft Teams PSTN Calling.

BNS first identified the problem customers were facing in 2020 when customers were fast-tracking Microsoft Teams for remote working and collaboration. Some of those customers decided to implement PSTN calling for Teams but found no fax capability and could not completely replace their old PBX systems.

Customers, particularly in: healthcare, finance, banking, insurance, and government, need to ensure that fax data handling complies with privacy and data sovereignty laws in Australia, so outsourcing fax to a provider is not allowed.

The solution was for BNS to find a suitable service provider who could deliver a SIP service to any cloud provider specifically designed for enterprise faxing;  then couple that with the BNS Fax server technology within the customer’s cloud tenancy.

“We selected Switch Connect because they offered a Ribbon Software-based SBC in their cloud, which was co-located at a tier 1 telecommunications provider in Australia,” said Laurence Buchanan, CEO of BNS.

BNS being a Ribbon partner for many years with SBCs, which it had deployed in large accounts over the years, was confident that the solution would work.

The design allows the customer to implement the BNS Fax server in their own cloud tenancy (AWS, Azure, etc) and utilise reliable SIP communications to Switch Connect, who can deliver fax over the service with minimal jitter or latency.

“BNS has been a Teams Calling customer of ours for a while, and we were constantly discussing the issues with fax and Microsoft Teams; we got to a point of saying we just need to build something that works and is reliable for our customers and also for BNS’s legacy on-premise customers,” said Rohan Milne Switch Connect CEO.

The solution allows:

• The customer to maintain complete control and security of their fax images because nothing is stored at Switch Connect (SC).
• SC can host existing 1800\1300 fax numbers
• SC can host existing normal fax numbers subject to porting capabilities at the customer end.

Switch Connect can also provide Teams PSTN calling as a service for customers wanting a PSTN service for their Teams implementation.

Technical information is available at https://msxfaxkb.bnsgroup.com.au/switchconnectt38service

BNS Group website:  www.bnsgroup.com.au

Switch Connect website: www.switchconnect.com.au