Work-from-anywhere is here to stay—and cybercriminals know it.
Whether you’re logging in from a coffee shop, your home office, or a beachside Airbnb, your business data needs protection.
The shift to hybrid and remote workforces has made it easier than ever to stay connected. But it’s also created new entry points for cyberattacks, especially when teams are working on the go.
In fact, according to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach 2024 report, organizations with a remote workforce take 58 days longer to identify and contain breaches compared to their fully in-office peers.
So how do you protect your team—and your systems—when you’re not in the office? It starts with understanding the risks and implementing proactive IT policies built for flexibility and security.
Why Offsite Work Creates Onsite Risk
Even short-term travel or hybrid work can introduce vulnerabilities. Here’s why:
1. Unsecured Networks
Public Wi-Fi at hotels, airports, or coffee shops is a prime target for attackers. Without a VPN, your session can be intercepted or compromised without you knowing.
2. Personal Devices (BYOD)
Employees working on personal laptops or mobile devices may not have the same endpoint protections in place—making them easy access points for malware or data theft.
3. Limited IT Oversight
When users are offsite, IT teams often lose visibility into security events or backup status—making it harder to spot and fix issues quickly.
4. Social Engineering Attacks
Travel often means distractions. Phishing emails and impersonation attacks thrive when workers are less vigilant, especially with out-of-office responders or delegations in place.
How to Secure Your Team While They’re Away
Don’t wait for an incident to rethink your remote work security. These strategies will help you protect business-critical data whether your team is at home or halfway across the world.
Cloud-First Backups
Ensure every user’s device is protected by a cloud-based backup solution. Laptops should back up automatically—even when off-network.
Regular Recovery Tests
Have you tested your recovery process recently? A backup isn’t enough if you can’t restore the data quickly and completely.
Endpoint Protection Across All Devices
Deploy mobile device management (MDM) or remote monitoring tools to apply consistent security controls to every endpoint—even BYOD.
Secure Remote Access
Require multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all VPN and cloud services. Disable legacy protocols and require device compliance checks before access is granted.
Cybersecurity Awareness Training
Make security hygiene part of your employee onboarding and vacation prep. Training should cover phishing awareness, password hygiene, and secure mobile device use.
Secure SaaS and Cloud Data
Don’t assume your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace data is protected. Implement third-party SaaS backup solutions and set clear data retention policies.
Ongoing Risk Assessments
Schedule quarterly reviews to identify gaps in your remote access strategy, backup systems, and compliance coverage.
Don’t Let Remote Work Be a Blind Spot
At Epoch Inc., we help businesses stay protected—no matter where work happens. From remote workforce risk assessments and disaster recovery planning to endpoint security and patch management, our team provides proactive support that keeps your systems secure and your operations running smoothly. Reach out to a member of the Epoch team today to learn how we can help safeguard your business this summer and beyond.