How to Set Up Secure Remote Work for Your Employees
Remote work is now a permanent fixture for many businesses — but most setups were built quickly and have significant security gaps. Here's how to do it right.
Remote work expanded rapidly and many businesses set it up hastily — with informal processes and weak security. Now that remote and hybrid work is permanent for many organizations, it's worth getting the foundation right. Here's how to build a secure remote work environment.
Start with a Business VPN
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) creates an encrypted tunnel from the remote employee's device to your business network. Any traffic to business systems travels through this encrypted connection — preventing interception on home or public Wi-Fi. Your firewall or a dedicated VPN solution (like Cisco AnyConnect, SonicWall's NetExtender, or a Meraki client VPN) handles the server side.
Multi-Factor Authentication Everywhere
Remote access without MFA is a serious risk. If an attacker obtains an employee's VPN credentials, MFA is the only thing standing between them and your entire business network. Enable MFA on your VPN, your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace accounts, and any cloud applications employees access remotely.
Company Devices vs Personal Devices
The safest approach is providing business-managed devices to remote employees. You control the security configuration, endpoint protection, and software installed. If BYOD (bring your own device) is necessary, implement a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution that enforces minimum security requirements before allowing access to business systems.
Remote Work Security Checklist
- Business VPN for all internal system access
- MFA enabled on all accounts
- Endpoint protection installed and monitored on all remote devices
- Disk encryption enabled (BitLocker on Windows, FileVault on Mac)
- Written remote work policy that employees have acknowledged
- Regular security awareness training — remote workers are more exposed to phishing