When your team works from coffee shops, home offices, and co-working spaces, your attack surface expands dramatically. Here’s how to stay secure.
The Remote Security Stack
Every remote team needs these fundamentals:
1. Password Manager
Stop reusing passwords. Please.
1Password (Our pick)
- Teams features built for business
- Excellent UX
- Secret automation for developers
- $7.99/user/month
Bitwarden
- Open source
- Self-host option
- Very affordable
- Free tier for individuals
Dashlane
- VPN included
- Dark web monitoring
- Premium features
- $8/user/month
2. VPN (Virtual Private Network)
Essential for public WiFi and accessing company resources:
Tailscale
- Zero-config mesh VPN
- Works with your existing identity provider
- Excellent for technical teams
- Generous free tier
NordVPN Teams
- Traditional VPN approach
- Good for compliance requirements
- Dedicated IPs available
- $7/user/month
Cloudflare WARP
- Free consumer option
- 1.1.1.1 DNS resolver
- Zero Trust option for teams
- Starts free
3. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Non-negotiable for all business accounts.
Hardware keys (Yubikey)
- Most secure option
- Phishing-resistant
- Works offline
- ~$50 per key
Authenticator apps (Authy, 1Password)
- Convenient
- Better than SMS
- Sync across devices
Never: SMS-based 2FA for critical accounts (SIM swapping is real).
4. Endpoint Protection
Your team’s devices are your perimeter:
CrowdStrike - Enterprise-grade SentinelOne - AI-powered detection Malwarebytes - Budget-friendly Jamf - Mac fleet management
5. Secure Communication
For sensitive conversations:
Signal - End-to-end encrypted messaging ProtonMail - Encrypted email Keybase - Encrypted team chat
Security Policies That Work
- Require password managers - Make it a condition of employment
- Mandate 2FA everywhere - No exceptions for executives
- Define device requirements - Minimum OS versions, encryption
- Establish incident response - What happens when a laptop is stolen?
- Regular security training - Phishing tests, awareness programs
The Human Factor
Technology alone isn’t enough:
- Phishing awareness - 90% of breaches start with phishing
- Social engineering training - Teach skepticism
- Clear escalation paths - Make it easy to report suspicious activity
- No blame culture - People who fear punishment hide mistakes
Quick Wins
Implement these today:
- Enable 2FA on all business accounts
- Use a password manager (team-wide)
- Require full-disk encryption on all devices
- Block unknown USB devices
- Set up automatic security updates
Security is a journey, not a destination. Start with the basics and build from there.