The traditional office is becoming harder to find these days. Across the world, millions of people have shifted to hybrid or fully remote work lifestyles. 53% of workers in the USA have adopted hybrid work models, and 24% work from home full-time. Those numbers are likely to rise with employee expectations drifting towards flexible working.
But how should companies respond? Enabling remote working can be risky, but it comes with many benefits. In this article, we’ll introduce the best security tools for remote work, making it easier to relocate employees without creating extra cybersecurity risks.
Modern remote teams now rely heavily on cloud-based solutions to maintain productivity and security. According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025, approximately 22–28% of the global workforce works remotely at least part-time. Meanwhile, based on Gallup research, 83% of workers say hybrid models are their preferred work environment. This shift has compelled organizations to invest in robust remote work infrastructure, from collaboration platforms and remote work tools to secure cloud-based data storage.
However, the surge in distributed work brings challenges. IT teams must balance productivity with risk by choosing remote work tools that reinforce access controls, identity verification, and secure data exchange. As remote work infrastructures scale, companies increasingly deploy cloud-based solutions and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) frameworks to streamline operations and reduce attack surfaces.
Without careful planning, remote environments risk fragmentation, shadow IT, and compliance gaps—all of which can hinder business resilience and long-term growth.
Organizations should employ a suite of technologies for working remotely. These cover critical areas like cloud storage, project management, communication, data security, and secure remote access. Let’s see what are the top options in each category.
Remote work teams should use secure cloud storage to host workloads and communication apps. Secure platforms apply encryption to protect data at rest. Furthermore, firewalls block illegitimate external access, and physical controls protect data centers.
Cloud platforms couple security with ease of use, meaning remote users can share files and databases instantly. Moreover, teams can update work documents, client databases, or code bases in real time. And cloud data protection tools keep the workloads safe from external intruders.
It usually makes sense to build remote work setups around cloud environments. But which cloud services provider should you choose?
This is a popular option for cloud storage. Azure Bastion provides secure shell access for remote connections. It also features the ability to create virtual desktop infrastructure with ease. That way, remote employees can access central resources without storing data locally.
Microsoft’s cloud platform has other remote security benefits. Learn more by reading our Entra ID best practices guide.
AWS is another good cloud storage option and virtual workspace. For instance, it’s ideal for creatives working remotely who need virtual workstations for graphic design or video production.
Users can encrypt data easily and manage data retention policies. And they can track data movements between home and cloud locations.
Finally, cybersecurity is very tight if you follow AWS security best practices.
Google Cloud offers excellent document storage and editing features. Flexible bucket storage is a core feature of Google’s platform. When cloud services fail in one region, remote workers can access workloads hosted elsewhere.
Google’s storage systems scale smoothly. They are fitted with critical remote security tools like encryption, cloud-native access controls, signed URLs, and data retention locks. By following Google Cloud security best practices, you can design a remote work solution that secures data and serves employee needs.
Managing projects is a crucial aspect of any remote workplace. Managers need to set targets and monitor employee progress. They need awareness of project achievements. Finally, they require the ability to change plans as projects develop.
Project management tools make these tasks much more manageable. What’s more, they give an overall awareness to their users. Also, some solutions enable detailed worker surveillance via time-tracking tools.
Atlassian’s Jira platform is a good solution for creating a flexible remote team. Targeted at code developers, Jira enables complete awareness of production status. Managers can track progress with productivity reports and timeline tools. In the meantime, task management hubs allow them to set flexible workflows for each remote employee.
Jira is a solid option for DevOps teams that depend on distributed remote workers. That’s because it blends flexibility and security. For instance, users can encrypt data at rest and in transit, and they can set permissions for each object. NordLayer’s guide to Jira security best practices offers a comprehensive overview of the product’s remote security features.
Teams is the most popular platform for remote work operations. However, it doesn’t include native project management features.
Instead, users can create integrations with third-party management tools like Monday or Brightworks. These tools link together the video conferencing and messaging functions that make Teams useful. And they let managers schedule events and track progress easily.
Microsoft Teams is part of Office 365. This suite allows easy assimilation of Excel or Word into remote workflows. But this solution might come with security vulnerabilities. Learn more by reading our blog about Office 365 best practices.
Product designers rely on Figma to collaborate and develop ideas. The platform’s Juncture tool enables in-depth workflow management for every team and product. Co-creation spaces bring workers together to share prototypes or test apps. And tools like FigJam provide online whiteboards, making it easy for teams to collaborate instantly.
Figma is an excellent development platform for remote teams. But as with Microsoft Teams, it’s not entirely secure. Therefore, be sure to implement Figma security best practices before teams go online.
Communication and collaboration are critical to the success of every remote team. And for that, there are many different tools to choose from.
The most secure options are end-to-end encrypted messaging apps. Troop Messenger and Element are designed to suit business communications. They encrypt messages between remote team members without compromising productivity.
Other communication tools bring team members together to discuss ongoing projects. For example, Slack features customizable one-to-one, enterprise-wide, or departmental group chats, including live voice communications. It includes encryption, key management, audit logs, and data loss prevention.
Video collaboration tools are another must-have for most remote work operations. Zoom is optimized for remote workers, with collaborative whiteboards, up to 100 meeting attendees, and instant team meetings for spur-of-the-moment contact. Zoom Events is another neat feature that helps build togetherness among remote employees.
Video communication tools improve collaboration, but they can bring remote security risks. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were many cases of attackers recording Zoom calls. That’s because threat actors can steal credentials or hijack calls over insecure connections.
Companies should couple collaboration tools with a reliable B2B VPN and access management systems. They ensure that calls are private and only legitimate invitees will be present.
Remote work setups should always include filters to exclude unauthorized users from corporate resources. Therefore, authentication and access control solutions are critically important for remote workers. After all, managers may need to grant IT administrators broader access rights than trainees, ensuring every user only reaches the resources appropriate for their role.
Authentication compares user access credentials to secure credentials databases. The gold standard for remote access is multi-factor authentication (MFA). This demands more than one unique identifier when users access work resources.
MFA can involve passwords and one-time codes sent via SMS or email. But more secure versions deliver encrypted codes to mobile apps. This avoids security issues related to email and SMS. Organizations can also switch from passwords to hardware tokens provided to remote workers.
Access control portals complement authentication tools. Identity and Access Management (IAM) systems verify users' identities and connect them to the correct privileges.
Remote workers can access resources needed by their team or project. However, under the Zero Trust model, IAM tools limit access to all other network assets. This strengthens the network perimeter and boosts cybersecurity.
Encryption is another critical aspect of securing remote workers’ connections and data. Companies should leverage encryption features on apps and cloud platforms to safeguard sensitive information. And they should use encrypted channels to connect remote devices and central resources.
DLP tools can also help businesses a lot with their remote workforce. They track sensitive data and prevent misuse by remote users. This way, managers can protect the most important databases and documents. As a result, extracting valuable data will be much more difficult.
In summary, strong encryption is essential when designing remote work setups. Insecure user devices can become entry points for malware and data thieves. Moreover, weak authentication and authorization systems make access easy for anyone with a functioning user ID and password.
Remote access workforces expand the threat surface and create new cybersecurity risks. This makes it critical to secure every remote connection. Encrypting cloud platforms and implementing MFA is not enough. Companies must lock down connections between remote devices and network assets.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is one way to do so. It creates centralized servers on the cloud. These servers host workloads and data, meaning nothing is stored locally on employee devices. However, users can run apps hosted on the VDI in their home office.
VDI tools create encrypted connections between local devices and the virtualized environment. This is relatively secure. Unfortunately, attackers can still gain network access if they have legitimate credentials.
Companies can also use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to create encrypted tunnels for remote connections. To further enhance security, implementing an Always On VPN ensures that remote workers are constantly connected to the VPN, providing continuous and automatic secure connection. VPN providers operate servers across the world, which can even improve connection speeds.
They apply cutting-edge encryption that is virtually impossible to crack. Moreover, your IP address will stay hidden, increasing anonymity. This makes it harder for hackers to mount interception and other types of attacks.
VPNs are a flexible security and privacy option for on-site and remote workforces. What’s more, these tools can secure access points in public locations. In the meantime, access company networks or attend client meetings while traveling.
NordLayer’s VPN solutions make creating safe remote work setups easier. Our Remote Access VPN encrypts connections via a simple client interface. Users can protect their devices instantly, whether they are accessing cloud platforms or central offices.
Remote work should always be protected. Ensuring every secure remote worker experience demands effective solutions as employees leave central offices. This blog post has introduced key technologies and tools for keeping remote workers safe and boosting productivity.
Businesses should always choose the most secure project management and communication tools. While Entra ID or Zoom have their own security features, they alone are not enough. Organizations must be able to create gateways, use MFA authentication, protect remote access, and manage team member privileges.
It’s time to make your remote and on-site work safe. Get in touch with NordLayer, and we’ll help you create a solution that fits your business needs.
Agnė Srėbaliūtė
Senior Creative Copywriter
Agne is a writer with over 15 years of experience in PR, SEO, and creative writing. With a love for playing with words and meanings, she crafts content that’s clear and distinctive. Agne balances her passion for language and tech with hiking adventures in nature—a space that recharges her.
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