Secure Remote Working
Protection Wherever You Work
Working remotely shouldn't mean compromising security. Pulsar IT helps protect employees wherever they work, using automatically connected VPN technology, centralised firewall protection and controlled access to business resources.
What is Secure Remote Working?
When your team works away from the office, their laptops connect through networks you don't control: home broadband, hotel Wi-Fi, a coffee shop or a phone hotspot. Secure Remote Working gives those devices a protected path back to your business.
A VPN (virtual private network) client on each laptop connects automatically to your business firewall as soon as the device is online, without staff having to remember to switch it on. Traffic is encrypted between the laptop and the firewall, and your firewall applies the same security policies it uses in the office.
We design the setup around your firewall, devices and the way your team works, then manage it alongside your other Pulsar IT services.
Key benefits
- Remote devices connect automatically, with no button for staff to forget
- Business traffic encrypted across untrusted networks
- The same firewall policies and web filtering at home as in the office
- Access to business systems tied to verified users with multifactor authentication
- One central place to review remote-access activity within the agreed scope
How does it work?
Each supported device runs a VPN client that connects automatically to your managed business firewall. In a full-tunnel design, the device's traffic travels through that encrypted connection, so the firewall can filter, inspect and log it before it reaches your systems or the internet.
Review and design
We review your firewall, devices, operating systems, licences and how your team works, then agree the VPN design, including full-tunnel or split-tunnel routing and any exceptions.
Configure and pilot
We configure the firewall and VPN client, enforce multifactor authentication and test with a small pilot group on real home, hotel and mobile connections.
Roll out and manage
We deploy to the remaining devices, document the setup and then manage it: updates, policy changes, user changes and alert review within the agreed scope.
- Remote employeeCompany laptop at home, in a hotel or on public Wi-Fi
- Encrypted always-on VPNConnects automatically when the device is online
- Managed business firewallFiltering, inspection, MFA and logging
- Approved systems and internetBusiness applications, files and permitted websites
Technical scope
- Always-on VPN connectivity on supported devices and operating systems
- Full-tunnel VPN routing, so supported device traffic passes through your centrally managed business firewall
- Secure internet access outside the office, with the firewall's web filtering applied remotely
- Protection when connecting from untrusted networks such as hotel and public Wi-Fi
- Identity-based access control, so users reach only the systems their role needs
- Multifactor authentication for VPN sign-in
- Device compliance requirements where your firewall and device management support them
- Integration with your endpoint security, so protected devices are the ones connecting
- Application and web filtering through the firewall's security features
- Secure DNS handling, so name lookups follow your filtering policy rather than the local network's
- Secure access to business applications hosted in the office or in the cloud
- Logging and monitoring of remote connections within the agreed service scope
Where it helps
Working from home
Home broadband is shared with family devices and smart gadgets. The VPN keeps business traffic separate and filtered, and staff reach office systems without exposing them to the internet.
Hotels
Hotel Wi-Fi is shared with strangers and often lightly secured. Once the guest login page is completed, the VPN connects and the laptop's traffic is protected by your own firewall.
Travelling
Moving between trains, airports and client sites means constantly changing networks. Always-on VPN reconnects automatically, so protection follows the device.
Public Wi-Fi
Coffee shop and venue networks can be impersonated or monitored. Encrypting traffic to your firewall reduces the risk of it being read or redirected on the local network.
Problems solved
Staff forget to connect the VPN
A VPN that must be switched on manually is often left off. Always-on connection removes that step for supported devices.
Remote devices escape office protection
Laptops used at home bypass the filtering and monitoring your office firewall provides. Full-tunnel routing brings them back under the same policies.
Risky public and hotel Wi-Fi
Shared networks can be monitored or spoofed. Encrypted connections to your firewall reduce exposure while staff travel.
Business systems exposed to the internet
Opening remote desktop or file shares directly to the internet is a common route for attackers. Access through the VPN keeps those services private.
Stolen passwords used to get in
Multifactor authentication on VPN sign-in means a stolen password alone is not enough to connect.
What's included
Included as standard
- Review of your firewall, devices and remote-working requirements
- VPN design, including full-tunnel or agreed split-tunnel routing
- Firewall and VPN client configuration on supported devices
- Multifactor authentication for VPN access
- Pilot testing on home, hotel and mobile connections
- Documentation of the agreed configuration
- Ongoing management of the VPN configuration and policy changes
- Logging and monitoring of remote connections within the agreed scope
Optional or scoped
Available on request and confirmed in your proposal; not part of the standard service.
- Device compliance checks before connection, where supported
- Application control and advanced web filtering that need additional firewall licences
- Additional sites or a second firewall for resilience
- Remote-working security guidance for staff
What's not included
- Firewall hardware, VPN licences and subscriptions, unless agreed in your proposal
- Devices and operating systems the VPN client does not support
- Personal or unmanaged devices, unless specifically agreed
- Home broadband faults and performance, which remain with the user's internet provider
- 24/7 SOC analyst monitoring, which comes from Pulsar IT Managed SOC (included in Advanced IT & Security); alerts from this service are reviewed by our team in line with your agreed service level
A VPN protects the network path, but it does not make an infected or unmanaged device secure. Devices still need endpoint protection, updates and management.
Full-tunnel behaviour, captive portals (hotel and venue login pages), always-on availability, compatible operating systems, licensing, roaming between networks and any exceptions are confirmed during design, because they depend on your firewall and devices.
Who it's suitable for
- Businesses with staff who work from home part or all of the week
- Teams who travel, visit clients or work from hotels and public venues
- Organisations that need office-level web filtering and monitoring for remote laptops
- Businesses moving away from remote desktop or file shares exposed to the internet
- Companies preparing for Cyber Essentials, where remote devices are in scope
Pricing
This service is tailored to your business, so we confirm the price after a short conversation about your requirements. There is no charge for the conversation.
Use the quote builder to add Secure Remote Working to an indicative quote, or book a free security review and we'll recommend what fits.
Price
On Application
Tailored pricing based on users, devices and infrastructure.
What affects the price
- Number of users
- Number of devices
- Your existing firewall
- Required licences
- VPN architecture
- Number of sites
- Deployment effort
All prices exclude VAT.
Add to Your QuoteFrequently asked questions
Does a VPN make public Wi-Fi completely safe?
It makes it much safer, because traffic is encrypted between the laptop and your firewall. It doesn't fix an infected or out-of-date device, which is why we pair it with endpoint protection and patching.
What happens with hotel Wi-Fi login pages?
Hotel and venue networks often need a login page (a captive portal) before any connection works. How the VPN handles this depends on your firewall and VPN client, so we test and agree the approach during design.
Will full-tunnel routing slow down my team's internet?
Traffic travels via your firewall, so speed depends on your office or data centre connection and firewall capacity. We check this during design and can agree exceptions, such as video calls, if needed.
Do we need a new firewall?
Not necessarily. Many business firewalls support always-on VPN. We review your current firewall first and only recommend a replacement if it can't meet the design or is no longer supported.
Which devices are supported?
Support depends on your firewall vendor's VPN client and your operating systems. Company Windows and macOS laptops are usually supported; we confirm the exact list, including phones and tablets, during design.
Is this included in our managed firewall service?
Basic remote access can be part of firewall management, but always-on, full-tunnel remote working with MFA and policy design is a separate service quoted on application. See Managed Firewalls.
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