Business travel often means working from airports, hotels, cafés, and client sites – places where convenience can often undermine security. The anywhere office is a reality for American professionals, but it requires a disciplined approach to digital hygiene.
By aligning with standards such as NIST, these measures ensure that your business remains as secure in a hotel lobby as it is behind the corporate firewall.
Before You Fly
Security begins long before you reach the TSA checkpoint. Your pre-travel checklist should prioritize hardening your hardware. Ensure that your operating system and applications are up to date to patch all known vulnerabilities. Enforce full-disk encryption and biometric screen locks to protect data in case of theft.
If your company uses Mobile Device Management (MDM), ensure it’s active so the IT department can remotely wipe it if it goes missing. You should also adopt a least-privilege profile by removing any sensitive client files or administrative rights you won’t need for the trip, and disabling auto-connect for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to prevent unauthorized handshakes with nearby malicious hardware.
Connect Wisely
On the road, you must assume all open networks are untrusted. Cybercriminals frequently set up “evil twin” hotspots with names like “Airport_Guest_WiFi” to intercept traffic, so make sure you always verify the exact SSID with staff before connecting.
Opt for your mobile phone’s hotspot or a dedicated cellular tether over hotel Wi-Fi for highly sensitive tasks (such as accessing HR portals or processing payments). Look for the HTTPS padlock on every page, regardless of the connection type. Avoid making any account changes or accessing confidential work on unknown networks unless you are certain your connection is fully encrypted.
Secure the Tunnel
A reputable, policy-approved VPN is your most critical travel tool, as it encrypts your traffic end-to-end. It’s important to understand the technical nuances, including the difference between what is a VPN vs proxy, when choosing a tool.
While a proxy might mask your IP address for a specific browser window, it typically doesn’t encrypt all system traffic or cover every app. Only VPN encryption provides the necessary security to mitigate on-path risks for handling client data or corporate emails.
Stay Scam-Aware
Travelers are high-value targets for spear-phishing. Be on high alert for urgent messages claiming there is an issue with your hotel reservation or flight. These often lead to spoofed login pages designed to steal your credentials.
Always verify URLs directly rather than clicking links in emails, and if you suspect a compromise, report the incident immediately through your company’s official security channels or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
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