In today’s fast-paced business environment, having access to your applications and data from outside the office is a must. 

Hybrid work isn't a phase anymore. Among remote-capable US workers, 52% are hybrid and 26% are fully remote — according to Gallup's 2026 workforce data. Most of these workers rely on a remote access setup to work productively from outside the office. That setup is also where the biggest cybersecurity gap lives: 76% of cybersecurity professionals say remote work makes their organization more vulnerable, and compromised VPN or firewall devices are the single most common ransomware entry point. — Coalition's Cyber Threat Index 2025 found they account for 58% of ransomware claims, with remote desktop products responsible for another 18%.

9 Top Challenges of Remote Access For Your Business

Implementing new technology solutions often comes with its own set of concerns, but knowing what pitfalls to look out for can help you avoid them. 

1. Connection Quality

A reliable internet connection is essential for remote access. Unfortunately, connection quality can vary greatly depending on location. 



Public places like hotels, coffee shops, and retail stores have a huge server load, which leads to poor internet connections and weak Wi-Fi signals – a common frustration of many remote desktop experiences. 

2. VPNs 

VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) on a public Wi-Fi connection are extremely risky because you're only securing that connection. If your team is working from public spaces, they remain vulnerable to interception, credential theft, and lateral movement once the tunnel is up.

The numbers back this up: 58% of ransomware claims paid out in 2024 started with a compromised VPN or firewall, per Coalition's Cyber Threat Index 2025. That makes the perimeter VPN the single most common ransomware entry point — once attackers are inside the tunnel, they're inside your network.

3. Performance

There are many low-cost remote access methods available that simply do not have the speed necessary for accomplishing a workday’s hours of work. The delays inherent in these solutions mean they are only viable options for quick tasks or small amounts of work.

In addition, they may have limited capabilities, such as not allowing for local file or printer access.

4. Security

Security is a significant concern when remotely accessing sensitive data, particularly over public Wi-Fi networks in places like coffee shops, airports, and hotels. These public hotspots are convenient but are also highly susceptible to breaches. 


Remote-related breaches have historically cost more. IBM's 2021 Cost of a Data Breach Report — the most recent IBM edition to isolate remote work as a factor — found that breaches where remote work contributed cost an average of $1.07 million more than incidents where it didn't ($4.96M vs. $3.89M). IBM hasn't broken out remote-work-specific costs in subsequent reports, but the relationship between distributed access and breach severity hasn't gone away.

Unauthorized access to sensitive data while using shared Wi-Fi can lead to severe security breaches, putting both personal and company information at risk. It is also possible that the vulnerability does not become evident until much later. 

A virus can enter your computer from a public Wi-Fi network and sit dormant, only activating after the user logs in at the office, then entering, infecting, and spreading through the company’s network.

5. Phishing Schemes

As technology has become more advanced so have the cyber attacks — and they are not slowing down anytime soon. One increasing concern regarding remote access is phishing. 

Phishing is still the single most common attack type in remote work environments: it accounted for 43% of initial breach attempts in 2025 (Electro IQ Remote Work Cybersecurity Statistics, 2026 edition reporting on 2025 data). One malicious file download or false credential entry can lead to exposed confidential data, drained financial accounts, or a full network compromise.



Phishing, which was traditionally limited to emails, has evolved to text and even voicemail. One malicious file download or false credential entry can lead to exposed confidential data or access to financial accounts, costing your business both financial and reputational harm.

6. Application Availability

Some systems restrict access to only certain programs configured by the IT administrator. Often, users need access to other applications, special plugins, configurations, or files from their desktops that are not available on the remote access server. 

Additionally, these systems often function differently than on local desktops, disrupting habitual processes and slowing down users.

7. HQ Must Be Online

Most remote desktop solutions require both the servers and the desktop in the office to be online. This poses a challenge in the event of a natural disaster, an internet or power outage at the host location, or a server crash rendering remote access unavailable. 

And the consequences of an HQ-side incident have gotten worse: Coalition's Cyber Threat Index 2025 found that compromised VPN or firewall devices were the entry point for 58% of ransomware claims paid out in 2024, with another 18% entering through remote desktop products — together about three-quarters of all ransomware claims. If your remote access depends on a single on-premise dependency, that dependency is now both a productivity choke point and a security target.

8. Lack of Cohesiveness 

With employees working in different areas, in various departments, on siloed solutions, a lot can slip through the cracks. Multiple solutions mean working with multiple vendors, licenses, and support teams, ultimately hindering your company’s efficiency when something goes wrong.

Additionally, if your team is working on multiple clouds, it means they’re using multiple login credentials, which is not only annoying but also slows down productivity.

9. Costs

Building and maintaining a remote access program in-house requires hardware, software, ongoing maintenance, upgrades, training, and a deep enough team to also cover cloud, cybersecurity, and networking. For mid-size professional service firms, sustaining all of that internally is rarely the right tradeoff, which is why most teams pair a small internal IT staff with a managed or co-managed provider.

Resolving Remote Access Challenges With Cloud Solutions

While the challenges we’ve discussed may make remote access seem daunting, you can easily overcome them by leveraging cloud solutions. 

The right cloud solution will ensure consistent connection quality and performance through optimized infrastructure. Plus, some cloud solutions can eliminate the extensive hardware and maintenance costs associated with on-premise IT solutions.

Here are two proven ways to take your business to the cloud and ensure successful remote access.

Implementing Desktop as a Service (DaaS)

The traditional office setup with desktop computers and on-premise servers is not optimal for hybrid or remote work environments. 

Your business needs robust and reliable cloud infrastructure to support your IT needs – whether in the office, at home, or on the go – without compromising on performance or accessibility.

Implementing a DaaS cloud solution allows you to access your secure desktop anytime, anywhere. With their robust, built-in protections such as firewalls and encryption, you minimize the risks associated with public Wi-Fi and VPNs. 

Securing and Managing Multiple Clouds 

There’s nothing worse than dealing with multiple logins, vendors, and licenses across each of your different cloud applications. It wastes time that would be better spent elsewhere, not to mention how frustrating it is for your staff. 

A centralized cloud management solution takes all your cloud applications and puts them behind a single, secure login. It secures every device that will access these apps, so you can safely access necessary apps whenever you need to.

Simplify the complexity of managing multiple clouds, enabling your business to optimize resources, control costs, and maintain compliance.

Achieve Seamless Remote Access With The Right Partner 

If your internal IT team is one or two stretched people who can't realistically cover cloud, security, and helpdesk all at once, a co-managed setup is usually the cleanest fix. Tabush Group's Edge Co-Managed IT Services layer specializes in expertise on top of your existing IT team — monitoring, security operations, M365 governance, and after-hours coverage — without replacing them.

Our comprehensive cloud solutions not only help you achieve accessibility but also enhance productivity, improve security, and empower you to focus on what truly matters—growing your business and serving your clients.

Learn more about the benefits of DaaS and see if it’s the right fit for your business. To learn more about securing multiple clouds see more about our service. 

Running a law firm? See how peer firms are sizing their IT, security posture, and team structure in the 2026 Tabush Group Survey on Law Firm Technology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What are the biggest security risks of remote access in 2026?

The biggest risks today are VPN compromise, phishing aimed at remote workers, unmanaged personal devices, and ransomware groups using perimeter access as their entry point. Phishing accounted for 43% of initial breach attempts in remote-work environments in 2025, and Coalition's Cyber Threat Index 2025 found that compromised VPN or firewall devices were the entry point for 58% of ransomware claims paid out in 2024. The right mitigations include MFA on every remote login, endpoint detection on every device that touches your data, 24/7 monitoring, and a remote access platform that removes the public-Wi-Fi-plus-VPN combination entirely.

Q2. Is a VPN safer than remote desktop for working from home?

Not by default. A VPN only secures the tunnel between the device and the network — it does nothing about the security state of the device on either end. If the home laptop is unmanaged or already compromised, the VPN just gives that compromise a clean route into your office. A cloud-hosted remote desktop platform (Desktop as a Service) is generally safer because the work environment lives on a managed cloud server with firewalls, encryption, and patched OS images, and the device at home is only displaying pixels of that server.

Q3. What is the best alternative to VPN for small and mid-sized businesses?

For most professional service firms with 20–150 employees, Desktop as a Service (DaaS) is the cleanest VPN alternative. DaaS gives every user a secure, managed virtual desktop in the cloud, accessible from any device, with the firm's data and applications never leaving the cloud environment. It eliminates the public-Wi-Fi attack surface, removes the need for personal device hardening, and dramatically simplifies offboarding when someone leaves.

Q4. How can a small in-house IT team realistically secure remote access?

The best way for a small in-house IT team to secure remote access is by not trying to do it alone. A one- or two-person IT team can run the core systems and act as the in-house decision-maker, while a co-managed IT partner adds the layers that don't fit a single full-time hire: 24/7 SOC monitoring, managed detection and response, M365 governance, and patch automation. The in-house lead keeps control and context; the partner brings the specialized coverage. Edge Co-Managed IT Services is built around exactly this structure.

Q5. What should we look for when choosing a remote access provider?

There are five things to look for when choosing a remote access provider. First, a real Service-Level Agreement covering uptime, response time, and resolution time — not just "business hours support." Second, 24/7 threat monitoring (SOC-as-a-Service) is included or available as an add-on. Third, multi-factor authentication is enforced on every login by default. Fourth, an architecture that removes the public-Wi-Fi-plus-VPN risk path entirely (DaaS, cloud-hosted virtual desktops, or zero-trust network access). Fifth, a track record with firms in your industry. Tabush Group has served professional service firms since 2001 with both managed and co-managed models built for compliance-sensitive sectors like legal, accounting, and finance.