Introduction

COVID changed the way the world works. Practically overnight, businesses that had never allowed remote access suddenly had their entire teams working from home. What started as an emergency response has now become permanent: hybrid work, contractors, and distributed teams are here to stay. 
 
For many SMBs, that shift was chaotic. Companies scrambled to set up VPNs, often cobbling together remote access in ways that hurt performance or compromised security. At Xvand, our clients had a very different experience. Because our private cloud environment was already built for secure remote access, nothing special had to be done when COVID hit. While others were panicking, our clients kept working securely and seamlessly — business as usual. 
 
That contrast underscores an important truth: remote access is now business-critical. And securing it requires more than tossing everyone onto a VPN. 
 
Today, a secure remote access strategy must cover multiple layers: Remote Desktop Services (RDS), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Zero Trust, Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), cloud security controls, device protections, Single Sign-On (SSO), and continuous monitoring. VPNs still have their place in some environments, but for many SMBs, SASE is the modern replacement. 

1. The Traditional Approach: VPNs 

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) has been the go-to remote access solution for decades. It encrypts traffic between a user’s device and the company network, preventing outsiders from snooping. 
 
Benefits:

• Strong encryption of traffic.
• Familiar to IT teams and relatively low cost.
• Still useful for some legacy applications or as a fallback option.

Limitations: 

• VPN still drops users into the network, so if their device is compromised, your network is too.
• Performance issues with large files, video calls, or cloud apps.
• Limited visibility into who’s accessing what.

A traditional business VPN setup can still work, but many SMBs are phasing it out. SASE provides the same encrypted access, plus far more control and scalability. 

2. Remote Desktop Services (RDS) 

Remote Desktop Services (RDS) let users connect to a central desktop or server environment instead of accessing everything directly. 
 
We still see this a lot in Houston’s manufacturing and distribution companies, where Windows-based ERP and accounting systems run the business. 
 
Benefits: 

• Data stays inside the secure data center or private cloud — only screen/keyboard/mouse traffic travels.
• Centralized patching, updates, and backups make IT management easier.
• Ideal for SMBs running ERP, accounting, or other Windows-based legacy apps.

Security Note: 
Even with RDS, you still need a secure entry point. RDS traffic should always be wrapped in a VPN or SASE, or published through an RDS Gateway, to prevent attackers from exploiting remote desktop ports. With layered protection, RDS becomes far safer than simply exposing desktops to the internet. 

3. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Is Non-Negotiable 

No matter how employees connect — VPN, RDS, or cloud apps — MFA must be enforced. 
 
Passwords alone? Not enough. 
 
Why it matters: 

• Passwords are stolen every day through phishing, breaches, and weak reuse.
• MFA blocks the majority of unauthorized access attempts.
• Easy to deploy for Microsoft 365, VPN clients, RDS gateways, and web apps.

Without MFA, your remote access is one stolen password away from a breach. 

4. Zero Trust Principles 

Zero Trust means never trust, always verify. Instead of assuming access is safe because it comes through VPN or RDS, every request is checked against policies. 
 
Key practices: 

• Least privilege: No user should have local or cloud admin rights unless absolutely necessary.
• Role-based access: Permissions tied to jobs, not individuals.
• Segmentation: Prevent lateral movement if one account is compromised.

Zero Trust reduces the blast radius of a breach and works hand-in-hand with MFA, RDS, and SASE. 
 
We went deeper into Zero Trust and layered defenses in our blog on 'Why Multi-Layer Security Matters for Small Businesses' — and remote access is one of the places where those principles matter most. 

5. SASE: The Modern Way Forward 

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) is quickly becoming the gold standard for SMBs. It combines networking and security functions into a cloud-delivered service. 
 
We rolled this out for a Houston client whose sales reps were constantly on the road — working from airports, hotels, even coffee shops. With SASE in place, their data is encrypted and inspected no matter where they connect, even on sketchy free Wi-Fi. 
 
Benefits for SMBs: 

• Scalability: Works whether you have 10 remote users or 300.
• Performance: Routes traffic through cloud gateways, improving speed compared to VPN backhauls.
• Visibility: Central dashboards show who is connecting, from where, and what they’re accessing.
• Integration: Natively supports Zero Trust and MFA.

Unlike a traditional business VPN setup, which we covered earlier, SASE replaces it with a smarter, cloud-delivered model. 
 
We also touched on how SASE fits into long-term IT planning in our article on 'Building an IT Strategy for SMBs' — it’s not just about remote access today, but where your business is headed tomorrow. 

6. Securing the Cloud (Remote by Definition) 

Cloud apps like Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Teams, and Salesforce are inherently remote. But without controls, they’re a security minefield. 
 
We’ve seen this too often: a file meant for one vendor ends up shared with the whole internet. Nobody notices until it’s too late. 
 
Risks: 

• Weak or reused passwords.
• Overshared documents or public links.
• Excessive global admin rights.
• Logins from unusual or foreign locations.
• Logins from unknown or unmanaged devices.

Solutions: 

• Conditional access policies to block risky logins and require MFA.
• Sensitivity labels to mark and protect confidential data.
• Separate global admin accounts used only for management — never daily work.
• Monitoring for suspicious logins and file activity.

This is where SSO and MFA become especially powerful — giving you control over which devices and accounts can access cloud apps. 
 
If you read our post on 'How SMBs Should Budget for IT,' you’ll remember we emphasized cloud security as one of the key budget priorities. Remote access is exactly where that investment pays off. 

7. Device Security & Monitoring 

Remote access is only as strong as the device being used. If employees connect from insecure laptops or personal devices, they can bring malware straight into your environment. 
 
We once onboarded a client where employees were using personal laptops with no patching. We found dozens of missing Windows updates. Once those machines were enrolled in our managed stack — with EDR and vulnerability scanning — the risk was gone. 
 
Every remote device should have: 

• EDR or MDR (Endpoint Detection & Response / Managed Detection & Response) — antivirus alone doesn’t cut it anymore.
• Regular patching of operating system and apps.
• Vulnerability scanning to identify and close gaps before attackers find them.
• Restricted admin rights to block unauthorized software.
• Continuous monitoring through a SOC or managed detection service.

We also talked about endpoint and user issues in IT bottlenecks — remote access highlights how those bottlenecks can become real vulnerabilities if devices aren’t locked down.

8. Single Sign-On (SSO): Centralizing Access and Control 

Managing dozens of usernames and passwords is a nightmare — for both employees and IT. That’s where Single Sign-On (SSO) comes in. 
 
With SSO, employees log in once to a trusted identity provider (like Microsoft Entra ID, formerly Azure AD) and then gain access to all approved business apps — Microsoft 365, ERP systems, cloud services, and more. 
 
Benefits: 

• Centralized control: All authentications flow through one system, making it easier to enforce policies.
• Stronger security: Combine SSO with MFA to shut down password reuse and phishing.
• Better user experience: Employees don’t have to juggle dozens of credentials.
• Easier offboarding: Disable one account, and access to all business apps is revoked instantly.

When combined with MFA, Zero Trust, and SASE, SSO gives SMBs a unified way to control access without making life harder for employees. 

9. Policy, Process, and SOC Monitoring 

Technology alone doesn’t secure remote access — policies and processes matter too. 
 
Best practices: 

• Document who gets remote access, what they can connect to, and under what conditions.
• Automate onboarding and offboarding to prevent old accounts from lingering.
• Have a SOC (Security Operations Center) continuously monitor for suspicious activity, such as impossible travel logins or multiple failed access attempts.

Real-world example: One Houston law firm avoided a breach when our SOC flagged an unauthorized login attempt to Office 365. Without monitoring, attackers could have stolen client data. 
 
All the layers we’ve discussed — VPN, RDS, MFA, Zero Trust, SASE, Cloud Security, Device Security, and SSO — are only effective if backed by monitoring and policies. 

Cost vs. Risk: Why It Matters 

We’ve seen both sides. 
 
One SMB invested about $150 per user monthly for a full-stack remote access security package. They kept running smoothly during COVID — no disruptions, no ransomware scares, no scrambling to “make things work.” 
 
Another local business (not a client) was hit with ransomware that cost them over $200,000. They never fully recovered. According to the U.S. National Cyber Security Alliance (https://staysafeonline.org), 60% of SMBs go out of business within six months of a ransomware attack. 
 
The difference? Planning versus patchwork. 
 
Secure remote access isn’t an expense. It’s survival. 

Conclusion 

Remote access is now permanent infrastructure, not a temporary COVID-era fix. For SMBs, the challenge is to make it secure without making it painful for users. 
 
That requires a layered approach: 

• RDS to centralize legacy apps.
• MFA to lock down logins.
• Zero Trust to minimize access.
• SASE to replace VPNs and protect cloud and Wi-Fi traffic.
• Cloud controls to secure Office 365 and beyond.
• Device security with EDR/MDR and vulnerability scanning.
• SSO to simplify logins and centralize control.
• SOC monitoring and policies to catch what slips through.

This article ties together a lot of what we’ve covered in our other blogs — strategy, budgeting, layered security, and IT bottlenecks. Remote access is where all of those threads meet.
 
If you’re not sure how secure your remote access really is, now’s the time to find out. Let’s schedule a quick assessment. We’ll identify risks, show where you’re exposed, and help you build a remote access strategy that works for your business.
 
At Xvand, an IT company Houston, we’ve built secure remote access environments for decades — helping SMBs adapt quickly without sacrificing security.