What Are Secure Remote Access Solutions?
Secure remote access solutions enable users to connect to corporate networks and resources from off-site locations while maintaining a high level of security. These solutions employ various technologies and strategies to protect sensitive data and prevent unauthorized access. Key technologies powering modern secure remote access include zero trust network access (ZTNA), browser security platforms, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and endpoint security.
Traditional remote access methods, such as basic VPNs, often lack the granular control and security features needed in modern threat landscapes. Modern secure remote access solutions overcome these challenges by taking measures to minimize the risk of credential theft, privilege escalation, browser-based threats, and insecure endpoints.
This is part of a series of articles about secure remote access.
In this article:
- Key Features of Secure Remote Access Solutions
- Notable Secure Remote Access Solutions
- Considerations for Choosing Secure Remote Access Solutions
Key Features of Secure Remote Access Solutions
Strong Encryption and Secure Tunneling
Encryption is the foundation of secure remote access. It ensures that any data traveling between the remote user and company resources remains confidential and unreadable to outsiders. Modern solutions use protocols such as TLS (transport layer security) or IPsec to create encrypted tunnels, preventing interception of sensitive information during transit. Without strong encryption, remote connections are vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks and other interception methods.
Secure tunneling, often implemented with encryption, creates a protected “pipe” over potentially hostile networks like the public internet. This means even if attackers can access the underlying network, the data inside the tunnel remains inaccessible and tamper-proof.
Browser Security
Modern secure remote access techniques often rely on browsers as the primary interface for accessing cloud and internal applications. This makes browser security a critical component. Browser isolation technologies help mitigate web-based threats by executing active content (e.g., JavaScript) in a remote or containerized environment, preventing malware from reaching the user’s device. Secure enterprise browsers and browser security platforms can also enforce policies such as URL filtering, download restrictions, clipboard control, and data loss prevention (DLP), reducing the attack surface while maintaining user productivity.
In addition, some solutions implement browser-based access gateways that eliminate the need for full network connectivity. This allows users to access specific applications without exposing the broader network, supporting a zero trust model. With integrated identity verification and session controls, these platforms can enforce security policies at the browser level, detect suspicious behavior, and block access in real time. This level of control is especially valuable when managing access from unmanaged or bring-your-own devices (BYOD).
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security mechanism that requires users to provide multiple forms of identification before being granted access. Instead of just a password, users might provide a fingerprint or a one-time code from their mobile device. By combining something the user knows (a password), something they have (a token or device), and sometimes something they are (biometric data), MFA greatly reduces the risk of compromised credentials leading to unauthorized access.
The increasing prevalence of phishing and credential stuffing attacks has made MFA an essential tool for remote access security. Most secure remote access solutions integrate MFA either natively or via third-party providers. By making it much harder for attackers to impersonate valid users, MFA forms a central pillar of any secure access strategy.
Role-Based and Conditional Access Control
Role-based access control (RBAC) limits users to only the resources and actions appropriate for their job responsibilities. Instead of broad access privileges, users are granted specific permissions, which reduces both the risk and the potential impact of a compromised account. Conditional access further refines this approach by factoring in real-time conditions such as device type, location, and time of access, allowing organizations to enforce dynamic security policies.
For example, an administrator might be able to access a sensitive server only during business hours and only from a company-issued device. Conditional access increases flexibility without sacrificing security and enables prompt responses to unusual activity.
Identity Management and Privileged Access Management
Identity management platforms are foundational for organizing user authentication and maintaining detailed records about who accesses which systems. These platforms synchronize user credentials, enforce password policies, and monitor for suspicious account activity. Solutions often integrate with Active Directory, LDAP, or cloud-based identity services to enable single sign-on (SSO) and consistent policy enforcement across environments.
Privileged access management (PAM) builds on identity management by restricting and recording the use of accounts with elevated privileges, such as system administrators or third-party support personnel. PAM solutions rotate credentials, enforce the principle of least privilege, and provide granular audit logs of privileged activity.
Session Logging and Monitoring
Session logging captures detailed records of remote access sessions, including user identities, accessed resources, commands executed, and any changes made. Monitoring these logs in real time and integrating with security information and event management (SIEM) platforms allows organizations to spot anomalies, investigate incidents, and maintain an audit trail for compliance. Session recording, where appropriate, offers playback capabilities, enabling IT teams to review precise actions taken by users during their sessions.
Continuous monitoring is essential for detecting threats that may arise during or after a session. Automated alerts on suspicious behavior, such as access from unrecognized locations or attempts to escalate privileges, increase an organization’s ability to respond rapidly. Enforced logging and monitoring also deter misuse by employees, partners, or third-party providers.
Secure Session Management
Secure session management governs how remote sessions are initiated, maintained, and terminated. This includes automatically expiring idle sessions, preventing session hijacking, and ensuring credentials or session tokens are not exposed or reused. Proper session management prevents attackers from leveraging abandoned sessions to gain unauthorized access and supports regulatory requirements around user authentication and session termination.
Solutions often employ additional measures like time-based logouts, device fingerprinting, and encryption of session tokens. These controls reduce risks, simplify administration, and reduce help desk workloads from forgotten or abused sessions.
Learn more in our detailed guide to secure remote worker
Notable Secure Remote Access Solutions
1. Seraphic Security
Seraphic Security provides a modern, secure remote access solution by embedding protection directly into the browser. Unlike traditional VPNs or RDP-based tools, Seraphic secures the browser’s JavaScript engine itself, ensuring employees, contractors, and vendors access applications safely without relying on perimeter trust.
Key features include:
- Browser-Based Security: Eliminates the need for VPNs by securing remote web sessions directly within the enterprise browser.
- Real-Time Threat Detection: Identifies and blocks phishing, malware, malicious scripts, and compromised extensions in real time.
- Granular Policy Enforcement: Apply role-based access, extension restrictions, and browsing policies consistently across all remote users.
- Centralized Monitoring & Reporting: Provides visibility into user activity, security events, and compliance from a unified dashboard.
- Seamless User Experience: Maintains productivity by delivering secure access to web apps and resources without slowing down workflows.
By integrating security into the browser, Seraphic reduces attack surfaces, protects sensitive data, and ensures secure remote access for modern enterprises.
2. BeyondTrust
BeyondTrust provides secure remote access solutions tailored for employees, vendors, service desks, and IT administrators. Unlike traditional VPNs and RDP tools, BeyondTrust’s platform enforces least privilege principles, offers session visibility, and enables secure access without relying on perimeter-based trust.
Key features include:
- VPN-less access options: Offers two core products, privileged remote access and remote support, to replace VPN-based remote access with policy-driven alternatives.
- Granular access controls: Enables role- and policy-based access restrictions, including just-in-time provisioning, approval workflows, and shell command filtering.
- Credential vault integration: Stores and injects privileged credentials securely, eliminating the need for users to see or know passwords.
- Session logging and recording: Captures logs and video recordings of remote sessions, supporting compliance and post-event auditing.
- Automation capabilities: Includes automated script execution and integration with business intelligence platforms to improve operational efficiency.
3. strongDM
strongDM is a privileged access management platform that gives secure, auditable, and seamless access to infrastructure, including servers, databases, Kubernetes clusters, and cloud platforms. It replaces traditional access methods like VPNs, bastion hosts, and shared credentials with policy-driven, dynamic authorization that aligns with zero trust principles.
Key features include:
- Dynamic authorization: Uses a Cedar-based policy engine to enforce least privilege access, with controls over who can access what, when, and under what conditions.
- Credential-free access: Eliminates the need for users to manage passwords, SSH keys, or database credentials by injecting secrets at connection time; users never see or handle them.
- Just-in-time access workflows: Supports approval-based, time-limited access requests to reduce standing privileges and limit exposure to sensitive systems.
- Audit and logging: Captures activity logs across all sessions, including executed commands and queries, enabling audit trails and simplified compliance reporting.
- Zero trust enforcement: Helps implement zero trust architecture through segmentation, dynamic access policies, and visibility into access attempts and actions.
4. Zoho Assist
Zoho Assist is a cloud-based remote support and access solution for IT teams, help desks, and customer service professionals. It provides secure, on-demand remote sessions and unattended access to devices across platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.
Key features include:
- On-demand remote support: Initiate remote sessions without prior downloads. Send invitations via email, SMS, or link.
- Unattended remote access: Set up unattended access on devices for maintenance and troubleshooting without user interaction. Supports bulk deployment across LAN or remote environments.
- Cross-platform compatibility: Works across Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Raspberry Pi, and Chromebooks.
- Enterprise-grade security: Uses TLS 1.2 and AES-256 encryption to secure session data.
- Diagnostic tools: Access system tools like Task Manager, Registry Editor, and Command Prompt without launching a full remote session.
5. RustDesk
RustDesk is an open-source remote desktop solution that gives users control over remote access infrastructure through self-hosted servers. Designed as an alternative to proprietary platforms like TeamViewer or AnyDesk, it eliminates reliance on third-party cloud services, providing transparency, data sovereignty, and security.
Key features include:
- Self-hosting: Deploy relay and rendezvous servers to maintain ownership of data, improve reliability, and meet regulatory requirements.
- Security and data sovereignty: Avoid third-party data exposure with on-premise deployments.
- High performance and uptime: On-premise hosting improves reliability and speed by eliminating external dependencies.
- Custom branding and client personalization: Label the remote support solution with the company’s name, icon, and logo.
- Simple deployment and configuration: Get started quickly with Docker support and straightforward setup using provided compose.yml files.
Source: RustDesk
6. Zscaler
Zscaler is a cloud-native secure remote access solution that enables zero trust access to applications without the need for legacy VPNs. Built on the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ platform, it connects authorized users to authorized apps while keeping the network invisible, preventing lateral threat movement.
Key features include:
- Zero trust network access (ZTNA): Connect users to applications without placing them on the network.
- VPN replacement: Replaces legacy VPN infrastructure with a scalable, cloud-native ZTNA model that improves performance, reduces attack surface, and simplifies IT operations.
- Private and SaaS app protection: Provides secure, conditional access to both private apps in data centers or cloud environments and public SaaS applications.
- Agentless third-party access: Enables secure access for external contractors or partners without requiring endpoint agents.
- Integrated digital experience monitoring: Continuously monitors application, network, and device performance using AI-powered analytics to ensure reliable connectivity and rapid issue resolution.
7. NinjaRMM
NinjaOne offers fast, secure, and integrated remote access that allows IT teams to manage and support Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS devices from a single console. It launches sessions in seconds and integrates directly with the device view and service tickets.
Key features include:
- One-click remote access: Instantly connect to endpoints from the NinjaOne console or directly from a service ticket.
- Cross-platform compatibility: Remote control for Windows and Mac devices, screen sharing for iOS, and remote control for Android.
- Secure quick connect for BYOD and vendors: Provide agentless access to off-network or unmanaged devices without requiring installation or VPN.
- End-to-end encryption: Uses x25519+XSalsa20+Poly1305 encryption to protect session data. All sessions are logged and can be recorded for audit and compliance purposes.
- Privacy and role-based controls: Control session behavior with clipboard restrictions, Paste as Keystrokes, auto-clear clipboard, and role-based access settings.
8. Check Point Remote Access VPN
Check Point Remote Access VPN enables secure, encrypted connections between remote users and enterprise networks, making it easier for employees to work safely from different locations. It protects sensitive data through multi-factor authentication, compliance scanning, and strong encryption.
Key features include:
- Client-based and browser-based access: Supports IPsec VPN clients for full network access and SSL VPN portals for web-based access.
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Enhances login security by requiring multiple forms of identity verification before granting access to corporate resources.
- Endpoint compliance scanning: Verifies that devices meet predefined security policies before allowing access.
- Encrypted data transmission: All communications between endpoints and the corporate network are encrypted to protect data integrity and confidentiality.
- Cross-platform support: Compatible with Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and major web browsers.
Considerations for Choosing Secure Remote Access Solutions
When evaluating secure remote access solutions, organizations should focus on alignment with their specific security requirements, scalability, user experience, and integration capabilities. Below are key considerations to guide the selection process:
- Security architecture compatibility: Ensure the solution supports your current or planned architecture, including zero trust, least privilege, and identity-based access. Look for native support for MFA, RBAC, PAM, and encrypted session management.
- Deployment and infrastructure model: Choose between cloud-based, on-premise, or hybrid deployments based on compliance needs, data sovereignty, and operational control. Self-hosted options offer greater control but require more internal resources.
- Integration with existing systems: The solution should integrate with your identity providers (e.g., Active Directory, Okta), SIEM platforms, ticketing systems, and endpoint protection tools to support centralized policy enforcement and monitoring.
- Scalability and performance: Verify that the platform can scale with your user base and support high-performance connections without latency. Consider session limits, concurrent user handling, and infrastructure resilience.
- User experience and accessibility: Evaluate ease of use for both administrators and end-users. Features like single sign-on, agentless access, and cross-platform support contribute to smoother operations and reduced support overhead.
- Granular access controls: Look for the ability to define fine-grained access policies based on user role, location, device posture, and time-of-day. Conditional access policies improve security without reducing flexibility.
- Session monitoring and logging: Ensure the solution provides detailed logging and real-time monitoring capabilities. Session recording, alerting, and audit trail availability are essential for compliance and incident response.
- Vendor reputation and support: Choose vendors with strong track records in cybersecurity, regular security updates, and responsive support. Review documentation quality, update cadence, and customer feedback.
- Regulatory and compliance support: Confirm the solution helps meet relevant compliance standards such as HIPAA, GDPR, PCI-DSS, or ISO 27001. Built-in tools for policy enforcement and reporting simplify audits and reduce risk.
- Cost and licensing model: Consider total cost of ownership, including licensing, maintenance, and any required infrastructure changes. Flexible pricing models and clear licensing terms help align with budget constraints.
Conclusion
Secure remote access solutions play a critical role in enabling organizations to maintain productivity while protecting sensitive assets in increasingly distributed environments. By combining strong authentication, encrypted communication, fine-grained access control, and real-time monitoring, these solutions reduce exposure to cyber threats and insider risks. Selecting the right approach requires balancing security, usability, scalability, and compliance needs, ensuring that remote connectivity strengthens the organization’s overall security posture.
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