It’s that time of year again when people’s thoughts drift from the work-related tasks at hand and turn to beach-filled days, BBQs in the backyard, time at the cottage, or enjoying a local craft IPA at the 19th hole (my personal favorite). However, cutting loose and forgetting about work in this age of 24/7 connectivity isn’t the reality it used to be.
Though summer may be here and vacation days just around the corner, the need for reviewing your IT security infrastructure and policies is as important now as it is all year—in fact, possibly more.
Key Takeaways
- Summer travel introduces heightened IT security risks through unsecured public WiFi at hotels, restaurants, and vacation rentals, creating potential entry points into corporate networks that don’t exist in a typical office environment.
- Lost or misplaced physical devices, whether at the beach, in transit, or during a long afternoon at the hotel bar, are a genuine and common risk during vacation periods, requiring companies to have clear protocols in place before it happens.
- IT departments should ensure every device has robust passwords, remote wipe capability, and geolocation tracking enabled, along with a clear notification process for what to do and who to contact if a device is lost.
- Network perimeter defenses need to be ready to flag and lock down email and communication accounts tied to a lost device immediately, turning it into a useless asset for anyone who finds it rather than a gateway into company systems. Employee education is the most effective defense against vacation-related security incidents.
- When people understand that losing a device isn’t a fireable offense and know exactly who to contact, companies can respond quickly and minimize risk rather than facing a preventable breach.
As people leave on vacation, the leash that is modern mobility is firmly attached, meaning that people’s access to corporate IT infrastructure doesn’t change. However, what needs to be addressed is the situational aspect of how they connect, where they connect, and what they might lose.
First, there’s connectivity. Not unlike traveling south in the winter months, traveling to vacation destinations in the summer offers up the same IT security risks. Shoddy, unsecured WiFi at hotels, Airbnb, restaurants, and more—these unsecured connections present potential risks to your network and entry points into your corporate files.
Then there’s the lost physical IT assets. Whether it’s a beach, restaurant, a mid-day visit to the hotel bar that turns into a 6-hour event (don’t judge me … I’m on vacation), in transit, or a tourist site—accidentally leaving your phone somewhere or forgetting your bag with your laptop can happen to anyone.
So, what do IT departments need to consider? Let’s start with the device itself. Ensure passwords are robust, mobile access for wiping content is present, geolocation tracking is implemented, and what to do and who to notify when something is lost is covered.
Next, the network perimeter should always be ready for anything. Ensuring that such things as email and other communication accounts associated with the lost device are flagged so that nothing can penetrate the proverbial fortress is as important as turning the lost asset into a useless brick—or at least a free and benign gift—for anyone who may have found the device.
Finally, make sure that your detection prowess is on full alert—not that it wouldn’t be. But at a time of year when more vulnerabilities can present themselves through seasonally lowered personal defenses (again, the bar was running a promotion so please don’t judge), make sure that all systems are updated, monitored, and ready for anything—after all, IT people go on vacation too, but who is watching the gate?
In all, the most important thing here is education. Stopping a breach before it happens is better than managing after the fact. If people are aware that WiFi is a potential danger, and that losing a device is not a fireable offense, then companies of all kinds have a better chance of mitigating risk. When people know who to call and how to shut down access through password changes, mobile device tracking, wiping, and so on, everything becomes nothing more than the price of a lost asset—far better than a breach that could cripple your brand.
FAQs
Why do IT security risks increase during summer vacation season?
IT security risks increase during vacation season primarily due to unsecured public WiFi networks at hotels, restaurants, Airbnbs, and other travel destinations, which create potential entry points for attackers to access corporate networks and files. Combined with the increased likelihood of lost or misplaced devices while traveling, and the general relaxation of personal vigilance that comes with vacation mode, the combination of factors creates a higher-risk period than typical office-based work. Businesses should treat vacation season as a time to reinforce, not relax, their IT security policies and monitoring practices.
What steps should be taken if an employee loses a device while traveling?
The moment a device is reported lost, IT teams should immediately flag and lock down any email or communication accounts associated with that device to prevent unauthorized access. Combined with remote wipe capabilities and geolocation tracking already in place, this rapid response turns a lost device into a harmless, unusable asset for whoever finds it rather than a gateway into corporate systems. Having this protocol clearly defined and communicated in advance, rather than figured out reactively, is what separates a manageable incident from a serious security breach.
What is remote wipe and how does it work?
Remote wipe is a security feature that allows an IT department to erase all data from a lost or stolen device remotely, without needing physical access to it. It typically works through mobile device management (MDM) software installed on company devices, which maintains a connection to the device even when it’s away from the office network. Once a device is reported lost, IT can trigger a command through the MDM platform that instructs the device to erase its data, either partially by removing only corporate accounts and files, or completely by restoring the device to factory settings. This requires the device to have an active internet or cellular connection at the time the wipe command is sent, which is why pairing remote wipe with geolocation tracking is important, so IT can act quickly before a lost device goes offline or ends up in the wrong hands.
How do I set up geolocation tracking on a company laptop?
Geolocation tracking is typically set up through mobile device management (MDM) software, which most businesses already use for security policies and remote wipe capabilities. Once a laptop is enrolled in the MDM system, location tracking can usually be enabled as a built-in feature, letting IT see the device’s last known location if it’s lost. Native tools like Find My or Find My Device offer basic tracking too, but enterprise MDM gives more centralized control across all company devices. The key is enrolling every device in the MDM system upfront rather than relying on employees to set it up themselves. Businesses without this in place can work with an experienced IT partner to get device tracking implemented across their fleet.
