The rise of remote and hybrid work has been a boon for employees, but also a challenge for IT security teams. Employees can work on the go, often from their own devices in BYOD environments, offering unprecedented flexibility and accessibility. However, this means that employee devices are not always on the company network, even though they must still comply with company security requirements.

If IT can’t verify device status, enforce controls, troubleshoot, and maintain visibility, written policies aren’t even worth the paper they’re printed on. So, how can organizations enforce security policies remotely?

With the right tools, organizations can strengthen endpoint security, support their compliance efforts, and maintain better visibility into remote work environments. With this in mind, let’s examine the policies IT teams should enforce, what makes remote devices difficult to manage, and how to enforce security policies on employee endpoints.

What does remote enforcement of security policies mean?

Applying policies remotely allows IT to apply and verify security requirements for remote endpoints without physically accessing the devices.

Having a written IT policy is one thing. Enforcing it is another, which requires visibility, automation, proper configurations, corrective actions, and reporting. It’s an ongoing process that must consistently maintain security standards, not a one-time configuration.

Common security policies that IT teams should apply to employee devices

While each company’s specific security needs vary, there are several universal requirements that IT teams apply across all businesses. Common security policies include:

• Password and screen lock requirements.
• Operating system update requirements.
• Third-party application update requirements.
• Firewall and antivirus status.
• Approved and/or blocked software applications.
• Inventory of devices and ownership status.
• Remote access permissions.
• Encryption and data protection settings.
• Controls of user access and least privilege.
• Wi-Fi, VPN and proxy settings (if applicable).

Why it’s more difficult to maintain device compliance for remote employees

Several factors contribute to operational challenges, particularly with regard to devices used in the office, including:

1. IT has less direct access to each device

When employees work remotely, their devices are often disconnected from the company network. This means it’s more difficult for IT teams to access them when needed, and they risk missing maintenance windows, making manual checks difficult and unreliable.

2. The device’s condition may change between two checks.

IT compliance is not a static state. Devices can become obsolete, lack patches, have their settings changed, install unauthorized software, or otherwise lose compliance. Therefore, continuous visibility is essential to ensure ongoing compliance, rather than relying on ad-hoc audits.

3. Manual tracking does not scale

When you need to manage multiple remote endpoints, relying on employees to manually update and manage their devices is, at best, unreliable. Sending reminder emails and manually tracking issues leads to inconsistent application and the risk of human error; the key is to use tools that can reliably scale through repeatable processes.

4. Different tools can support different parts of the workflow

Organizations often use multiple tools in their workflows, including mobile device management (MDM), remote monitoring and management (RMM), antivirus software, remote support, and patch management software . However, getting these tools to work together seamlessly can be challenging. IT staff need to be able to identify problems and respond quickly. Using a unified platform can therefore help reduce complexity and improve responsiveness.

How to remotely apply security policies to employee devices

If you want to strengthen security on remote employee devices, it’s possible, but there are a few key steps to follow. Follow these steps to implement a more consistent and repeatable approach to enforcing security policies on remote endpoints:

1. Inventory each managed terminal

IT teams need to know which devices they are managing before they can enforce policies. This means that an up-to-date inventory is essential, ideally with automatic updates. This inventory should include device ownership, operating system version, installed software, assigned user, location, and management status to facilitate sorting and management.

2. Define the security standards

Once all devices are known, it is also important to establish their security credentials. These credentials should translate business requirements into applicable parameters, including patch status, approved software, firewall status, access requirements, and so on.

3. Apply policies via endpoint management tools

Once policies are defined, they must also be enforced from a central location rather than being left to end users. Tools such as MDM or RMM software, Microsoft Intune, and endpoint management tools can help enforce security policies across all endpoints.

4. Monitor compliance continuously

IT teams need to be able to see which devices are compliant, which are not, and why. This is best done using centralized dashboards, automated alerts, reports, and device status information.

5. Update operating systems and third-party applications

Patch management is one of the most important aspects of endpoint policy enforcement. Devices in your endpoint environment must remain up to date, as outdated software can expose vulnerabilities. Patch management should encompass both operating systems and third-party applications to meet security requirements, reduce avoidable exposure, and maintain audit readiness.

6. Automate the remediation of common problems

Automation is a powerful tool for securing devices without requiring manual work. With good automation, you can automatically perform common tasks, including triggering updates, restarting services or devices, running scripts, applying changes, and more, to maintain security while freeing up time for agents.

7. Use remote support when automation is not enough

If automation alone isn’t enough for certain endpoints or issues, remote support software helps technicians investigate problems, troubleshoot devices, and apply fixes from anywhere. This makes support faster and more easily accessible, regardless of where the agents are located.

8. Keep records for audits and examinations

Enforcement of the rules must include evidence to support audits, reviews, and compliance reports. This can include logs, patch status reports, inventory reports, and policy outcomes, which help all IT teams show what has been checked, what has been changed, and what requires attention, while demonstrating their commitment to security.

Where do MDM, UEM, Intune, and device management fit in?

Let’s now look at some commonly used tools for strengthening device security. IT teams can manage remote device security in several ways, including:

MDM and UEM tools

Mobile device management (MDM) and Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) tools are commonly used to enroll devices, enforce configuration policies, manage mobile devices, and enforce access requirements. This makes them useful tools for managing inventories and enforcing security measures, providing a solid foundation for remote security.

Microsoft Intune

For Microsoft-centric environments, Microsoft Intune is a widely used endpoint management tool. It can help enforce security policies, manage device compliance, and support conditional access, although teams may still need additional tools for faster patch deployment, deeper endpoint visibility, and remote remediation.

Endpoint management and remote support tools

Thanks to endpoint management and remote support tools , IT teams can maintain visibility, patch devices, and troubleshoot endpoints from anywhere. Using software like Splashtop AEM (Autonomous Endpoint Management), IT teams can define and enforce policies across all endpoints, with automatic inventory, patching, and alerts to maintain cybersecurity .

How Splashtop AEM helps enforce endpoint security policies

When employee devices are spread across multiple sites, Splashtop AEM helps IT teams centralize visibility, automate patch deployment, and perform remote remediation from a single location. This helps ensure more consistent policy enforcement across distributed endpoint environments.

With Splashtop AEM you can:

1. View terminal status from a single location

Splashtop AEM allows IT teams to monitor their endpoints and inventory from a single console, including endpoint health, inventory, patch status, and security level. This provides the visibility IT teams need to manage devices and enforce security measures across all endpoints.

2. Correct devices in real time

Splashtop AEM’s automated patch management helps IT teams update operating systems and third-party applications across all devices without requiring users to install them manually. This allows IT teams to keep endpoints patched and up-to-date, enforcing policies across all devices while adhering to patch schedules.

3. Identify and prioritize vulnerabilities

Thanks to Splashtop AEM’s CVE-based insights, IT teams can better understand the vulnerabilities affecting their environment and prioritize those for remediation. This helps organizations prioritize remediation actions and support security and compliance workflows with a clearer vulnerability context.

4. Automate remediation workflows

Splashtop AEM brings the power of automation to IT teams for faster, more efficient workflows. This includes policy-based automation, alerts, scripts, and remediation actions designed to fix common issues across all endpoints. This reduces repetitive manual work and helps enforce policies and settings in distributed environments.

5. Take remote control of devices when problems require investigation

When automation isn’t quite enough, Splashtop also offers remote access and support, allowing IT agents to resolve device issues directly from anywhere. With Splashtop, it’s easy to remotely access and manage endpoints on any device, improving troubleshooting and IT workflows.

Best practices for creating a repeatable policy enforcement workflow

While there are several factors and variables to consider, we have compiled a list of best practices for cybersecurity implementation. These best practices include:

• Start with the policies that manage the most significant risks.
• Use device groups to apply policies based on role, service, or risk level.
• Continuously monitor the results of policies, instead of relying on periodic checks.
• Automate common fixes when the remediation path is clearly defined.
• Avoid involving users in the application of routine rules (where possible) so that IT can handle it.
• Review failed actions and recurring problems to identify what went wrong and improve workflow.
• Keep logs and reports to demonstrate IT compliance and stay audit-ready.
• Review your policies as devices, applications, and ways of working evolve.

Apply security policies across all devices remotely with Splashtop AEM

Enforcing security policies remotely can be challenging without the right tools, and written policies are only useful when they can be consistently applied across all endpoints. This requires visibility, robust automation, patch management, reporting, and more.

With Splashtop AEM, IT teams can simplify endpoint management through real-time patching, CVE-based security insights, endpoint inventory, alerts, and remote remediation. This helps teams manage remote devices more consistently, reduce manual application work, and strengthen endpoint security and audit readiness.