A travel agency gives its people secure access to booking systems from anywhere by delivering those systems over hosted desktops, gating every login with multi-factor authentication, managing the devices that connect, and restricting access to approved, healthy machines. That way a consultant can work from any office, from home or while travelling, with the same fast access and no loss of security. For most agencies this is part of managed IT at about £45 to £100 per user per month.
Travel teams are rarely all in one place, and a marine or cruise desk especially has people spread across countries and time zones. The challenge is giving everyone reliable access to Amadeus, Navitas and the back office without opening the door to attackers. Here is how to do it.
Hosted desktops as the secure front door
Delivering your booking and back-office systems over hosted desktops means the data and applications stay in a central, secured environment, and staff simply connect to it rather than holding sensitive systems on individual machines around the world. It gives everyone the same fast experience and keeps control where it belongs, which is far safer than copies of data scattered across personal devices.
Multi-factor authentication on every login
Passwords alone are not enough, especially for remote and overseas access. Multi-factor authentication on every account means that even if a password is phished or guessed, it is not enough to get in. This single control blocks the large majority of account-takeover attacks, and it is now an expectation of insurers and a requirement of good practice for any business handling payments.
Managed, healthy devices only
Access should be limited to devices that are managed, up to date and protected, rather than any random laptop. Tools that check a device’s posture before allowing it to connect, and that restrict access to machines with the right security in place, stop a compromised or unknown device from becoming a way in. On a hosted-desktop estate this is straightforward to enforce.
Reliable access on variable connections
Overseas and home connections vary, so the setup needs to tolerate that and still feel fast. A well-designed remote-access and hosted-desktop environment, with sensible resilience, keeps people productive even on a patchy line, so a consultant abroad is not left unable to make a booking that cannot wait.
Joiners, leavers and changing teams
Travel teams change quickly, so access has to keep up. New starters should get exactly the access they need on day one, and leavers should lose every route in promptly, including remote and overseas access, so no forgotten account becomes a risk. A clear, managed process keeps the global team productive and secure as people come and go.
What to ask a provider
A specialist for travel agencies should be able to answer:
- Have you supported travel agencies, hosted desktops and systems like Amadeus, Navitas, FareXpert or TRAMS before?
- How do you give office, remote and overseas staff secure, reliable access in any time zone?
- How do you protect us from invoice, supplier and crew payment fraud, and help with PCI DSS?
- What is your response time when a booking or payment is at risk, out of hours?
- Is the price clear and per user, with security included rather than charged separately?
Where to start
If staff are reaching systems in inconsistent or insecure ways, start by confirming multi-factor authentication is on for every account including overseas machines, that access runs through a managed hosted-desktop environment rather than ad-hoc remote tools, and that only managed devices can connect. A short review will show where access is currently a weak point and how to make it both secure and reliable for everyone.
What good IT means for a travel agency
For a travel agency, good IT is mostly invisible. Consultants sign in securely from any office or country and their booking systems are simply there and fast; payments reach the right accounts because the security and the process make fraud hard; and when something does go wrong it is caught early and fixed by people who understand travel systems. The desk keeps moving travellers around the clock, and the technology stops being something anyone has to think about.
That reliability is not luck; it is the result of a setup that is designed, secured and maintained rather than left to grow on its own. For a business that runs 24/7, handles money and depends on a handful of specialist systems, paying a predictable amount per user for that peace of mind works out far cheaper than the cost of downtime, a successful fraud, or a breach of client and crew data.
Why travel agencies choose First Stop IT
First Stop IT has supported businesses since 2002, including travel agencies and travel management companies, and we understand the systems a travel desk runs on: Amadeus, Navitas, FareXpert and TRAMS, delivered securely over hosted desktops, alongside Microsoft 365. We support travel businesses based in Essex, Hertfordshire and London with teams working worldwide. Our credentials include:
- Cyber Essentials Certified
- IASME Cyber Assurance (Gold)
- NCSC Assured Service Provider (Cyber Advisor for Cyber Essentials)
- Microsoft Partner
- Crown Commercial Service Supplier (G-Cloud)
- Quality Principles Certified
We look after more than 2,000 endpoints across 50 companies, we have been named a Top 50 UK MSP for three years running, and we support organisations with 10 to 100 employees across Essex, Hertfordshire and London, including teams working internationally.
Book a free IT and cyber security review
Want IT built around how a travel desk actually works? Book a free IT and cyber security review with First Stop IT.