A travel management company needs layered cyber security built around the threats it actually faces: multi-factor authentication everywhere, modern endpoint protection, application allowlisting, managed email security, monitoring or managed detection and response, tested backups, and trained staff, ideally confirmed with Cyber Essentials. Delivered as part of managed IT, this usually costs about £45 to £100 per user per month, and it is what stops the payment fraud and ransomware that target this sector relentlessly.
Travel agencies are a deliberate target because they move money and hold valuable client and crew data, often with staff spread across offices and time zones. No single product is enough; security has to be layered so that if one control is bypassed, others contain the problem. Here is what good cyber security looks like for a TMC.
Strong identity and access control
Multi-factor authentication on every account, including overseas machines and any remote access, is the single most effective control, because it stops a stolen password from becoming a breach. Combined with least-privilege access, where people can only reach what they need, and prompt removal of access when staff leave, it closes the most common way attackers get in.
Endpoint protection and allowlisting
Modern endpoint protection watches for suspicious behaviour rather than just known viruses, and application allowlisting means only approved software can run at all, which stops most malware and ransomware before it starts. On a hosted-desktop estate, restricting what can execute, and which devices can even connect, dramatically reduces the attack surface.
Email security against fraud
Email is the main route in for the business email compromise and phishing that plague travel agencies. Managed email filtering blocks most malicious and impersonation messages, and a strict process for verifying any payment or bank-detail change protects the money even if a convincing email gets through. This pairing is essential for a business that moves supplier and crew payments daily.
Monitoring, MDR and patching
Keeping systems patched closes the holes attackers exploit, and monitoring or managed detection and response (MDR) means suspicious activity is spotted and acted on quickly, day or night, which matters for a 24/7 desk. Catching an incident early is the difference between a contained event and a serious breach.
Backups and a plan
Encrypted, isolated and tested backups mean that even a successful ransomware attack becomes a clean restore rather than a crisis, and a written incident-response plan means people know what to do under pressure. Recovery you have actually tested is what lets you decline a ransom and keep trading.
People and Cyber Essentials
Regular security awareness training keeps staff alert to the spoofed suppliers and urgent payment requests they see constantly, and working towards Cyber Essentials gives you a recognised baseline that confirms the fundamentals are genuinely in place, something clients, partners and insurers increasingly want to see.
Where to start
If you are unsure of your exposure, begin with the basics that stop most attacks: multi-factor authentication everywhere, application allowlisting, managed email security, and tested backups, then confirm them with Cyber Essentials and add monitoring. A short review will show which are already in place and which gaps to close first, before an attacker finds them.
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 this handled properly for your travel desk? Book a free IT and cyber security review with First Stop IT.