The best IT and security setup for a travel agency pairs your booking and back-office software, delivered over hosted desktops, with Microsoft 365, layered security, resilient connectivity and tested backups. Get that foundation right and a global desk works smoothly while payments and data stay protected, which is exactly what travel demands. Delivered as a managed service, it usually costs about £45 to £100 per user per month.
Travel agencies often add systems and security piecemeal as they grow and open offices, which quietly leaves gaps. A joined-up setup closes them. Here is what good looks like, and where we most often find weaknesses.
Hosted desktops for your booking systems
Amadeus, Navitas, FareXpert and a back office such as TRAMS run best delivered over hosted desktops (Remote Desktop Services) with FSLogix profiles, so every consultant gets the same fast environment from any office, home or country. It also keeps the data central and secure rather than scattered across individual machines around the world.
Microsoft 365 and email
Microsoft 365 handles email, files and collaboration, with shared sales and operations inboxes managed properly rather than as a free-for-all. Centralised, secured email is also your first line of defence against the phishing and payment fraud that target travel agencies constantly.
Layered security
Because agencies handle payments and sensitive data, security needs depth. No single control is enough, but together these make the business a hard target and support PCI DSS compliance:
- Multi-factor authentication on every account
- Managed endpoint protection and application allowlisting
- Managed email filtering against phishing and impersonation
- Monitoring or managed detection and response (MDR)
- Encrypted, tested backups and a written recovery plan
- Regular staff awareness training and phishing tests
Resilient connectivity across offices
A global desk depends on its connections. Resilient internet, ideally with automatic failover, at each office, plus secure remote access for home and travelling staff, keeps the agency working through outages, which matters when a booking on the other side of the world cannot wait.
Backups you can trust
Encrypted, isolated and tested backups of your hosted desktops, data and Microsoft 365 mean a mistake or an attack never costs you the business. Knowing how quickly you could recover, because you have tested it, is both a security control and a continuity safeguard for a 24/7 operation.
How the pieces fit together
These parts work as one: your booking systems sit on managed, patched hosted desktops; those are protected by allowlisting, endpoint security and MFA; access is gated and monitored; and everything is backed up and test-restored. When one layer flags something, the others contain it, which is why a joined-up setup beats the same tools bought piecemeal.
The common gaps we find
When we review a travel agency’s setup, the same weak spots recur: MFA missing on some accounts or overseas machines, backups never test-restored, booking software on unmanaged or ageing devices, and no allowlisting, so anything can run. Each is straightforward to fix once someone is accountable for it.
What this should cost
Delivered as a managed service, this setup usually costs £45 to £100 per user per month, depending on size, number and location of offices, and the depth of security and connectivity you need. The value is an agency that simply works, with payments and data protected, rather than a patchwork you have to worry about.
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 you are not sure where your agency stands, a short review is the quickest way to find out: confirm multi-factor authentication is on for every account, including overseas machines, check that your booking systems and backups are properly managed and test-restored, confirm a strict bank-detail verification process is actually followed every time, and make sure only approved software can run. Those few steps remove most of the risk quickly and show where a properly managed, travel-aware setup pays off, before a busy booking period or a fraud attempt forces the issue.
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.