As summer approaches and travel season heats up, like many professionals you may be eagerly planning vacations or business trips abroad. But there’s a common roadblock that often catches travelers by surprise: region blocking and geo blocking. 

While region blocking provides crucial security benefits, it can often create significant operational disruptions for legitimate travelers who need access to work resources while abroad. Picture this: You’ve just arrived at your destination after a long flight. You settle into your hotel, open your laptop to handle a few important tasks before relaxing—and realize you’re completely locked out of your company’s systems. Your IP address reveals you’re in a different country, automatically triggering security blocks designed to protect company resources. 

What was meant to protect your organization has now become a major obstacle to your productivity. This frustrating scenario plays out thousands of times daily for business travelers worldwide, especially during peak vacation seasons. 

What is Region Blocking? 

Region blocking (also known as geo blocking) is a security measure that restricts access to digital content, networks, or applications based on a user’s geographic location. For managed service providers (MSPs) and IT security teams, implementing region blocking has become a foundational cybersecurity practice—and for good reason. 

Common region blocking issues travelers face include: 

  • Complete inability to access corporate VPNs 
  • Locked out of email and collaboration tools 
  • Restricted access to cloud-based applications 
  • Blocked connections to customer relationship management systems 
  • Denied access to financial platforms and reporting tools 

So why are these configurations in place if they cause such disruption? 

Why MSPs Implement Region Blocking for Cybersecurity 

Modern cyber threats are more sophisticated than ever—and often tied to specific regions. That’s why Managed Services Providers (MSPs) take region blocking seriously. The goal is simple: protect your company’s data by limiting access from high-risk locations, making it significantly harder for hackers to infiltrate your systems. To name a few specifics: 

1. Targeted Attack Prevention 

Cybercriminals often launch attacks from specific geographic regions. By analyzing IP geolocation data, MSPs can identify and block traffic originating from high-risk locations, significantly reducing the attack surface. This geolocation-based access control is particularly effective against brute force attacks and credential stuffing attempts that target login portals. 

Recently at Agio, our security operations center caught brute force attack patterns that highlight exactly why region blocking is so critical. Our teams observed sustained attack campaigns featuring login attempt floods reaching an astounding 200 failures per minute. The sophisticated IP distribution patterns clearly indicated well-resourced threat actors using substantial botnets. What makes these attacks particularly concerning is how they adapt in real-time, adjusting strategies to bypass detection while coordinating their efforts across distributed networks. We typically see initial probing activities followed by much larger coordinated attacks once vulnerabilities are identified. 

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2. Compliance and Data Regulatory Requirements 

Many regulatory frameworks, including GDPR, HIPAA, and industry-specific regulations, impose strict requirements on where data can be accessed and processed. Region blocking helps organizations maintain compliance by ensuring sensitive information remains within approved geographic boundaries. 

For financial services, these compliance considerations aren’t optional—they’re legally mandated protections that carry significant penalties if violated. 

3. Suspicious Activity Detection 

Sudden login attempts from unexpected international locations are a major red flag for security teams. When an account that normally only accesses systems from New York suddenly shows login activity from Eastern Europe or Southeast Asia, region blocking provides a critical first-line defense while security teams investigate the anomaly. 

This approach is particularly valuable for detecting compromised credentials. Even if an attacker obtains valid username and password combinations, they’ll still be blocked if attempting access from unauthorized regions. 

4. Enhanced Authentication Policies 

Region blocking works alongside multi-factor authentication (MFA) to create layered security. When a user attempts to log in from a new location, additional verification steps can be triggered automatically, adding an extra barrier against unauthorized access even when legitimate credentials are used. 

Balancing Security and Productivity: The Agio Approach 

At Agio, we understand that effective cybersecurity can’t come at the expense of legitimate business operations. The challenge isn’t whether to implement region blocking—it’s how to maintain this critical security measure while accommodating the legitimate needs of traveling employees. 

Our solution provides the perfect balance: maintaining robust region blocking protection while providing a streamlined process for verified travelers to maintain access to their essential work tools. 

How AgioNow’s Travel Notification System Works 

For organizations utilizing Agio’s managed services, we’ve implemented a simple yet powerful solution through our AgioNow self-service client portal. Instead of having to contact IT support or submit help desk tickets that might not be processed until after your trip has already begun, the AgioNow portal offers a streamlined travel notification system. 

Here’s how it works: 

  1. Advance Notification: Before traveling abroad, simply log into the AgioNow Portal 
  2. Self-Service Access: Visit the Self Service section 
  3. Travel Registration: Select “End User Support” and click on “Notification of travel outside of your home country” 
  4. Trip Details: Provide your travel dates and destination 
  5. Seamless Updates: Our system automatically updates the region blocking bypass group for the duration of your trip 
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Take a 3 minute tour: 

 

This automated approach eliminates manual approval steps, saving time and reducing administrative overhead while maintaining security. You receive confirmation of your request, and when you arrive at your destination, you can log in seamlessly without experiencing frustrating region blocks. 

Planning Ahead: Best Practices for Business Travelers 

Even with tools like AgioNow’s travel notification system, proper planning remains essential. Here are key recommendations to ensure uninterrupted access to your work resources while traveling: 

  1. Submit Travel Plans Early: Don’t wait until the last minute. Submit your travel notification at least 48-72 hours before departure. This provides ample time for systems to update and for any potential issues to be addressed before you leave.
  2. Specify Exact Travel Dates: Be precise about your departure and return dates to ensure access is maintained throughout your entire trip but not extended unnecessarily beyond your return. 
  3. Include All Destinations: If you’ll be visiting multiple countries, include all locations in your notification to prevent unexpected blocks when crossing borders. 
  4. Test Access Upon Arrival: After arriving at your destination, test your access to critical systems before you urgently need them. This provides time to address any issues that might arise. 
  5. Use Secure Connections: Even with region blocking exceptions in place, always use secure, encrypted connections when accessing work resources. Public Wi-Fi networks can pose significant risks, so consider using a company-approved VPN solution. 

Stay Secure While Staying Connected 

Region blocking and geo blocking are essential cybersecurity practices that protect organizations from increasingly sophisticated threats. However, they shouldn’t prevent legitimate work when traveling abroad. 

As the summer travel season approaches, take the time to understand your organization’s and your MSP’s security policies. A few minutes of preparation can save hours of frustration and ensure both security and accessibility go hand in hand. 

If you’re planning international travel and your organization uses Agio’s services, be sure to utilize the AgioNow portal’s travel notification feature before your departure. We’ve designed it specifically to keep you both secure and operational, no matter where your travels take you. Contact us.