"I’ve recently joined a company that for security reasons doesn’t allow their source code on laptops. Development happens strictly on workstations inside their private networks, with some using their text editor’s support for remote file editing and others running editors on those machines via SSH."
I think using TRAMP or similar technologies is bypassing, if not the letter, then the spirit of that companies' security policy. Sure, not the whole repository is lost when the laptop is, but having an (ephemeral) copy of the files one is working on outside the security perimeter is kind of defeating its purpose. Why is that company granting access to remote file transfer? I'd think they would be better off restricting access to some form of desktop virtualization (the old SunRays were nice) if they must offer remote access.
I think using TRAMP or similar technologies is bypassing, if not the letter, then the spirit of that companies' security policy. Sure, not the whole repository is lost when the laptop is, but having an (ephemeral) copy of the files one is working on outside the security perimeter is kind of defeating its purpose. Why is that company granting access to remote file transfer? I'd think they would be better off restricting access to some form of desktop virtualization (the old SunRays were nice) if they must offer remote access.