Remote processing means that some data or functions are handled on an external system, such as a cloud service, backend API, or vendor platform, instead of being completed entirely on the local device. A product may send inputs to a server for analysis, storage, search, authentication, or AI inference, then receive results back.
This matters in cybersecurity because the security boundary moves beyond the endpoint. Sensitive data can be exposed in transit or on the remote service, and the product now depends on the availability, integrity, and trustworthiness of that external system. Attackers may abuse weak APIs, steal credentials, intercept traffic, or compromise the remote platform itself. Defenders reduce risk with strong authentication, encryption, access control, logging, rate limiting, and clear dependency review. In product security and compliance work, remote processing must be documented because it affects threat modeling, support expectations, and incident response.