As the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve, organisations are rethinking traditional network access methods. Older network architectures were built for a time when employees worked primarily in office settings and applications resided in on-premises data centers. Today’s environment changed the scenario to data everywhere, people anywhere, with a truly perimeter-less border-less enterprise. Hence, comparison of legacy network environments with modern secure solutions became inevitable.
While Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have long been the go-to solution, Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) is emerging as the superior alternative for secure, modern networks. This guide explores the differences, advantages, and considerations of VPNs versus ZTNA, helping you make an informed choice.
VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks, is a solution to establish encrypted connections between a user’s device and a private network. They mask IP addresses, protect data in transit, and allow remote access to internal systems.
According to Gartner, a VPN provides secure communication services for enterprises over a shared public network. It ensures consistent and tailored operating characteristics across the entire organisation, enabling secure and reliable connectivity.
The first step to getting started with a VPN solution is to setup a connection where a user connects to a VPN server using a client application. Post which it establishes a “secure tunnel” through protocols where data is encrypted and transmitted. This establishes a Network Access where user gains access to the entire network, regardless of their role or specific needs.
While effective for its time, VPN’s all-or-nothing approach to network access creates significant security risks in today's evolved environment.
ZTNA, or Zero Trust Network Access, is a modern security framework based on the principle of “never trust, always verify.” It provides application-specific access based on user identity and context.
According to Gartner, ZTNA establishes a secure, identity and context-based boundary around applications. These applications are concealed from unauthorised discovery, and access is controlled by a trust broker. This broker ensures that only verified and policy-compliant entities can access the applications, effectively preventing lateral movement within the network. .
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) operates by first verifying user identity through Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), ensuring that only authorised individuals gain access. It then performs contextual validation, taking into account factors such as device posture and location to further enhance security. Finally, ZTNA grants access specifically to the required application rather than the entire network, significantly reducing the potential attack surface and improving overall security.
ZTNA minimises the attack surface by cloaking applications and preventing lateral movement across the network while continuously authenticating the access.
While VPNs were designed for secure remote access, they fall short in today’s dynamic and hybrid work environments. VPNs were initially designed to provide secure remote access, they have significant limitations in today’s dynamic and hybrid work environments. These limitations make VPNs less effective and more risky compared to modern solutions.
Biggest one it to say goodbye to lateral movement. ZTNA addresses these challenges with a more secure, efficient, and user-friendly approach. However, there are more which are mentioned below.
When should you transition from VPN to ZTNA? Deciding between VPN and ZTNA can indeed be complex for an enterprise IT decision maker, due to the nuanced differences and specific needs of modern organisations. While VPNs usage is familiar and traditionally used for secure remote access, their limitations are arising in modern cloud driven organisations.
The decision hinges on evaluating the organisation’s current infrastructure, security requirements, and long-term goals. IT decision makers must weigh the trade-offs between the familiarity and lower initial costs of VPNs against the superior security, scalability, and performance benefits of ZTNA.
Transitioning from VPN to ZTNA is a strategic move that can significantly enhance your organisation’s security posture. However, it requires careful planning and consideration of several key factors to ensure a smooth and successful implementation.
By addressing these considerations, you can maximise the benefits of ZTNA while mitigating potential challenges.
ZTNA is not just a technology upgrade; it’s a paradigm shift in secure access. As hybrid work and cloud adoption redefine business operations, ZTNA offers the flexibility, security, and scalability that traditional VPNs cannot match.
Check out why enterprises are shifting away from ZTNA to VPN in this solution brief
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