ZTNA vs VPN: Decoding the Best Remote Work Security Option

While virtual private networks (VPNs) have been the go-to solution for remote access for decades, the surge in remote work during the pandemic has highlighted the cracks in its armor. Granting unrestricted access to everything stored within a corporate network can quickly become a security nightmare, especially as remote workers continue to rely on an increasing number of devices and access points.

In recent years, organizations have begun to embrace zero trust network access (ZTNA) solutions, relying on their highly granular approach to securing remote access in a modern workforce. Here, we’ll compare ZTNA vs VPN technologies, exploring the pros and cons of each and breaking down which option is best for your business.

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Understanding VPN: The traditional remote work security solution

There’s a reason why companies continue to rely on VPNs: They offer a reliable and secure way to connect two endpoints and keep communication encrypted as it travels between them.

VPNs create a secure, private tunnel between your corporate network and your device. Once the VPN generates the tunnel and the network grants access, the VPN encrypts the data moving through the tunnel, granting you access to the network as if you had logged into a device on-premises.

For example, your IT department might create a VPN that links your office computer to a laptop they provide. When you get home, you can log into the VPN from your laptop and access your work computer as if you were working right in front of it.

While VPNs provide a significant level of security and privacy while in use, they generally trust whoever is using the device on the other end. As the number of devices and access points increases exponentially, keeping VPN access out of the hands of malicious actors becomes more demanding than ever. A new approach is needed.

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Introducing ZTNA: The evolution of network security

What is zero trust network access?

Zero trust network access (ZTNA) is a remote access security solution that relies on adaptive and context-sensitive policies to provide secure access to corporate networks and applications stored in the cloud or on-premises. It is a component of security service edge (SSE) solutions, which also include cloud access security broker (CASB) and secure web gateway (SWG). 

Rather than relying on a single login from the endpoint, ZTNA offers granular control over policy implementation at the account and application level. Employees receive “least privilege” access to the specific apps and tools they need to do their jobs rather than broad access to the entire network. This reduction in access minimizes the potential attack surface that threat actors can use to gain a foothold within your system. It also prevents lateral movement between compromised devices or systems, mitigating the potential risk of exposure or theft of sensitive information.

The result is a shift away from the access-centric systems of VPNs and into a data-centric system that embraces the concept of “zero trust” to enhance your organization’s security stance.

Principles behind the zero trust security model

Zero trust is a crucial component in today’s network security frameworks. It’s a philosophy that asserts that organizations should not implicitly trust entities within a network regardless of whether they’re located inside the corporate security perimeter or trying to log in remotely from the outside. 

Instead, zero trust says that your organization must verify every user account or device before granting access to sensitive information. Just because an account is logged in with the right credentials doesn’t necessarily mean it should be trusted. You should also continuously monitor entities for suspicious activity and re-verify them at regular intervals to continue providing access to essential systems. 

As apps become more complex and access points expand beyond corporate oversight, the attack surface continues to evolve, and malicious actors evolve their techniques alongside it. Zero-trust principles give you the foundation to meet these challenges head-on while providing a secure experience for authorized users.

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Comparative analysis: ZTNA vs VPN

Key differences between ZTNA and VPN

While ZTNA solutions and VPNs work toward the same end goal of providing secure remote connections, they achieve this goal in different ways.

VPN technology creates a secure tunnel between two endpoints and grants access based on network connectivity, offering blanket access to remote networks. VPNs often have complex configurations that may require significant technical expertise and technological investment to use properly. 

ZTNA is designed around the idea of offering least-privileged remote access to secure systems. It uses a zero-trust model, granting access based on authorization for each access attempt. Using granular access controls, ZTNA considers user identity, device security posture, and other contextual factors to grant continuous conditional access. And a cloud-native ZTNA solution requires comparatively minimal lift for installation and maintenance. 

Disadvantages of a VPN

VPNs are very good at creating a secure and encrypted connection between two endpoints. But what happens when one of those endpoints is compromised? 

VPNs prioritize access over security. They cannot distinguish between an authorized user and a malicious actor, making VPNs particularly vulnerable to social engineering threats like phishing. If an unauthorized user enters the correct credentials into the VPN, the VPN assumes trust in those credentials and grants access. Suddenly, this external threat has access to the entire network as if they’d logged in at a physical workstation. 

Additionally, VPNs require manual upkeep to stay on top of the latest cyber threats and security loopholes. They’re also susceptible to misconfigurations, which at best lead to a poor-quality connection (or no connection at all) and, at worst, can open your network to cyber attacks.

Even beyond the security angle, VPNs are built to secure a single connection. They’re not designed to protect an entire workforce across multiple devices and access points. Getting them to work properly with IaaS and cloud-based apps requires a complex setup that requires routing traffic to a centralized perimeter before pushing that traffic back out to the cloud. This process is called hairpinning and can significantly slow down user connections or even cause downtime if the VPN is under significant strain.

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Where ZTNA outshines VPN

ZTNA shifts the focus from endpoint security to a holistic, data-centric approach in several key ways:

• App-level access: Instead of relying on network-level access like VPNs, ZTNA restricts access to specific apps, limiting the possibility of data exposure and lateral movement throughout in the event of a breach.
• Deep visibility into user activity: ZTNA solutions log every user action, offering more comprehensive monitoring capabilities into user behavior and potential risks. Discover suspicious activity before it becomes a threat, and enforce data-centric controls to secure sensitive content.
• Endpoint posture assessment: Continuously assess connected devices by validating their security posture and scale adaptive access to designated resources based on the level of trust the entity requires.
• User experience: Grant your users direct, fast, and secure connections to the apps and resources they need and none that they don’t, regardless of whether they’re hosted on private data centers or within the cloud.

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Deciding between a ZTNA vs VPN solution

When choosing a remote access solution, there are two major considerations: ease of use and data protection.

Ease of use

VPNs require a significant amount of time and IT resources to configure and install in a way that ensures a quality, secured connection with minimal downtime. Without this work, your employees may experience diminished quality of service when connecting remotely, or may not be able to connect at all.

On the other hand, ZTNA solutions offer a seamless user experience that’s easier to set up than traditional VPN connections. End users won’t experience degraded connections common with VPNs and can access the apps and resources they need as long as they've authenticated their connection.

Data protection considerations

VPN solutions offer an encrypted connection to the corporate network, which keeps data secure as it’s in transit. However, if an employee’s password or device ends up in the wrong hands, the entire network could be compromised. 

With ZTNA solutions, remote workers can securely access specific apps or resources based on assigned access privileges. That way, they can do their jobs from home, a coffee shop, or halfway across the world without sacrificing productivity or security. 

When you combine a ZTNA solution with features like data loss prevention (DLP) and user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA), you’ll have even deeper real-time insights into potential threats and granular controls to prevent breaches before they happen. 

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ZTNA vs VPN: What’s the verdict?

VPNs still have their place in certain instances, but there’s no denying the powerful combination of security and flexibility that ZTNA solutions provide. ZTNA solutions are secure, fast, and direct, putting the most important resources at your employees’ fingertips without exposing sensitive data to the rest of the world. 

If you’re looking to migrate from a legacy VPN platform to a robust and scalable ZTNA solution, our guide can help. Inside, you’ll find critical considerations your organization needs to make during the transition along with insight on overcoming the most important challenges directly from Joel Perkins, head of IT at Lookout. Download the free guide today, and make your ZTNA transition as smooth as possible.

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