Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) vs VPN: What’s the Difference?

In the era of remote and hybrid work, understanding the difference between ZTNA and VPN is important for organisations to offer secure remote access to employees.

The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the way businesses operate their network security, accelerating the adoption of remote work. This sudden shift forced organisations to enable employees to access company systems, networks, and data from various remote locations.

However, the rush to implement remote work often left significant gaps in cybersecurity making secure remote access critical for business continuity, data protection, and overall network security.

Therefore, Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) provide network security for remote work. However, what’s the major difference between them?

This blog post explores ZTNA vs VPN, comparing their pros, cons, and overall performance in securing modern digital environments.

Key Takeaways:

• VPN is more traditional and provides broad access but brings potential security risks if not managed well.

• ZTNA offers more security by limiting access and applying strict rules for each request.

• Pros and Cons: ZTNA provides improved security by restricting access to specific applications. However, it can be more costly to set up and maintain. On the other hand, VPNs are easier to implement and offer secure access to resources, but they are less safe because they provide full network access, leading to increased cyber threats.

What Is Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and How Does It Work?

Zero-trust network Access (ZTNA), also known as software-defined perimeter (SDP), is a network security model based on the principle of "never trust, always verify" that enables secure connections to internal applications for remote users.

Unlike traditional VPN solutions, which grant broader access to networks, ZTNA applies granular access control, verifying the user identity and the device security posture before granting access to specific corporate resources.

ZTNA solutions do not provide full network access like VPNs. Instead, they limit access to only the applications or services that the user needs, minimising the attack surface.

Using an access broker security agent, ZTNA verifies user identity and ensures that each access request is authenticated and authorised, based on predefined policies and real-time assessments of the user's device security posture.

ZTNA works with an identity provider to authenticate users and devices and applies multi-factor authentication (MFA) to further secure remote connections.

It doesn’t rely on the public internet connection alone but integrates with the cloud environment to ensure secure, seamless remote access solutions for remote and hybrid workers.

Pros and Cons of ZTNA

Pros:

• Simplified Compliance: With granular access control and continuous monitoring, ZTNA helps organisations meet stringent compliance regulations.

• Stronger Security for Remote Work: ZTNA provides a more secure alternative to VPNs for remote access, particularly in today's remote and hybrid work environments.

• Cloud-native integration: Works well with cloud and multi-cloud environments, providing secure access to cloud-based services.

• Least privilege access: Users are granted access to only the needed applications, enforcing robust access controls.

• Better User Experience: Unlike VPNs, ZTNA often results in faster and more secure connections since users are only connected to the needed resources.

Cons:

• Implementation complexity: Setting up ZTNA requires integration with identity and cloud management systems.

• Costs: ZTNA can be more expensive to implement and maintain than traditional VPN solutions.

• Learning curve: Teams may need time to adapt to the zero-trust architecture and new access protocols.

What Is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and How Does It Work?

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a technology that creates a secure tunnel between a user's device and the corporate network, allowing remote users to access network resources. VPNs have been around for decades, commonly used for securing remote access.

When a user connects via a VPN connection, they gain broader access to the internal network. The secure tunnel ensures that the data transmitted between the user device and the corporate data centre is encrypted, preventing unauthorised parties from intercepting the communication.

VPNs generally rely on protocols such as secure socket tunnelling protocol (SSTP), Point-to-Point Tunnelling Protocol (PPTP), Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) and Internet Key Exchange Version 2 (IKEv2) to create a secure connection over the public internet connection.

This means the user’s traffic is routed through the VPN client, encrypting their data and giving them access to the necessary corporate resources, though often with less granular control than ZTNA.

Pros and Cons of VPN

Pros:

• Widespread adoption: VPNs are widely used, with many organisations already familiar with their implementation.

• Broad access: VPNs provide users with access to the entire network, allowing seamless use of all resources.

• Ease of use: Once configured, users can easily connect to the network via a VPN client.

• Compatibility: VPNs work across multiple operating systems and devices, offering secure remote access to a variety of endpoints.

Cons:

• Security risks: By giving broad access to the entire network, VPNs increase the attack surface, potentially exposing more data if the network is compromised.

• Performance issues: VPN connections can slow down due to the overhead of encryption, especially when multiple users connect simultaneously.

• Limited control: VPNs do not offer granular control over what users can access, which may lead to security vulnerabilities.

• Legacy technology: Some VPN solutions are outdated and may not integrate well with modern cloud or hybrid infrastructures.

Difference Between ZTNA and VPN: Key Comparison

Both ZTNA and VPN solutions allow secure access to resources, but they work in different ways.

Here's how they differ:

Scalability

ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access) is highly scalable. It allows businesses to expand without needing a large infrastructure. It works in the cloud, so it easily supports more users and devices as a company grows.

VPN (Virtual Private Network) is less scalable. As the number of users increases, VPN requires more servers and bandwidth, making it harder to scale efficiently.

Performance

ZTNA offers better performance because it provides secure access to users only to specific apps or services they need. This reduces the strain on the network and improves speed, especially for remote workers.

VPN often slows down performance. It routes all traffic through a central server, which can cause delays, especially when most users connect at the same time.

Security Approach

ZTNA uses a "never trust, always verify" approach. It checks every device and user before giving access, providing stronger security for both remote and in-office workers.

VPN trusts users once they connect to the network. This can be risky because if one device is compromised, the whole network could be at risk.

Threat Prevention

ZTNA provides continuous protection and often integrates with advanced security tools like next-generation firewalls and intrusion prevention systems (IPS). It constantly monitors traffic and blocks potential threats.

VPN can also work with firewalls and IPS, but because it gives broader access to the network, it might not detect threats as efficiently as ZTNA.

Business Continuity

ZTNA supports business continuity by offering flexible, secure access from anywhere. Since it's cloud-based, it can keep running even if there are issues in the office or with physical servers.

VPN can ensure remote access, but it relies heavily on centralised infrastructure. If a server goes down, it can disrupt access for many users, which affects business continuity.

ZTNA vs VPN: Which Is Better?

When comparing ZTNA vs VPN, both security solutions have distinct advantages and limitations, but ZTNA generally offers superior security and scalability for the modern remote workforce.

ZTNA's focus on granular access controls and least privilege access makes it better suited for protecting corporate resources in the cloud and beyond.

On the other hand, VPNs are still useful in scenarios where broad network access is needed or when working within legacy systems that require network-level access.

In addition, ZTNA provides better insight into user actions and access to applications, helping with monitoring and threat detection, while VPNs offer less visibility, focusing mainly on tracking user connections to the network rather than specific app access.

Choosing between ZTNA and VPN depends on what your organisation needs. So, knowing the differences can help decide which is best for different situations and industries.

VPNs are a good fit for smaller businesses with a few remote employees, protecting unsecured Wi-Fi.

On the other hand, ZTNA is more suitable for larger organisations with remote or hybrid teams, as it enforces stricter access controls for sensitive data and applications.

ZTNA vs VPN: Factors to Consider When Choosing Them

Here are the factors to consider while choosing ZTNA and VPN solutions:

Security needs

If minimising the attack surface and controlling access to specific applications are top priorities, ZTNA offers better protection through granular control.

Scalability

ZTNA solutions are typically more scalable, especially in the cloud environments. VPNs may become less efficient as more remote workers connect.

Integration with modern IT systems

If your organisation uses a mix of on-premise and cloud resources, ZTNA may be the better option, as it seamlessly integrates with cloud platforms.

User experience

VPNs can sometimes cause performance issues, while ZTNA offers a more seamless user experience with fewer slowdowns.

Cost

VPNs are usually cheaper upfront, but the higher security risks and management complexity may increase costs in the long run.

Summary

In conclusion, the main difference between ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access) and VPN (Virtual Private Network) is how they secure access. VPN provides broader access to an entire network by creating direct tunnelled access, making it less selective.

ZTNA, on the other hand, follows a "zero trust" approach, where access is granted only to specific applications or resources based on the user’s identity and context, minimising exposure.

Moreover, ZTNA is considered more secure because it limits access on a need-to-know basis rather than granting full network access.

If you need more information to compare ZTNA vs VPN, contact one of our cybersecurity experts or schedule a one-to-one call.

FAQs

Will ZTNA Replace VPN completely?

Yes, in many organisations, ZTNA is already beginning to replace traditional VPN solutions. As more companies move their infrastructure to the cloud and seek secure remote solutions that provide better security and flexibility, ZTNA will continue to gain ground.

What is the difference between a traditional VPN and SASE?

The key difference between a traditional VPN and SASE is that VPNs secure only the connection, while SASE combines network and security services in the cloud. SASE provides more comprehensive protection for remote and cloud environments, whereas VPNs are more traditional and limited to accessing networks.

What Is the Difference Between an Always-On VPN and Zero Trust?

An always-on VPN provides continuous, broader access to networks, while ZTNA operates on a zero-trust principle, granting access to specific applications after verifying the user's identity and device security. This means ZTNA offers more secure and limited access to networks as compared to VPNs.

What Is the Purpose of ZTNA?

The primary purpose of ZTNA is to provide secure remote access by enforcing granular access control. Unlike VPN solutions, ZTNA restricts user access to only the resources necessary for their role, reducing the risk of unauthorised access to sensitive data.

Which is more cost-effective: ZTNA or VPN?

While VPNs are typically cheaper upfront, ZTNA can save costs in the long run by reducing security risks and management overhead.

Is ZTNA harder to implement than VPN?

While ZTNA can be more complex to implement due to its integration with identity and cloud services, its long-term security benefits make it worthwhile.