ZTNA vs. VPN: What Is the Difference?

Modern workspaces are versatile and flexible, with many businesses offering remote or hybrid positions. Users can access work-related platforms and communications on personal or company-issued devices. This increased connectivity empowers people to access information at any time and in nearly any location, allowing teams to hire talent worldwide. For many businesses, this increased connectivity translates to cost savings by preventing the need to expand office spaces or provisioning devices. These benefits can also lead to productivity boosts as workers create workspaces in comfortable areas that support their needs.

Despite the advantages of increased connectivity, businesses face concerns that can impact operations. The most significant challenge surrounding the shifting digital landscape is security. Hybrid and remote working opportunities can widen the possibilities for malicious attacks. Unsecured Wi-Fi connections and unpatched team devices can provide a gateway for cybercriminals and hackers.

Companies can combat these threats by securing network access. There are two primary methods of securing networks to prevent digital attacks and protect sensitive information — virtual private networks (VPNs) or zero trust network access (ZTNA) solutions. While both solutions can empower workflows and protect company data, there are a few differences to note. Here, you can learn more about these solutions to determine which will benefit your business.

What Is a VPN?

In a world of global connectivity, meeting business goals while adhering to privacy regulations, ensuring latency and enhancing communication is critical. One way to meet these needs is by using a VPN. A VPN is a cybersecurity solution that allows users with authorization to access a private network using security measures and protocols such as encryption, tunneling or authentication. VPNs are gatekeepers that route devices through private servers and form secure internet connections. When a user is within the network range, they can access anything on the network with a hidden IP address.

Data transfers between the user and network are secure, with encryptions safeguarding the information. Only users and admins can use the network, preventing others, including the internet provider, from tapping into it. Security admins can see when users access the network but cannot see what resources or applications the user opens when using the network.

This process also makes it harder for malicious third parties to identify a user or a user's device. If a cybercriminal determines a user or device, the criminal would still have significant trouble trying to read the encrypted information. VPN encryptions make it nearly impossible for outsiders to access information by using several rounds of keys to produce long combinations that would take significant computing power and time to decode.

What Is a ZTNA?

In the simplest terms, ZTNA is an evolved version of traditional VPNs. This cybersecurity solution allows users to access individual resources within a corporate network rather than the whole network. These solutions create context- and identity-based parameters around resource groups or single network resources. The parameters hide the IP addresses of each asset so unauthorized users cannot discover them.

ZTNA solutions are especially beneficial for security because they provide only limited access at a time. Even if unauthorized users pass through the safeguards, they can only access a small portion of the network, reducing overall risks.

ZTNA providers authenticate user identities and verify access policies before granting users access to network resources. Providers also evaluate the user's device and operating system to determine whether antivirus tools are functioning properly or to assess endpoint security.

Some ZTNA solutions also offer additional security measures, such as multi-factor authentication, for enhanced security. A user can only access the network resources after passing identification. If the user needs to access a different resource, the provider must authenticate them again.

ZTNAs operate on three core principles:

• Ongoing verification: Rather than trusting specific devices or users, ZTNAs rely on ongoing verification. These solutions use several authentication methods and continue to verify device and user status after granting initial access. This strategy can help prevent Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and similar malicious acts.
• Minimal access: Network segmenting gives organizations control over resource, data and application access. Business leaders and decision-makers can use this capability to minimize potential breach damage and gain a better insight into what information is no longer secure if a breach occurs.
• Assume breach: Cyberattacks can come from anywhere and at any time. 2024 has seen the most damaging and largest data breaches yet, with small businesses and high-profile companies succumbing to the devastating impact. Companies operating ZTNAs with this mindset can adopt a more flexible approach to cybersecurity, improving efforts for the business regardless of location.

Understanding the Difference Between ZTNA and VPN

Achieving the balance between innovation and risk is the best way to implement new technologies while ensuring security. Finding the right security solution is vital for protecting organizations from the alarming rates of cybercrime. Although ZTNA and VPN enhance digital security, there are several things to note before deciding which is right for your business.

The most significant differences between these two cybersecurity solutions are:

• Trust and access: ZTNA follows a "never trust, always verify" model. This means that while VPNs will trust a device or user after it connects to the network, ZTNA works constantly to authenticate devices and users. Additionally, VPNs allow users to access the entire network, while ZTNAs permit small portions of the network at a time. Attackers can access information by bypassing one authentication process on VPNs but must work excessively to gain access to data on ZTNAs.
• Visibility: Security admins can see when a user accesses the network through a VPN but cannot determine what applications the user accesses or how long they view it. Alternatively, ZTNAs allow admins to monitor application access in real time. This enhanced visibility empowers admins to detect strange behavior, such as if a user accesses an application they do not often need or spends a long time on an application with sensitive information. This visibility also lets teams discover applications with few or no users so they can cut subscription costs.
• Ease of use: ZTNAs have a more complex initial deployment than VPNs but run quietly in the background after successful configuration. VPNs require organizations to download and create a VPN client on each device. Users can rely on single sign-on after deployment to access a seamless experience. Though this solution is excellent for short-term access, it can be cumbersome for long-term remote access because users must sign into the VPN every time they need to access the network.
• Speed: VPNs provide access by routing traffic through various servers before finding a data center central point. This process can cause latency problems and make the connection seem weaker. ZTNAs provide direct access to applications, eliminating these latency issues.

Support Resilient Infrastructure With NexGen Networks

Adopting the right security solution is the key to building cyber resilience. When you need reliable digital solutions, trust the professionals to provide top quality and reliability. As one of the nation's most rapidly growing telecommunications carriers, the NexGen Networks team understands how to deliver dependable solutions with unrivaled customer focus. Contact our team to learn more about our solutions and how we can transform your business communications and operations.