The rapid development of the times with the basis of digital technology does have a lot of significant impacts on all aspects of life. Now, technology offers convenience in many ways in everyday activities, one of which is the most visible impact in terms of business and industry. For example, how technology changes the traditional way of working of a business that has been very modern and sophisticated one of them is a remote work system.
Unfortunately, the rapidly growing evolution in the technology sector also provides great benefits for criminals in cyberspace. For example, the use of VPNs that can connect more varied locations with various internal networks outside the company. However, cybercriminals also make VPN vulnerabilities is one of the targets of crime making VPNs now easier to hack.
Departing from this problem comes Zero Trust Network Access or ZTNA which is an IT security trend that many companies choose to improve the security of their information technology infrastructure.
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) enforces granular, adaptive, and contextual policies. The system provides secure and seamless zero trust access to all private applications hosted in the cloud as well as enterprise data centers from remote locations and devices. The context can be a combination of the user’s identity, user or service location, time, service type, and device security posture.
When it comes to user identity assessment, device identity, and other contextual factors, ZTNA allows “least privilege” access to specific apps. That is, this security system does not provide general access to the entire network and any user. Each user can access it by entering keywords to reduce the possibility of attacks and threats from devices and accounts that have been compromised.
ZTNA builds on the concept of zero trust which asserts that organizations must not trust any entity, both inside and outside the security boundaries. The system must also verify every user or device before giving them access to sensitive resources to ensure data security and integrity.
In addition, ZTNA also acts as a key enabler for Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) by changing the concept of enterprise data security perimeter from static and centralized to a more dynamic, policy-based, cloud-delivered edge to support the access requirements of a distributed workforce network.
How ZTNA Security Systems Work
A software connector connected to the same customer network as a private application will make an outbound connection to the cloud-centric Zero Trust Network Access service through an encrypted and secure tunnel. Furthermore, this security system will work by:
- Verify connected users and authenticate their identities through identity providers.
- Validate the security posture of the user’s device.
- Provides access to certain applications through a secure tunnel.
Due to the output access connection connected to the ZTNA service, enterprises no longer need to open any incoming firewall ports to access an application. Of course, this will provide attack data protection when using public internet access, providing protection from DDoS attacks, malware, and other online threats.
The ZTNA security system can serve both managed and unmanaged devices. Managed devices will follow a client-based approach installed on the device. Furthermore, the client is responsible for retrieving device information and sharing the details with the ZTNA service. This connection is established with the application on user identity validation and device security posture.
Meanwhile, unmanaged devices will follow a clientless or reverse-proxy-based approach. Later, the device will connect to the ZTNA service through a session initiated from the browser to authenticate and access an application. While this is a very attractive prospect for users, partners, and third-party employees who connect via personal devices or BYO, clientless ZTNA deployments are limited to application protocols supported by website browsers, such as RDP, and SSH, VNC, and HTTP.
ZTNA Security System Implementation
There are three implementations of the ZTNA security system that are most often used in enterprises, namely:
1. Provide Remote Access Security to Private Apps
As organizations move their critical business applications across multiple cloud networks for seamless and seamless collaboration, they must continue to monitor each interface to ensure secure application access and prevent data destruction.
The use of a zero trust-based ZTNA system allows enterprises to gain more adaptive access to private applications from any location and device. Access to the app will be denied directly from the system unless it has been publicly granted permission. The context for accessing this app can include user identity, device type, user location, device security posture, and more.
2. VPN and MPLS Connection Replacement
ZTNA is also a security system for IT solutions VPN which has a slow security architecture. This means that companies that provide security for each remote user access through hardware or software-intensive VPNs can result in increased capital expenditures and bandwidth costs.
Meanwhile, ZTNA’s security system provides fast direct cloud access to enterprise resources while reducing network complexity and operational costs. Not only that, but ZTNA also helps improve performance significantly to facilitate the implementation of remote work systems.
3. Restricting User Access
The broad perimeter-based security approach of traditional security solutions allows full network access to any user with a valid identity and password. This would overexpose sensitive company resources to compromised accounts as well as to insider threats.
Difference between ZTNA and VPN
When it comes to IT solution VPNs, deployments, and impacts, ZTNA has become a security system that has attracted attention in recent times. Both VPN and ZTNA may look the same at first glance from a network perspective. However, the two turned out to have significant differences. Here are some of them:
1. Access Level
The first difference is the level of access between the two. VPN allows full private network access to any user with just a valid password. Meanwhile, the Zero Trust Network Access security system provides restrictions on access for each user to certain applications to limit data exposure and lateral movement of threats in the event of a cyber attack.
2. Overall Visibility
Further, VPNs lack application-level control and visibility into all actions users take once they are inside a private network. Meanwhile, ZTNA’s security system records every action taken by the user and provides more in-depth visibility and monitoring of the user’s behavior.
This is done to provide control over all data-centric information while securing all sensitive content in the application. Logs can be fed into Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) to get real-time and centralized visibility into all user activity while detecting possible threats from hackers.
Furthermore, ZTNA can later be integrated with endpoint security solutions to enable adaptive access based on continuous assessment of device security.
3. User Experience
Then, the VPN security system is not designed to handle the increasingly distributed workforce scheme along with the increasingly sophisticated times. The reason is that network management or backhauling that comes from each user connection through a centralized VPN hub will trigger problems with bandwidth and performance. Not only that, but it also leads to a subpar user experience.
Meanwhile, the use of Zero Trust Network Access allows users to be able to establish a direct connection to the application. In addition, ZTNA also enables fast and secure access to all centralized enterprise resources whether in an IaaS environment or personal data.
4. More Cost-Effective
When compared to VPNs, the use of ZTNA’s security system eliminates the need for enterprises to acquire expensive hardware base VPNs while helping to manage complex infrastructure setups in each data center. In addition, remote users do not need additional intensive VPN clients to establish a secure connection.
Advantages of Switching from VPN to ZTNA
Being a more effective security system to replace a VPN, there are several advantages that you can get by switching to ZTNA, including:
1. Avoiding the Threat of External Attack Risk
ZTNA setup allows users to communicate through access points provided by ZTNA vendors. This will help hide the company’s internal network resources while reducing the risk of an external attack appearing compared to using a VPN.
2. Limiting the Spread of Malware
When using a VPN, the connection occurs at the network level. As a result, it is easier for cybercriminals to spread malware and ransomware from connecting devices. Meanwhile, the use of ZTNA allows access management at the application level. That way, the threat of spreading malware or ransomware when connecting devices can be prevented.
3. Reduce Traffic and Slow Connections
All communication traffic using a VPN occurs through the company’s internal network. This means all cloud-based resources and software can eventually be accessed over the same network. If too many employees use the VPN at the same time, the network traffic can be heavy and the connection slow.
It’s different when companies use ZTNA. Once the user is authenticated, no more communication has to go through the company’s internal network. Users can access resources in the cloud directly, reducing network traffic congestion and preventing lags.
So, ZTNA can be a smart solution to move away from a VPN security system that is prone to be hacked by cybercriminals. If you intend to switch from a VPN to ZTNA, trust Safous. Offering ZTNA functionality with advanced technology, Safous gives you the freedom to choose your data storage location, integrated security functions, and 24/7 service management. Access safous.com for more detailed information about ZTNA.