Many businesses struggle to choose the right solution for protecting remote access to their critical systems. But while virtual private networks (VPNs) have served as a reliable standby for years, zero trust network access (ZTNA) offers newer capabilities that meet modern cybersecurity needs.
Let's explore how these solutions compare and which might work better for your organization.
Why VPNs Fall Short in a Cloud-First World & How ZTNA Fills the Gap
For years, VPNs were the go-to solution for securing remote access. They created an encrypted tunnel between employees and corporate networks, allowing teams to work safely from anywhere. But as businesses adopted cloud computing and hybrid work models, the traditional VPN approach began to show its age.
VPNs grant broad access once a user is authenticated, which increases the risk of lateral movement if credentials are compromised. They also route all traffic through centralized gateways, often resulting in latency, bottlenecks, and degraded user experience - especially for globally distributed teams.
ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access) addresses these limitations by removing implicit trust altogether. Instead of connecting users to the entire network, ZTNA verifies identity, device posture, and context before granting access to specific applications. This identity-centric, least-privilege approach not only reduces the attack surface but also delivers faster, more seamless access to cloud and on-prem resources.
What Is a VPN?
Virtual private networks are widely used remote access solutions that build a secure, encrypted tunnel between a user’s device and a private network. VPNs let employees, contractors, and partners access your internal resources from anywhere while keeping your data safe. Here's what you need to know about this trusted technology.
How VPNs Work
The process of connecting to a business network through a VPN is simple and straightforward:
- A user connects to the network through a VPN client.
- The client establishes an encrypted tunnel to a VPN server.
- Once authenticated, the user can access internal systems as if they were on the corporate network.
- The VPN maintains the encrypted connection throughout the session.
This reliable connection process has made VPNs a popular choice for remote access across many industries.
VPN Protocols You’ll Encounter
Not all VPN tunnels behave the same. Here’s a quick look at common options and where they fit.
- PPTP: Legacy and fast, but largely obsolete due to weak security.
- L2TP/IPsec: Wraps L2TP with IPsec for encryption; widely supported, moderate performance.
- SSTP: Uses TLS over HTTPS; can traverse restrictive firewalls but is platform-tied.
- IKEv2/IPsec: Stable, resilient to network changes (e.g., Wi-Fi to LTE handoffs), strong security.
- OpenVPN: TLS-based, flexible, and open-source; often favored for cross-platform deployments.
Takeaway: Protocol choice affects performance, firewall traversal, and crypto strength, but all still grant network access once you’re in.
Advantages of VPNs
Smaller organizations or those just beginning to support remote work often choose VPNs as their first remote access solution because they offer benefits like:
- Ease of Use: VPNs are easy to deploy and maintain, making them a cost-effective solution for remote access.
- Encrypted Connections: VPNs secure data in transit, protecting sensitive business information from interception.
- Compatibility: VPNs work with most legacy systems and applications, providing seamless connectivity.
Challenges of VPNs
While VPNs offer many advantages, they also come with limitations that businesses should consider carefully. These include:
- Security Risks: VPN users often have broad network privileges when they gain access, which increases security risks. In fact, 56% of organizations were targets of cyberattacks exploiting VPN security gaps in 2024.1
- Performance Issues: VPNs can slow down network performance due to bandwidth constraints, especially for global or high-demand users.
- Lack of Granular Access Control: VPNs don’t differentiate between different users or apps, leading to over-permissioned access.
- Limited Scalability: Adding more users to a VPN can strain network resources and complicate management.
What Is Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)?
Zero trust network access is a fresh approach to cybersecurity that puts identity verification at the center of everything. This modern framework helps organizations manage access more precisely while maintaining strong security, which is likely why 63% of businesses worldwide have implemented a zero-trust strategy as of 2024.2 Let's look at how it works and what makes it different.
How ZTNA Works
ZTNA follows a more sophisticated approach to security than traditional VPN solutions – but this doesn’t make it any less user-friendly for employees and third parties that rely on fast, reliable access to corporate resources. Here’s how it works:
- Users attempt to access an application through a ZTNA gateway.
- The system verifies their identity using multi-factor authentication (MFA) and device security checks.
- Access is granted only to the necessary apps, not the entire network.
- The system continuously monitors user behavior and connection security.
- Access permissions can be adjusted in real time based on risk factors.
This dynamic approach to security makes ZTNA especially effective for modern workplace needs.
Zero Trust Principles in Practice
Zero trust isn’t a product; it’s an access philosophy applied continuously.
Ongoing Verification
Authenticate users and validate devices at sign-in and throughout the session. If posture drifts or risk rises, step up checks or cut access, automatically.
Minimal Access
Scope access to specific apps and actions, not the whole network. Segment by identity, role, device health, and data sensitivity to contain blast radius.
Assume Breach
Operate as if attackers can be “inside.” Hide internal apps from discovery, monitor sessions, and design controls to detect and limit lateral movement.
Advantages of ZTNA
ZTNA offers several benefits that address today’s security challenges, including:
- Advanced Security: ZTNA limits lateral movement, reducing the risk of breaches.
- Better Performance: Direct application access improves speed and reduces latency compared to VPNs.
- Granular Access Control: Users only get access to what they need, reducing security risks.
- Cloud-Readiness: Ideal for businesses with cloud-based applications and hybrid workforces.
Challenges of ZTNA
Despite its benefits, ZTNA does come with some potential downsides that organizations should keep in mind, such as:
- Setup Complexity: Deploying ZTNA requires a shift in access policies and security strategies.
- Integrations: Some legacy systems may require additional configuration to work with ZTNA.
- Cost Considerations: ZTNA solutions typically require more initial investment than VPNs.
ZTNA vs. VPN: Key Differences
While both ZTNA and VPNs aim to secure remote access, they do so in fundamentally different ways. Here’s how they compare across the areas that matter most.
Access Control
VPNs provide full network access once a user is authenticated, which can expose more resources than necessary. ZTNA, on the other hand, enforces granular, application-level access - users only connect to the specific apps or data they’re authorized to use.
Security Model
A VPN relies on a perimeter-based security model, assuming that everything inside the network is trustworthy. ZTNA replaces this with a Zero Trust approach, continuously verifying each user and device, regardless of their location or network.
Performance
Because VPNs backhaul all traffic through centralized gateways, they often cause latency and performance bottlenecks. ZTNA is built for the cloud era, offering direct, optimized access to cloud and SaaS applications for a faster, smoother experience.
Risk of Breaches
Once inside a VPN, users can often move laterally across systems—a major risk if credentials are compromised. With ZTNA, access is restricted to only what’s necessary, minimizing the blast radius and significantly lowering breach potential.
Scalability
VPNs can be rigid and challenging to scale as organizations grow. ZTNA solutions are designed for flexibility, making it easy to support distributed and hybrid teams without compromising performance or security.
Use Cases
ZTNA is ideal for cloud-first businesses and hybrid workforces that require secure, seamless access from anywhere. VPNs still have a place in legacy environments or smaller networks where cloud adoption is limited.
We put together a comparison chart to help you determine which approach to remote access security is best for your business needs:
Zero Trust vs VPN: Decision Criteria
Remote Work & Access Patterns
Most teams reach a small set of internal apps and SaaS. That makes per-app, identity-based access a better default. When to use a vpn: network administration (layer-3/4 tasks), jump-host workflows, or edge cases that truly require network adjacency.
Cloud Adoption & SaaS Exposure
The more your stack lives in SaaS and multi-cloud, the less value you get from backhauling traffic to a concentrator. ZTNA brokers direct, per-app paths and keeps networks dark, even as apps move between providers.
Risk Management & Least Privilege
Broad network access inflates lateral-movement risk. ZTNA scopes users to specific applications and actions, verified continuously by user identity, device health, and context, shrinking blast radius by design.
Performance & Latency
VPN hair-pinning adds hops and congestion, especially for global teams. ZTNA evaluates policy inline and connects users directly to apps, improving time-to-first-byte and overall session quality.
Ease of Use & Support
Fewer steps, fewer tickets. With SSO and MFA in place, ZTNA can auto-establish sessions after login, apply policy silently as context shifts, and remove the “connect/disconnect” ritual that drives help desk load.
Licensing & Scalability
VPN capacity rides on gateways, client distribution, and license ceilings. ZTNA typically scales by policy and lightweight connectors, making seasonal bursts, M&A onboarding, and contractor access simpler to absorb.
VPN vs ZTNA: Use Cases & Exceptions
Where VPN still makes sense
- Network administration: Routing, firewall, and switch management requiring network-level reach.
- Legacy protocols: Apps that can’t be proxied at the app layer or require fixed network adjacency.
- Temporary migrations: Short-term access during data center moves or DR tests.
Where ZTNA is the better default
- Hybrid work and contractors: Per-app access without exposing subnets.
- SaaS and multi-cloud: Direct paths with continuous checks beat backhaul tunnels.
- Compliance-sensitive data: Minimize scope by limiting who can touch what, and when.
VPN Replacement: A Phased Path
You don’t have to switch everything at once. Reduce risk and friction with a measured rollout.
Inventory & Segment Priority Apps
List internal and SaaS targets by user group and sensitivity. Start with 2–3 high-value apps that are easy to segment and have clear owners.
Pilot & Measure
Enable ZTNA for those apps, enforce MFA and device posture, and monitor authentication success, time-to-access, and support tickets. Tune policies weekly.
Scale Policies & Decommission Safely
Expand to adjacent apps and groups, codify exceptions, and keep VPN for edge cases. When usage drops below a defined threshold, retire concentrators.
Zero Trust vs. VPN: Find the Best Fit With Aseva
The choice between ZTNA and VPN matters for your organization's security and productivity. While VPNs still have a role in certain scenarios, ZTNA provides a more secure, scalable, and efficient approach to protecting corporate resources – especially in cloud-driven environments.
At Aseva, we’ve helped businesses like yours protect their sensitive data for nearly three decades. If you're looking to strengthen your cybersecurity strategy with a right-fit solution, we’re here to guide you through every step of the transition with deep industry knowledge and white-glove support.
Reach out today to explore the best cybersecurity solutions for your business.
Zero Trust Network Access vs VPN FAQs
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