Zero Trust Network Access: Replacing the VPN Without Disrupting Users
I have used corporate VPNs in one form or another for most of my working life, and I suspect many readers have as well. For years they were the standard means of reaching internal systems from outside the office. Yet in conversations with security leaders, I hear increasingly that the VPN has become both a security liability and a source of daily frustration for employees. Zero trust network access, commonly abbreviated as ZTNA, has emerged as the principal successor.
The Limitations of the Traditional VPN
A traditional VPN establishes an encrypted tunnel between a user’s device and the corporate network. Once connected, the user typically gains broad network-level access, often far more than their role requires. If an attacker compromises the user’s credentials or device, they inherit that broad access and can explore the network at leisure.
VPN concentrators themselves have also become attractive targets. Several serious vulnerabilities in widely deployed VPN appliances have been exploited in recent years, sometimes before patches were available. And from the user’s perspective, VPNs are frequently slow, particularly when all traffic is routed through a central data center.
How ZTNA Differs
ZTNA reverses the underlying assumption. Rather than connecting the user to the network, it connects the user only to specific applications they are authorized to use. Each request is evaluated against policy, considering the user’s identity, the health of their device, their location, and other contextual signals. Applications are effectively invisible to anyone not authorized to reach them, which considerably reduces the attack surface.
Modern ZTNA services are typically delivered from the cloud, with points of presence distributed globally, so users connect to a nearby location rather than to a distant headquarters.
Migrating Without Disruption
In my experience, the transition succeeds when it is staged carefully. Organizations begin by inventorying applications and mapping which user groups require access to each. A pilot group, often IT staff or a single department, moves first, with the VPN retained as a fallback. Web and software-as-a-service applications are generally the simplest to transition; legacy applications using unusual protocols may require more planning.
Communication matters as much as technology. Users who understand that the change will make access faster and simpler tend to welcome it.
Beyond Remote Access
The same principles increasingly apply to users inside the office. Treating on-premises and remote users identically simplifies policy and closes the gap that implicit internal trust creates.
The Bottom Line
The traditional VPN grants too much access and too much trust for today’s threat environment. ZTNA replaces it with application-specific, continuously verified access that is both more secure and often faster for users. I would advise organizations to plan a phased migration, beginning with a pilot group and the simplest applications. Each application moved reduces exposure measurably. In my view, few security initiatives offer such a clear improvement for attackers and users alike, making it more difficult for the former and easier for the latter.