OVERVIEW
What is Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)?
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) is based on establishing secure access controls and not inherently trusting any entity within or outside the network. It implements best practices and technologies to create secure, identity and context-based boundaries around applications, devices, and data. By leveraging a trust broker, ZTNA solutions ensure that access is only granted after rigorous verification of identity, context, and policy compliance, effectively minimizing unauthorized access or lateral movement within the network. This strategy helps conceal critical resources from public exposure and significantly lowers the risk of cyber attacks.
ZTNA's approach to access control is meticulously detailed, focusing on managing who is allowed to access what within the private network. Whether it be specific applications, devices, or files. It's crucial to understand that ZTNA itself does not directly grant access. Rather, it lays the groundwork for defining access policies that govern how resources are accessed securely.
BENEFITS
ZTNA benefits for business
Organizations can apply a zero trust security approach within their network ecosystems as a way of controlling access to applications regardless of where the user or the application resides. This enhances the security posture of the organization and adds a number of benefits.
When implementing ZTNA, companies can restrict access to their cloud environments and applications in accordance with their operational requirements. Within the ZTNA model, each user and application can be given a role with the proper rights and permissions to connect to the company's cloud infrastructure.
Network segmentation lends itself well to a Zero Trust approach as each part of the network requires access verification, tightening the security around each individual resource. Zero Trust allows you to enforce segmentation all the way up to layer 7, at the app level. It’s imperative to segment all the way up to the top of the open systems interconnection (OSI) model to protect against hacking attempts.
Traditional security solutions cannot identify or protect against malicious insiders like rogue employees. The zero trust model restricts the damage caused by insider threats by ensuring each user has the least privilege access required. ZTNA also provides visibility to help track malicious insiders.
ZTNA makes applications unavailable and restricts access over the public Internet. This can help protect companies from data leaks, ransomware, and other Internet-based threats.
The zero trust framework keeps each user isolated in their micro-perimeter. This security perimeter protects the company data at large, as the access is granted only on a need-to-know basis. The reduced lateral movement of users results in fewer opportunities that could endanger your organization’s safety.
The principle of least privilege enhances compliance with company and industry standards. The organization can verify that all usage is authorized as controls how employees use applications and data.
ZTNA USE CASES
Zero Trust Network Access use case
Secure remote access
Zero Trust Network Access solutions offer secure remote access, ensuring your remote workforce stays protected in a hybrid security environment. This framework seamlessly adapts to various locations and devices, enabling rapid deployment and precise access control for all connections.
VPN alternative to meet your workforce's needs
Implement Zero Trust policies easily, verifying the remote users and giving them access to only the private apps they need – not all apps in internal data centers and private cloud. Protect internal apps against potentially compromised remote devices and data theft.
Control third-party access
When granting access to external partners, contractors, or vendors, ZTNA solutions ensure they only access the necessary resources, limiting their exposure to the broader network. Additionally, by verifying their identity, ZTNA maintains that only authorized individuals access these resources.
Secure access to development environments
ZTNA solutions play a vital role in enhancing security for access to development environments. This is particularly significant in DevOps settings where Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines are used to streamline and automate software application building, testing, and deployment. With ZTNA, only authorized personnel can modify or deploy applications, maintaining the integrity and security of the development process.
Compliance & auditing
For robust regulatory compliance, detailed access controls, multilayered authentication, and comprehensive logging are essential. These features, integral to ZTNA solutions, empower organizations to meet and exceed regulatory requirements and conduct effective security audits.
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FEATURES
Build your own ZTNA solution with our features
NordLayer’s range of adaptive security tools will help you assemble a custom network security solution for your organization’s needs.
SSO
2FA
Biometric authentication
Virtual Private Gateways
Network segmentation
Smart Remote Access
Jailbroken device detection
Security Service Edge
SSE - unified security solution
Secure business data, resources, and all users in your network by adopting the SSE framework. SSE is a blueprint for better business security, combining user-centric authentication, access control and seamless integration across the cloud.
Additional info
Frequently asked questions
Both Zero Trust and SASE are security-targeted network infrastructure frameworks that were defined to fulfill the same objectives — to better secure and protect organizations from cyber threats. Zero Trust and SASE complement each other and are prominent takes on the cybersecurity future.
SASE as infrastructure is a security model giant that takes time and resources to be properly integrated. Hence, implemented elements work like a well-oiled machine, establishing advanced security measures throughout a company.
Meanwhile, the Zero Trust approach is relatively simpler to establish but requires more engagement from organization members day-to-day. Improving security levels and protection is why Zero Trust-based tools are often seen as essential parts of SASE.
While ZTNA and VPN technologies are used in similar contexts, they offer different routes to achieving the same goals. ZTNA is much more precise, giving only specific application permissions after authentication. It can also be customized to allow only secure devices, with much more detailed monitoring of what users are doing when connected to the network. These benefits are topped off with a cloud delivery model, which frees the users from on-premises hardware and increases flexibility.
VPNs don’t address network security as deeply as zero trust network access (ZTNA), relying mostly on broad network-based protection. A traditional VPN blindly trusts authorized users and gives them broad access to the entire corporate network. Therefore, zero trust is a great addition to a VPN, making it even more secure.