GigaOm Radar for Zero-Trust Network Access (ZTNA)v1.02

Table of Contents

  1. Summary
  2. Market Categories and Deployment Types
  3. Key Criteria Comparison
  4. GigaOm Radar
  5. Vendor Insights
  6. Analyst’s Take
  7. About Chris Ray

1. Summary

Virtual private networks (VPNs) have long been the default method of securing remote access. VPNs provided a way to prevent exposing internal systems’ remote access protocols, like SSH and RDP, to the internet where anyone in the world could attempt a connection. With a VPN, organizations had a layer of control that limited who could gain access to these remote access protocols.

However, VPNs are limited with respect to the level of control they can provide. Typically, VPNs are provisioned in a way that gives an authorized user too much access to internal networks and resources. Moreover, VPNs are unable to take into consideration the context in which legitimate users are accessing resources.

This is the scenario zero-trust network access (ZTNA) is able to resolve. While ZTNA and VPNs can appear similar, upon close inspection the advantages of ZTNA become obvious. For example, ZTNA is built on the zero-trust model, meaning that trust isn’t established once and never reviewed again. Under ZTNA, a system establishes a trusted relationship with each user each time a connection is requested. ZTNA considers both the user’s identity and the context of the connection request. This is a powerful capability that mitigates many risks left unappreciated as ongoing threats by a VPN.

The GigaOm Key Criteria and Radar reports provide an overview of ZTNA, identify capabilities (table stakes, key criteria, and emerging technologies) and evaluation metrics for selecting a ZTNA solution, and detail vendors and products that excel. These reports will give prospective buyers an overview of the top ZTNA solutions in the market and can help decision makers evaluate platforms and decide where to invest.

How to Read this Report

This GigaOm report is one of a series of documents that helps IT organizations assess competing solutions in the context of well-defined features and criteria. For a fuller understanding, consider reviewing the following reports:
Key Criteria report: A detailed market sector analysis that assesses the impact that key product features and criteria have on top-line solution characteristics—such as scalability, performance, and TCO—that drive purchase decisions.
GigaOm Radar report: A forward-looking analysis that plots the relative value and progression of vendor solutions along multiple axes based on strategy and execution. The Radar report includes a breakdown of each vendor’s offering in the sector.
Solution Profile: An in-depth vendor analysis that builds on the framework developed in the Key Criteria and Radar reports to assess a company’s engagement within a technology sector. This analysis includes forward-looking guidance around both strategy and product.