If your organization has poor application and network performance, it can be difficult for your employees to complete work tasks if they rely on the network to perform their job well.
Poor application and network performance can lead to poor network connectivity and security which reduces employee productivity and efficiency.
Poor network security can also lead to vulnerabilities that result in cyberattacks that cost your organization hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair the network.
For this reason, it is important to prioritize reliable network performance and security to avoid these consequences that can be detrimental to your organization.
Fortunately, there are many network solutions available on the market, but it can be difficult to determine which solution is the best fit for your organization.
Coeo understands how important reliable network performance and security are to an organization and has delivered thousands of solutions to organizations to improve their network performance and security and help them avoid cyberattacks.
By the end of this article, you will understand what ZTNA is, how it can help manage and control applications and services, and whether it is the right fit for your organization.
What is ZTNA?
ZTNA is a security method that requires verification from any user looking to access a network. This method addresses some of the shortcomings of the perimeter-based network security model.
Firewalls protect the edge of your network and differentiate between trusted and untrusted users and devices to protect your network.
Interactions taking place inside your network are known as trusted and those taking place outside of your network are known as untrusted.
The firewall separates trusted networks from untrusted networks as a technique to protect your network. However, if your network is compromised, it is no longer trusted. To combat this, ZTNA takes the position that every network is untrusted.
However, by combining ZTNA with SASE your employees will be identified as trusted and the SASE service will be installed on their devices to secure all of the users in your organization.
If you would like to speak with our team to learn more about ZTNA or other network security solutions or ask any questions you may have you can schedule an appointment.
How ZTNA helps control and manage access to applications and services
ZTNA helps organizations secure their network and prevent cyberattacks and malicious actors from damaging it. Additionally, ZTNA helps control and manage access to applications and services in several ways including:
Identity-centric access
Traditional network security solutions rely on the user’s location to grant access to the network.
ZTNA on the other hand, takes the approach that nothing is secure and everything is untrusted so it shifts the focus to identity-centric access where it makes decisions based on the user’s identity and device posture.
Users are required to authenticate themselves using multi-factor authentication, biometrics, or other security methods before gaining access to network applications and services.
ZTNA also uses the device posture to make access decisions. ZTNA evaluates the security posture of the device including security configurations, compliance with security policies, and vulnerabilities of the device.
Devices that do not meet these requirements may be denied or have restricted access to the network. This allows your network to avoid security vulnerabilities and cyberattacks that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
As a result, this enables your network to only grant access to users that are authorized and devices that are secure.
Additionally, this leads to more control over applications since identity-centric access can be used to make access decisions on applications within your network. This allows different applications to be accessed by select users.
Continuous network monitoring
ZTNA allows your network to be constantly monitored. This monitoring enables your users and devices to avoid cyberattacks and prevent malicious actors from accessing your network.
This continuous monitoring improves the performance of your network and helps manage and control access to network applications and services.
Is ZTNA the right fit for your organization?
Now you understand what ZTNA is and how it helps organizations control access to applications and services. However, it is also important to understand whether ZTNA is the right fit for your organization.
If your organization needs to patch network vulnerabilities and improve network security, ZTNA may be a good fit.
Also, if your organization makes poor access decisions that can lead to malicious actors accessing your network and causing cyberattacks, ZTNA may be a good choice to provide identity-centric access controls.
Finally, if you are looking for better network monitoring, ZTNA is the right fit for your organization to continually monitor your network to improve performance.
However, if your organization has reliable network security and control and management over your network already, ZTNA may not be the right fit for your organization.
If your network does not have any network vulnerabilities or does not have issues with unauthorized users accessing your network, ZTNA may not be a good fit for your organization.
Determining whether ZTNA is the right fit for your organization
Now you understand what ZTNA is, how it helps your organization manage and control access to applications and services, and whether it is the right choice for your organization. This will help you determine whether your organization should invest in a ZTNA solution.
No organization can operate successfully with a poor-performing network that leads to network connectivity and security issues.
Poor-performing networks lead to decreased employee productivity and network vulnerabilities that can lead to cyberattacks that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair the network.
For this reason, it is important to prioritize reliable network performance. However, there are many network solutions available so it can be difficult to determine which solution is the right fit for your organization.
Coeo understands how important reliable network connectivity and security are and has delivered solutions to thousands of organizations to improve their network performance and help them avoid cyberattacks.
We want you to understand what ZTNA is and how it can help manage and control access to applications and services so you can determine whether it is a good choice for your organization.
If you would like to speak with our team to learn more about ZTNA or other network security solutions or ask any questions you may have you can schedule an appointment.
Now that you understand how ZTNA can help manage access to applications and services, read this article to learn the benefits of migrating from VPN to ZTNA:
