Page 123 - Cyber Defense eMagazine August 2023

When it Comes to ZTNA, Buyer Beware

By Denny LeCompete, CEO, Portnox

With traditional perimeter-based defenses proving inadequate thanks to the rise of remote and hybrid
work policies, organizations are turning to the concept of zero trust to fortify their security postures. At its
core, zero trust centers on the idea that no user or device should be automatically trusted, even when
connected to internal networks.

In the initial fury to implement zero trust to combat the security risks posed by dispersed workforces,
businesses turned to Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solutions. ZTNA tools exploded onto the scene
in the last few years, and the technology was originally pitched as a replacement to virtual private
networks (VPNs). The replacement pitch was not without merit. VPN remains ubiquitous, but its broad
network-level, encryption-based security is thin and has the potential to expose entire corporate networks
to malware, distributed denial of service (DDos), and spoofing attacks.

Instead, ZTNA offered a “never trust, always verify” security approach that requires constant
authentication, which spoke to CISOs and their teams looking for a silver bullet to the head-spinning
number of new access threats that emerged after the pandemic. And although it’s true – you must start

Cyber Defense eMagazine – August 2023 Edition 123
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