Zero Trust Network Access That Replaces Your VPN
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) gives each user a separate, identity-verified connection to each application they are allowed to use, instead of putting their device on the corporate network like a VPN. Identity and device posture are re-checked throughout the session. Layots Technologies designs, deploys and manages ZTNA, and remote-access-only projects are typically live in 3 to 4 weeks.
- typical ZTNA go-live
- 3–4 wks
- typical ZTNA go-live
- apps exposed to the internet
- 0
- apps exposed to the internet
- platforms we deploy
- 6+
- platforms we deploy
ZTNA Assessment
Tell us how people connect today; we will map a VPN-to-ZTNA path.
Why the VPN has to go
A VPN authenticates once, then trusts the device on the network. That made sense when everyone sat in the office. With remote staff, contractors and SaaS, it is the widest door into the estate.
- One compromised laptop can move laterally across the network
- Contractors get far more access than their job needs
- The VPN gateway is exposed to the internet and scanned constantly
- Traffic is backhauled to a data centre, slowing every SaaS app
- Access is checked once at login, never again
- Separate VPN concentrators to patch, license and refresh
What Layots ZTNA includes
Access decided per user, per device and per application, and enforced on every session.
Per-application access
Users reach only the specific applications their role permits. The network itself stays invisible to them.
Device posture checks
Conditional policy based on identity and device posture, so an unmanaged or out-of-date device is limited or refused.
Continuous verification
User identity and device posture are re-checked during the session, not only at login.
Clientless contractor access
Third parties and contractors get browser-based access to named applications without a VPN client on their device.
No exposed gateway
Applications are never published to the public internet, so there is no VPN gateway for attackers to scan or exploit.
Central logging
One place for access decisions and logs, which supports DPDP Act and GDPR access-control and audit obligations.
ZTNA vs VPN
The difference is what a user can reach once they are in.
| Traditional VPN | Zero Trust Network Access | |
|---|---|---|
| What the user reaches | The corporate network | Only the applications their role allows |
| When access is checked | Once, at login | Continuously, on identity and device posture |
| If a device is compromised | Lateral movement across the estate | Contained to the apps that user could reach |
| Exposure to the internet | A VPN gateway attackers can scan | Applications are not published at all |
| Contractor access | VPN client and network access | Clientless, per-application access |
| Performance for SaaS | Backhauled through the data centre | Direct, via the nearest point of presence |
ZTNA first, full SASE when you are ready
ZTNA is the access component of SASE. Many organisations secure remote users with ZTNA first, then add SD-WAN, secure web gateway and CASB to complete SASE at their next circuit or firewall renewal.
- Remote workforce on ZTNA in 3 to 4 weeks
- Full SASE rollout typically 8 to 14 weeks
- Platform-independent: Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access, Cisco, Netskope, Zscaler, Cato Networks
- SASE services
How a ZTNA rollout works
- 01
Discover
Map who uses which applications today, from where and on which devices.
- 02
Design policy
Write per-application access rules tied to your identity provider and device posture.
- 03
Pilot
Move a representative group of users and applications off the VPN first.
- 04
Cut over
Migrate the remaining users in phases, then retire the VPN concentrators.
See also: SASE · Cybersecurity services · Cybersecurity in Chennai
Zero Trust Network Access: common questions
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) is a security model that requires continuous verification of every user and device before they reach any application, regardless of network location. Instead of joining the corporate network, each user gets a brokered, identity-verified session to each application they are permitted to use.
A VPN authenticates a user once and places their device on the corporate network, where it can reach far more than the user needs. ZTNA brokers a separate, identity-verified session to each application and re-checks identity and device posture continuously. Applications are never published to the internet, so there is no VPN gateway to attack and a compromised device cannot move laterally.
The term is often used for ZTNA products that replace the VPN client. Strictly, ZTNA is not a VPN: it does not extend the network to the device. It connects the user to individual applications after checking identity and device posture.
Organisations adopting ZTNA for remote workforce access are typically in production within 3 to 4 weeks. A full SASE deployment that also replaces branch networking runs 8 to 14 weeks.
Layots is platform-independent and works across Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks Prisma Access, Cisco, Netskope, Zscaler and Cato Networks. The choice follows an assessment of your firewall estate, identity provider, circuit contracts and data-residency obligations.
No. ZTNA is one component of SASE. SASE combines ZTNA with SD-WAN, secure web gateway (SWG), cloud access security broker (CASB), data loss prevention (DLP) and firewall as a service (FWaaS) under one policy engine. Many organisations start with ZTNA and grow into SASE.
Insights
More on Zero Trust Network Access
SASE Architecture for Distributed Enterprises: How Layots Secured Branch, Remote, and Cloud Access
A fast-growing enterprise needed secure, consistent access across branches, remote users, and cloud workloads. See how Layots designed a scalable SASE and Zero Trust architecture.
Read article CybersecurityZero Trust SASE for Third-Party Access: A Layots Architecture Case Study
Partners and contractors needed critical applications, but broad VPN access created risk. See how Layots designed identity-verified, application-specific third-party access.
Read article CybersecurityThe Zero-Trust Architecture: Safeguarding the Modern Distributed Enterprise
Traditional firewalls are no longer enough—Zero Trust is key to securing distributed workforces and cloud workloads.
Read articleRetire Your VPN
Tell us how many users connect remotely and which applications they need. We will propose a ZTNA design and a phased cut-over plan.
- A solution architect reviews your requirement
- We respond, usually within one business day
- You get a practical, costed recommendation
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