What Is Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)? How It Replaces VPNs and Reduces Risk in 2026

Access to a network with zero trust or ztna. Rajiv Pimplaskar, CEO of Dispersive, an advanced cloud cloaking technology provider. ZTNA has become an important part of new network security systems such as secure access service edge (SASE).

Ozan Ucar, Founder and CEO of Keepnet

Last Updated: 2026-06-01

The Evolution of VPNs and the Rise of Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)

In recent years, virtual private networks (VPNs) have gone from being an essential tool for remote access to a security liability in many environments. VPN vulnerabilities have become one of the most actively exploited attack vectors: in 2024, Ivanti VPN vulnerabilities were used in mass exploitation campaigns affecting government and enterprise organizations globally, and CISA issued emergency directives requiring federal agencies to disconnect affected VPN appliances. Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) has emerged as the architecture replacing VPNs in security-conscious organizations, with Gartner forecasting that by 2025 at least 70% of new remote access deployments would use ZTNA rather than VPN. By 2026, ZTNA adoption has accelerated further as the consequences of VPN vulnerabilities have become undeniable.

ZTNA's never trust, always verify approach stands in contrast to the one-time authentication model of traditional VPNs. Rather than granting a user network-level access after a single login, ZTNA grants access only to specific applications the user is authorized to use, continuously evaluating identity, device health, and access context throughout the session. This model means that a compromised credential, even if used successfully, gives an attacker access only to the specific applications that credential is authorized for rather than broad network access.

Why VPNs are Losing Ground in Corporate Security

VPNs have long been effective in encrypting data and protecting endpoints from unauthorized access. However, VPNs were designed to work within local data centers, assuming that users would be operating in relatively stable, controlled environments. But today’s corporate environments involve remote teams, cloud based resources, and constant data transfers—elements that VPNs were not originally designed to handle.

Limitations of VPNs for Modern Corporate Use

Static Access Control: Traditional VPNs only verify users once per session. After authentication, they provide full network access without further checks. This model poses risks, especially with remote work where users log in from different, sometimes less secure, environments.
Strain on Resources: VPNs consume considerable bandwidth as all data must flow through the VPN channel. For companies with many remote employees, this can mean slower performance and increased costs.
Incompatibility with Cloud: While VPNs can still provide encrypted channels, they struggle with resources deployed across hybrid and public clouds, which require flexibility and frequent verification.

Given these limitations and the documented exploitation of VPN vulnerabilities in 2023, 2024, and 2025, organizations are actively replacing VPNs with Zero Trust Network Access solutions. In 2026, ZTNA is no longer an emerging alternative but the established standard for new remote access deployments. Major cloud providers including Microsoft (Azure AD Application Proxy and Global Secure Access), Google (BeyondCorp), and AWS (Verified Access) have built ZTNA capabilities directly into their platforms, reducing the barrier to adoption for organizations already in those cloud environments.

Enter ZTNA: Continuous Verification for Modern Security

Zero Trust Network Access provides an approach where the system continuously verifies users, applications, and devices, never assuming any entity is safe by default. Rather than checking credentials once at the beginning of a session, ZTNA systems continually authenticate users throughout each session, re verifying behavior, access location, and endpoint health.

Key Advantages of ZTNA Over VPNs

Dynamic Access Control: ZTNA ensures that access is tightly controlled and only granted to specific applications or resources as needed, minimizing risk. Even within a session, ZTNA continually checks for indicators of suspicious activity, providing an added layer of defense.
Behavioral Analysis: ZTNA tracks user activity, looking for behavior that deviates from the norm. For example, if an employee who typically accesses files from a specific location suddenly requests access from an unfamiliar IP address, ZTNA can flag and block the activity.
Alignment with Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and Security Service Edge (SSE): As noted by a cybersecurity expert ZTNA aligns well with the principles of SASE and SSE architectures. By merging network and security functions into cloud based systems, these frameworks provide comprehensive network protection while maintaining high performance.
Flexibility for Hybrid and Cloud Resources: Since ZTNA operates on a model of continual verification, it’s far better suited for hybrid and cloud resources, which require adaptable security postures that adjust in real time.

Why Businesses Are Moving to ZTNA Integrated Solutions

Businesses adopting ZTNA find that the model integrates well with cloud applications and remote work environments, allowing for continuous user verification, dynamic access control, and real time threat detection. With VPNs falling short on these fronts, ZTNA provides enhanced adaptability and scalability for businesses with evolving network environments.

Cloud Compatibility: With data moving from local data centers to hybrid and public clouds, ZTNA ensures that security policies adapt dynamically to resource allocation and changing access points.
Remote Work Enablement: The “always verify” principle of ZTNA accommodates employees working from different devices and locations, allowing IT teams to manage access dynamically based on real time user data.
Improved Risk Management: The continuous analysis of behavior, device, and network patterns helps ZTNA detect threats early, stopping potentially harmful actions before they reach critical systems.

ZTNA: A Long Term Solution in a Cloud First World

As businesses have scaled cloud adoption and remote work policies through 2025 and into 2026, VPNs have become increasingly untenable for organizations with significant cloud workloads. VPN architecture was designed for a world where corporate applications lived in on-premises data centers and remote users needed a secure tunnel to reach them. In 2026, most applications live in cloud environments that VPNs route traffic through unnecessarily, adding latency and cost while creating a network-level access model that is fundamentally incompatible with the principle of least privilege.

Integrating ZTNA into Your Organization

The move from VPNs to ZTNA is not just a trend in 2026 — it is becoming a regulatory expectation. The US CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model and the EU's NIS2 guidance both reference zero trust principles as part of expected security practice for critical infrastructure operators. Organizations that have not begun their ZTNA migration should treat VPN replacement as a priority project rather than a future consideration.

Keepnet's human risk management platform complements ZTNA deployments by ensuring that the credential theft and phishing attacks that ZTNA's least-privilege model limits are also prevented at the human layer through continuous training and simulation.

How Keepnet Complements ZTNA with Human Risk Management

ZTNA addresses the network access layer of zero trust architecture, but zero trust is not complete without addressing the human layer. Attackers who cannot exploit network access vulnerabilities will target employees through phishing, social engineering, and credential theft. A zero trust architecture that includes continuous identity verification can still be bypassed if an attacker steals a valid employee credential. Keepnet's Phishing Simulator and Security Awareness Training reduce the likelihood of credential theft by training employees to recognize and report phishing attempts before their credentials are compromised. Together, ZTNA and Keepnet's human risk management platform address both the technical and human dimensions of modern access security.

Editor's Note: This article was updated on June 1, 2026.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)?

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) is a security model that grants users access only to specific applications they are authorized to use, based on continuous verification of identity, device health, and context, rather than granting broad network access after a single authentication event. The core principle is never trust, always verify: no user or device is inherently trusted, even if they are already inside the network perimeter. ZTNA replaced the traditional model where passing through the network boundary was sufficient for access.

What are the main limitations of VPNs that ZTNA addresses?

Traditional VPNs grant broad network access after a single authentication check. Once connected, a user can potentially reach any resource on the corporate network, including systems they have no business need to access. This broad access is a significant risk: if an attacker steals a VPN credential, they gain the same broad network access as the legitimate user. VPNs also struggle to scale efficiently with large remote workforces and do not integrate well with cloud applications that are not hosted on the corporate network. ZTNA addresses all three limitations by granting only the minimum access required, on a per session basis, with continuous verification.

How does ZTNA implement the principle of least privilege?

ZTNA enforces least privilege by granting access only to specific applications or resources that a user's role requires, rather than to the network segment those resources are on. Access decisions are made dynamically based on the user's verified identity, the health and compliance status of their device, the location and time of the request, and other contextual signals. If any of these factors change during a session, for example if the device fails a compliance check, access can be revoked without requiring the user to reauthenticate or the session to be manually terminated.

What is the difference between ZTNA and a traditional VPN?

A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel to the corporate network, after which the user can access many network resources based on their group membership. ZTNA grants access to specific applications only, verifying identity and device health before each session, and never exposing the corporate network itself to the connected device. With a VPN, compromising the credential compromises network access. With ZTNA, compromising a credential grants access only to the specific applications that credential was authorized for, with each access request still subject to continuous verification.

How does ZTNA work in practice for a remote employee?

When a remote employee wants to access a corporate application, their ZTNA client verifies their identity through the organization's identity provider, checks that their device meets security requirements (correct OS version, active endpoint protection, no known vulnerabilities), and evaluates the request context (time, location, network). If all checks pass, the employee is granted access to that specific application through an encrypted connection. They never gain visibility of or access to other applications or network resources they are not authorized for, and each session is independently verified.

Is ZTNA the same as zero trust security?

No. ZTNA is one component of zero trust security, specifically addressing network access. Zero trust security is a broader architecture that applies the never trust, always verify principle across all security domains: identity verification, device health, application access, data protection, and network segmentation. ZTNA replaces the VPN component of network access but a complete zero trust architecture also requires multi factor authentication, device management, application security, and data classification controls. ZTNA is an important starting point but not a complete zero trust implementation.

What industries benefit most from ZTNA adoption?

Every industry that has remote workers, cloud applications, or third party contractors accessing corporate systems benefits from ZTNA. Financial services, healthcare, and critical infrastructure benefit particularly because of the sensitive data they handle and the strict regulatory requirements they operate under. Healthcare organizations with large numbers of remote clinicians accessing patient data benefit from ZTNA's granular application level access control. Financial services organizations benefit from ZTNA's ability to enforce strict access controls for employees accessing trading systems or customer data from diverse locations.

How does ZTNA support compliance with data protection regulations?

ZTNA supports compliance by providing detailed logs of every access attempt, including who requested access, from what device, at what time, and whether access was granted or denied. This audit trail is valuable for demonstrating compliance with regulations that require controlled access to personal data, such as GDPR and HIPAA. ZTNA also supports data minimization requirements by ensuring users can only access data they are specifically authorized for, reducing the scope of potential data exposure in the event of a compromised credential.

What is the relationship between ZTNA and phishing protection?

ZTNA limits the damage that can result from a phishing attack that compromises credentials, because even with valid credentials the attacker can only access the specific applications that credential was authorized for, subject to device and context checks. However, ZTNA does not prevent phishing: employees can still be deceived into surrendering their credentials or clicking malicious links. The human layer must be addressed alongside ZTNA through regular phishing simulations and training that teaches employees to recognize credential harvesting attempts before they occur.

How should organizations begin transitioning from VPN to ZTNA?

A practical transition starts with identifying the highest risk access scenarios: third party contractors with broad network access, remote employees accessing sensitive applications, and privileged users who can reach critical systems. These represent the greatest risk and the greatest benefit from ZTNA adoption. Start by deploying ZTNA for these high risk user groups while maintaining VPN for lower risk scenarios. As the ZTNA deployment matures, expand coverage and progressively retire VPN access. Ensure identity management, multi factor authentication, and device management are in place before deploying ZTNA, as it depends on these foundations.