SASE provider Netskope later this year plans to launch ZTNA Next, a new zero trust solution designed to support all relevant application use cases, including on-premise-hosted-VoIP thanks to an integration with the company’s software-based unified SASE client.
According to the Santa Clara, Calif.-based firm, this is an evolution of the company’s zero trust network access (ZTNA) solution that goes beyond other ZTNA solutions that claim full replacement of legacy VPN technology while missing support for some use cases.
Netskope says organizations are replacing legacy remote access VPNs with more modern, efficient ZTNA technology. VPNs, the company claims, can be vulnerable to cyberattacks and don’t provide visibility into applications. Further, they can struggle with network degradation and may lead to poor user experiences.
In addition, VPNs can complicate IT infrastructure with multiple solutions needed for security and network performance that often don’t integrate with one another.
Netskope ZTNA Features
While the move toward zero trust is undeniable, many solutions don’t support all key enterprise use cases. Netskope’s ZTNA Next aims to solve that balance by offering converged ZTNA and SD-WAN capabilities delivered as a single solution with no hardware required.
According to Netskope, this allows companies to completely retire remote access VPNs for all relevant application access use cases while improving security and user experience.
In a statement, Naveen Palavalli, vice president of products at Netskope calls the idea of complete VPN replacement with ZTNA a “utopian promise” that tech vendors have been making for years. That promise, however, has gone unfulfilled as most ZTNA solutions lack support for legacy applications that require server-initiated traffic flow, forcing organizations into an incomplete zero trust approach, Palavalli says.
“Today, full VPN retirement is 100 percent achievable using ZTNA Next, with which Netskope can help organizations accelerate ZTNA adoption, drive infrastructure modernization, and boost remote worker productivity,” Palavalli says. “Leveraging the combined power of Netskope Endpoint SD-WAN and Netskope Private Access, customers will gain unparalleled visibility and control over all private application traffic.”
Among the benefits of ZTNA Next, per Netskope, include reduced cost and complexity, tool consolidation, fixing legacy app compatibility issues, extending the life of legacy VoIP infrastructure, AI-driven troubleshooting, deeper insights into network traffic, and the ability to connect to corporate resources from any device.
Netskope ZTNA Next will be fully available to customers later this year. Netskope Private Access, along with all Netskope SSE services, will be featured for demonstration at the Netskope booth S842 at RSA Conference on April 24-27 in San Francisco.
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