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If you’re evaluating a shift from traditional VPNs and considering Zscaler, this article will help. Here, we have explored what is Zscaler and how it works, its offerings, cost, pros, and cons. We have also covered how ZPA works as a VPN replacement and compared it to a promising alternative—Pomerium. Let’s begin.
What is Zscaler?
Zscaler is a cloud-based cybersecurity company that offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to secure internet access and private applications for organizations. It has five primary offerings as below.
Secure Internet Access (ZIA): It is a security service edge (SSE), built on a robust secure web gateway. It has an in-built scan that inspects all internet traffic, including TLS/SSL, and automatically mitigates threats.
Private Access (ZPA): It works as a traditional VPN alternative. ZPA enables zero-trust access to internal applications.
Cloud Firewall: It inspects and controls all outbound and inbound, web, and non-web traffic across all ports and protocols and secures users, apps, and data everywhere.
Zscaler Cloud Sandbox: It is an AI-driven malware prevention engine that detects, prevents, and quarantines unknown threats and suspicious files inline. It provides protection against advanced persistent threats.
Browser Isolation Services: It safeguards users from web threats by leveraging AI-driven isolation for suspicious online content and high-risk individuals.
Things You Must Know About Zscaler
If you're wondering whether Zscaler is worth it, here are some pros and cons to help you make an informed decision.
Pluses:
Feature-rich: Zscaler provides a large number of features like web content filtering, data loss prevention, and advanced threat detection. It has a firewall, web and non-web traffic inspection, Sandbox, browser isolation services, and more.
Scalability: As a cloud-native solution, Zscaler can easily scale to meet the needs of organizations of different sizes, ensuring consistent security policies across all users and devices.
Zero Trust Architecture: Zscaler's zero-trust approach ensures that all users and devices are continuously authenticated and authorized, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.
Minuses:
Performance Impact: Many users on TrustRadius have reported that Zscaler can consume significant CPU resources, potentially leading to slower computer performance.
Lack of Transparent Pricing: The pricing page includes many bundles and similarly functioning standalone products, making it challenging to determine what your organization truly needs. Additionally, the pricing is gated, requiring you to engage with the Zscaler sales team to assess your requirements and obtain a quote.
Complex Setup: Initial configuration and deployment may be complex, requiring careful planning and expertise to ensure optimal performance and security.
Limited On-Premise Integration: Zscaler primarily offers cloud-based solutions and may not integrate seamlessly with existing on-premise security infrastructure.
How Does Zscaler VPN Replacement Work?
Zscaler’s one of the most popular products is ZPA which stands for Zscaler Private Access. It works as a traditional VPN replacement by routing the web traffic through Zscaler’s network of proxy servers. ZPA creates a private, interconnected internet pathway where only authorized users can access specified applications. These pathways are basically dedicated tunnels managed by Zscaler’s infrastructure.
Here's how Zscaler VPN Replacement Works ZPA and differs from conventional VPNs:
How Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) Works:
Application-Specific Access: ZPA provides users with secure access to specific internal applications without granting access to the entire network. This minimizes the attack surface by ensuring users can only reach authorized applications.
Cloud-Native Architecture: As a cloud-based service, ZPA eliminates the need for traditional hardware appliances. It leverages Zscaler's global cloud infrastructure to connect users to applications, enhancing scalability and reliability.
User and Application Segmentation: ZPA enforces policies that segment users and applications, preventing lateral movement within the network. This segmentation ensures that even if a user's credentials are compromised, the potential damage is contained.
Differences Between ZPA and Traditional VPNs:
Network Access vs. Application Access:
Traditional VPNs: Provide users with access to the entire corporate network, which can expose sensitive resources and increase security risks.
ZPA: Grants access only to specific applications based on user identity and context, reducing the potential attack surface.
Security Model:
Traditional VPNs: Operate on a perimeter-based security model, assuming that users inside the network are trusted.
ZPA: Employs a zero trust approach, where every access request is authenticated and authorized, regardless of the user's location.
User Experience and Performance:
Traditional VPNs: Often require users to manually initiate connections, which can introduce latency and degrade performance due to backhauling traffic through centralized data centers.
ZPA: Provides seamless, direct access to applications without the need for manual VPN connections, resulting in improved performance and user satisfaction.
Scalability and Maintenance:
Traditional VPNs: Require the deployment and maintenance of hardware appliances, which can be resource-intensive and challenging to scale.
ZPA: Being cloud-native, it scales effortlessly to accommodate growing user bases and application demands without the need for additional hardware.
In summary, Zscaler Private Access offers a more secure, efficient, and user-friendly alternative to traditional VPNs by focusing on application-specific access, leveraging a zero-trust security model, and utilizing a scalable cloud-based architecture.
Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) vs. Pomerium
One of the top alternatives to Zscaler Private Access is Pomerium. They both work efficiently as a traditional VPN replacement.
Pomerium is an open-source, identity-aware access proxy that provides secure, clientless access to internal web applications and services without the need for a traditional VPN.
Zscaler: Cloud-based service, suitable for organizations seeking a managed solution with rapid deployment.
Pomerium: Self-hosted, ideal for organizations preferring control over their infrastructure and data.
Pricing
Zscaler: It has gated pricing, forcing you to contact their sales team for a quote. ZPA is available as a standalone product and also a part of bundles.
Pomerium: It has a transparent pricing policy. It’s free for personal use and small teams. The business plan has a flat rate of $7/user/month and includes up to 1,000 users. For a large enterprise, custom pricing is available.
User Experience:
Zscaler: Provides a seamless experience with minimal user intervention, as it integrates with existing identity providers.
Pomerium: Offers clientless access, which can be advantageous for users who prefer not to install additional software. Offers fast, seamless access to applications, eliminating the need for users to enter VPN credentials repeatedly.
Security Approach:
Both: Adopt zero trust principles, ensuring that access is granted based on identity and context, rather than network location.
Conclusion:
Both Zscaler ZPA and Pomerium offer new-generation technological solutions that fix traditional VPNs' security and latency issues. Pomerium is user-friendly, has value for money, and is easy to deploy. It is fast due to its clientless, self-hosting nature. The choice between them depends on organizational preferences regarding deployment models, control over infrastructure, and specific security requirements.
