Say goodbye to VPN: Why Zero Trust is the new standard

For years, VPN was the go-to solution for secure remote access. Anyone working from home or needing to connect to the corporate network while on the move would log in via VPN and get to work. That model served businesses well for a long time. 

But in an era of increasing ransomware threats, phishing, and supply chain attacks, the VPN has become a dangerous shortcut. With a VPN, once you’re in, you’re in. That’s a big risk today. 

The solution is to stop assuming that anyone, or anything, should be trusted by default. That is exactly why more and more organizations are moving towards Zero Trust.

Why VPN no longer measures up 

The Virtual Private Network (VPN) was the gold standard for secure remote access for decades. If you were outside the office, the VPN was your bridge back in. 

VPN worked by creating a secure “tunnel” that routes a user’s traffic through an encrypted connection into the corporate network. Think of it as the castle wall of the digital workplace. For years, the moat and drawbridge (VPN + firewall) kept intruders out, while employees inside could move freely. 

The problem is: today’s threats no longer come just from outside. Attackers find ways over, under, and even through the walls. 

VPN is built on an outdated security principle: once users are inside, they are often given access to far more than they actually need. In the modern workplace, this approach creates risks. 

• A stolen login can give an attacker access to large parts of the network.  
• Traffic is often routed through a single central gateway, which leads to delays and frustration.  
• And for IT teams, managing different clients, configurations and exceptions often adds unnecessary complexity. 

 

Zero Trust: trust nothing, verify everything 

Zero Trust changes all that. In the old castle model, the focus was on keeping intruders outside the walls. Zero Trust takes a different approach: it assumes threats are already inside. 

Zero Trust means: 

• No implicit trust. 
• Every user, device, and application must prove its identity every time. 
• Access is limited to the specific resources needed, nothing more 

Zero Trust is not a standalone product. It is a security approach. A different way of thinking about access, risk and control. 

 

What Do ZTNA, SSE and SASE have to do with it? 

To put Zero Trust into practice, organizations need technology that can enforce it. That is where the following acronyms come in: 

• ZTNA, or Zero Trust Network Access, ensures that users no longer connect to the entire network, but only to the specific application or service they need. The wider network remains hidden.  
• SSE, or Secure Service Edge, adds a cloud-based security layer. Think protection against phishing, control over cloud applications, web traffic filtering and measures to prevent data loss.  
• SASE, or Secure Access Service Edge, combines that security approach with smart network optimization, improving both performance and connectivity between offices, data centers, and cloud environments.  

For many organizations, ZTNA is the first practical step, SSE is the broader security layer, and SASE is the overarching model that brings security and connectivity together. 

 

Why Zero Trust is a natural fit for NIS2 

The rise of Zero Trust is not only technically logical, but also strategically relevant, especially in light of NIS2. 

The European NIS2 Directive raises the bar for organisations in essential and important sectors such as healthcare, industry, transport, financial services, digital services and the public sector. These organisations must be able to demonstrate that they take network and information security seriously. 

That includes: 

• clear access controls  
• continuous monitoring  
• full visibility  
• logging and reporting  
• the application of least privilege  

And this is exactly where Zero Trust stands out. While VPN often shows only who is connected, a Zero Trust approach provides far greater visibility into who accessed which application, from which device, and what actions were taken. That not only helps reduce risk, but also makes compliance easier to demonstrate. 

 

The benefits of moving from VPN to Zero Trust 

The shift from VPN to Zero Trust is about more than just upgrading IT security. It also improves usability, management and scalability. 

• Stronger security 
  Users can access only what they genuinely need. This reduces the risk of lateral movement in the event of misuse or compromise.  
• Better user experience 
  No more cumbersome VPN connections routing all traffic through a central gateway. Users can work faster and more easily, wherever they are.  
• Less complex management 
  Access rights and security policies are managed centrally, allowing IT teams to spend less time dealing with fragmented configurations and client issues.  
• Secure access for third parties 
  Suppliers and partners receive only temporary, targeted access, without broad network privileges or heavy installation requirements.  
• Greater visibility and control 
  Organisations gain a clearer view of who is doing what, where suspicious behaviour occurs and where action is needed.  
• More future-ready 
  With built-in security controls, reporting capabilities and data minimisation, Zero Trust is better aligned with emerging threats and tighter regulation.  

 

Where does Zero Trust make the biggest difference today? 

Although Zero Trust is relevant for almost any organisation, it delivers particular value in environments where sensitive data, critical processes and large numbers of external users come together. 

• In healthcare, Zero Trust helps protect medical data more effectively and manage access rights more tightly.  
• In industry, it offers a powerful answer to the need for secure remote access to specific production systems, without exposing the rest of the factory network.  
• In the public sector and education, it provides control in complex environments with many users, locations and collaborative relationships.  

 

Is it time to move on from VPN? 

VPN has played an important role for years, but it is becoming less and less suited to the realities of hybrid working, cloud applications, external collaboration and stricter compliance requirements. 

For organisations looking for greater control, better visibility and stronger security, Zero Trust is not a passing trend. It is the logical next step. ZTNA and SSE provide the building blocks for a modern approach that is more secure, more user-friendly and ready for what comes next. 

Conclusion: organisations that still rely entirely on traditional VPN are, in effect, looking backwards. Those that invest in Zero Trust are building a digital environment that is far better aligned with how people actually work today.