Easily overcome Zero Trust deployment hurdles

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) isn’t just a security model — it’s the future of cybersecurity. Required in many industries today, ZTNA significantly increases the security posture across the entire organization and often replaces existing VPN solutions that have been a pain to work with for many end users.

If ZTNA is easier and more secure, it must be harder to set up, right? Well, no, not when it’s done right from the start and as part of a unified secure access service edge (SASE) solution. There are many benefits and good reasons to implement Zero Trust in your organization. But there can be obstacles. Here’s a look at how Barracuda SecureEdge helps overcome three common blockers when it comes to implementing Zero Trust.

Support for applications that are not web-based

Most commercially available ZTNA solutions are optimized for access to web-based applications, often neglecting non-web and legacy hosted applications. Supporting these applications requires special licenses, plugins, or proxies that need to be deployed. Barracuda SecureEdge, fully embedded into the SASE management framework, solves this problem by enabling easy access to any type of application hosted behind any SD-WAN-enabled site device or any cloud provider, at no extra cost. Watch the below video to see how easy it is to set up secure, anytime-access to any type of application, hosted anywhere.

Full identity control

Reliably enabling access to applications with role-based control requires the ZTNA and SASE solution to establish a connection between IP, session, application, group memberships, and of course user ID. To enforce access levels, the ZTNA system must know the user and group identity of someone trying to access an application or network resource. This can be a challenge for many organizations.

Besides well-known identity providers like Microsoft Entra ID, there are many others in the marketplace. In addition, many organizations use multiple identity providers and user directories simultaneously to facilitate their often-complex requirements. Barracuda SecureEdge provides full identity control, supporting even the most complex set of identity providers and any combination of them. Barracuda SecureEdge also supports a local user directory and email-based authentication. See the short demo video below.

Hybrid operations for a no-regrets rollout

When switching from a VPN solution to Zero Trust, the first step is typically identifying the applications in use and who needs access. It can be a painful and time-consuming process. Regardless of how much effort goes into this phase of the ZTNA rollout, there’s always a risk of error, such as inadvertently forgetting to include a resource and somebody being unhappy because they can’t access what they need. Barracuda SecureEdge has a “hybrid mode” to eliminate that problem, ensure a smooth rollout, and keep users happy.

With Barracuda SecureEdge, existing subnets can be defined as network application objects as part of the ZTNA rollout. If access to an application is not available via the ZTNA application catalog and an end-user tries to access it, the ZTNA client recognizes this and establishes an enhanced VPN connection using a specialized, high-performance TINA VPN protocol. The ZTNA dashboard tracks access to these applications, enabling the admin to easily rectify the situation. Once access to the hybrid network application is no longer needed, it’s deactivated, and the rollout is complete — without any hiccups or hassles.

Find out more about Barracuda SecureEdge

See for yourself how Barracuda SecureEdge prevents costly breaches, enhances productivity, and helps your business remain compliant in the ever-evolving digital landscape:

• Get started with the Zero Trust Access Starter Kit, which includes an on-demand webinar and other valuable informational resources.
• Try Barracuda SecureEdge for free.