Atrás 
The shift to remote and hybrid work at scale has created unprecedented demand for our cloud-delivered Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solution, Netskope Private Access (NPA). This is no surprise. According to a recent Gartner forecast analysis, “By 2024, at least 40% of all remote access usage will be served predominantly by Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), up from less than 5% at the end of 2020.”* The shift to ZTNA solutions, especially as a better, more secure alternative to traditional VPNs, is rapidly taking hold.
Unlike legacy remote access VPN, ZTNA provides authenticated and authorized users with conditional access to specific applications instead of the network. As part of our industry-leading SASE platform, Netskope Private Access (NPA) was built from the ground up to provide application access for a modern workforce embracing cloud, securely and efficiently connecting users, from anywhere, on any device, to any enterprise private application regardless of location or instance.
Why NPA?
As a cloud-delivered ZTNA solution, NPA means there is no hardware to procure and no complex network routing. It can be rapidly deployed and, thanks to our NewEdge infrastructure, it can scale up to meet the influx of demand. Shifting to a cloud-delivered service allows customers to transition from CapEx to OpEx, eliminating the need for hardware procurement, sizing headaches, and complex network routing associated with traditional remote access VPN appliances. This makes more sense anyway, as their workloads have been steadily migrating to the cloud for quite some time and end-users have also left the traditional security perimeter.
NPA also utilizes the Netskope client to steer user traffic to the Netskope Security Cloud where the security policy is enforced and to support both web applications and non-web/thick client applications, such as SSH, RDP, SQL servers, as well as to facilitate Active Directory and SCCM connectivity. There’s also the clientless browser option which makes NPA particularly good for contractors, third-parties, and BYOD employees with varied access restrictions.
Here’s how we’re seeing NPA in action with some of our customers:
Supporting remote and hybrid work
We recently worked with a European government agency that previously didn’t allow any remote work. In Spring 2020, this agency had to quickly stand up infrastructure to enable remote access to internal resources to support their workers (some of them are VIP government officials). WIthout existing remote access infrastructure, the team decided to test remote access VPN, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, and ZTNA technology. NPA was selected as part of this POC. According to the customer, standing up VPN and VDI infrastructure was not only challenging, but by comparison, the Networking team was able to get the NPA POC up and running in a few hours and immediately gain popularity among their test users. “Selecting NPA was a no-brainer,” the customer told us.
Alternatives to VPN
As another example, a world-renowned brewing company had a strategic directive to transform its networking and security infrastructure to SASE architecture and consolidate vendors. The existing VPN infrastructure was strained under the demand of remote users, requiring complex routing to support traffic going to the data center and public cloud environment. Hairpinning traffic (a common, but inefficient tactic to backhaul traffic through the data center before routing to the public cloud environments) resulted in a poor user experience, hindering productivity. Having recently adopted the Netskope SASE platform, including NPA, this company’s networking team has been able to deliver superior application connectivity and consistent user experience for the end-user, cutting down support tickets and user complaints.