What Is a VPN (Virtual Private Network)?
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a tool that creates a secure, encrypted connection between a user’s device and a private network. VPNs are commonly used to give employees remote access to internal company systems, such as file servers, intranets, or applications that live behind a firewall.
In theory, VPNs offer privacy and protection. In practice, they often fall short—especially in today’s cloud-first, hybrid work environments.
Why VPNs Were Created
Virtual private networks were originally designed to support remote work during a time when most corporate infrastructure lived on-premises. Their purpose was to extend the boundaries of the corporate network beyond the office, allowing employees to securely connect from external locations.
This made sense in a perimeter-based model of IT, where everything of value was housed behind a firewall and access was determined by network location. Virtual Private Networks gave users a secure “tunnel” back into that perimeter, protecting data in transit over public or untrusted networks.
For many years, this was the default way to connect employees outside the office.
The Problems with VPNs Today
The way we work has changed—but VPNs haven’t.
Most modern organizations rely on cloud applications, distributed teams, and mobile devices. VPNs, which were never designed for this kind of flexibility, introduce more friction than security.
One major issue is flat network access. Once it is connection is established, users often gain broad access to the internal network—regardless of their role or what they actually need. This increases the risk of lateral movement during a breach.
Performance is another common complaint. Because virtual private networks route traffic through a central firewall or appliance, they often slow things down, especially for remote users accessing cloud services. The user experience suffers, and support tickets pile up.
They also also lack visibility and context. They don’t evaluate who the user is, what device they’re using, where they’re connecting from, or whether the request looks risky. Without integration into an identity provider or enforcement of conditional access policies, they rely on outdated assumptions of trust.
In short, virtual private netoworks create a bottleneck—for security, for IT teams, and for employee productivity.
What Replaces a VPN?
Forward-looking organizations are phasing out traditional VPNs in favor of modern solutions that align with a Zero Trust security model.
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)
ZTNA limits access to specific applications and resources based on user identity, device posture, location, and other contextual signals. It removes the concept of a trusted internal network entirely, replacing it with a model where trust is earned, not assumed.
ZTNA solutions don’t connect users to the network—they connect them to the specific tools they need, and nothing more.
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)
SASE blends networking and security into a single cloud-native architecture. It includes ZTNA, but also adds features like secure web gateways, cloud firewalls, and data loss prevention. SASE is designed for organizations looking to consolidate tools and secure access at the edge.
Always-On Access Platforms
Instead of relying on users to manually connect, these solutions are built around continuous authentication and identity-aware access. They’re typically integrated with your identity provider (like Microsoft Entra ID or Google Workspace), and can enforce conditional policies at every login—no toggling or hardware needed.
Why This Matters
If your workforce is hybrid, remote, or relies on cloud apps, VPNs are no longer the best—or safest—option.
They create friction, increase overhead, and leave visibility gaps that modern attackers are all too ready to exploit. As organizations evolve, so must their approach to secure access.
A VPN replacement isn’t just about better performance or simpler IT—it’s about aligning security with the way people actually work today.
VPNs were built for the office. Zero Trust solutions are built for everywhere else.