Federal agencies are facing growing pressure to evaluate ZTNA as an alternative to traditional VPN architectures, as cybersecurity threats expose weaknesses in internet-facing remote access systems. While VPNs provide encrypted connections for remote users, ZTNA follows a zero-trust model that continuously verifies users, devices, and access requests rather than assuming that authenticated users should receive broad network access.

The shift reflects a broader move away from the traditional "castle-and-moat" security model, where users inside an organization's network are generally trusted while those outside must first pass through a security perimeter. As organizations adopted cloud ser...