RIP mVPN: Why ZTNA Is the Future of Secure Access for SMBs
Once upon a time, the managed VPN (mVPN) was the hero of remote work.
Employees worked from the office, servers lived in cupboards, and if you could gain access to the network, you were trusted.
Fast forward to today, and that hero has not aged well.
Hybrid work is permanent. Cloud apps rule. Attackers are smarter, faster, and annoyingly persistent. SMB IT teams are expected to hold it all together with limited time, limited budget, and zero tolerance for downtime.
Enter Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), the modern alternative to VPN tunnels.
mVPNs: Built for a World That No Longer Exists
VPNs assume one big thing.
If you are inside the network, you are probably safe.
That is like giving someone the keys to your house because they rang the doorbell politely.
Problem #1: Too Much Trust, Too Quickly
Once a user connects to an mVPN, they often get access to far more than they need. One stolen password or infected laptop can allow attackers to move freely around the network.
For SMBs, this is not a theoretical risk. It is a real business outage waiting to happen.
Problem #2: VPNs Are Pain to Run
Clients need to be installed. Certificates must be managed. Firewall rules need to be maintained. Performance issues have to be explained repeatedly.
VPNs do not just protect your network. They also consume your IT team’s time.
Problem #3: VPNs Do Not Like the Cloud
Most SMB applications now live in SaaS platforms or public cloud services. Forcing traffic through a VPN tunnel causes problems.
- Slower applications
- Broken workflows
- Confused users
- Support tickets nobody enjoys fixing
VPNs were built for data centres, not cloud-first businesses.
ZTNA: Access Only What You Need
Zero Trust Network Access excels in one area in particular.
It stops trusting users simply because they are connected.
Application-Level Access Instead of Network Access
With ZTNA, users do not physically connect to the network. They are granted access to specific applications and nothing more.
There is no lateral movement. There is no accidental exposure. Risk is reduced by design.
If credentials are compromised, the impact is limited and contained.
Identity Becomes the Perimeter
ZTNA continuously evaluates user identity, device health, location, and risk signals.
Trust is verified every time, rather than being granted once and forgotten.
Invisible Applications Reduce Attacks
ZTNA keeps applications hidden from the internet. There are no exposed VPN gateways and no open inbound ports.
If attackers cannot see your applications, they cannot target them.
Designed for Hybrid Work
Whether users are in the office, at home, or travelling, the experience remains consistent.
Users no longer need to turn on a VPN. Performance is more reliable. Connectivity issues are reduced.
Why SMBs Are Moving Faster Than Enterprises
Large enterprises can take years to change access models. SMBs cannot afford that pace.
ZTNA appeals to SMBs because it is easier to deploy, simpler to manage, and more secure by default. It aligns naturally with cloud and hybrid work models, reducing operational overhead.
For many SMBs, ZTNA is not an upgrade. It is a simplification.
The Quiet End of mVPNs
VPNs will not disappear overnight, but their role is shrinking.
They are becoming a legacy solution for legacy systems. They introduce risk that is increasingly hard to justify. They serve as a temporary solution rather than a long-term strategy.
ZTNA, by contrast, is becoming the default for new access projects.
Final Thoughts: Zero Trust Is the Sensible Choice
ZTNA is not about trends or buzzwords. It is about adapting to reality.
The future of secure access is not a tunnel into your entire network.
It is identity-driven, application-specific access that limits risk by design.
VPNs had a good run.
For SMBs operating in a cloud-first, hybrid world, ZTNA is the future, and mVPNs are firmly in the past.