ZTNA versus VPN
A traditional VPN extends the corporate network to the user — once connected, the user is 'inside the network' and can reach anything not explicitly blocked. ZTNA flips this: the user is never on the network. Each application request is brokered by the ZTNA platform, which checks identity, device posture, contextual risk and policy at the time of the request — and forwards only that connection to only that application. There is no lateral movement surface because there is no network to traverse.
Microsoft Global Secure Access in the AU context
Microsoft Global Secure Access is the Microsoft entry into the ZTNA/SSE market — bundling internet access, private access (the ZTNA piece) and Microsoft 365 traffic acceleration. For Australian Microsoft 365 tenants, the integration story is strong: Entra Conditional Access drives the policy decisions, the client is bundled in Windows, no separate vendor onboarding. Most VPN replacement projects in 2026 are evaluating Global Secure Access alongside Zscaler ZPA and Cloudflare Access; the M365-native integration usually wins for mid-market.