🔐 What Is Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)?

👋 The Old Way: VPNs and Big Doors

For years, remote access meant one thing: a VPN.

You logged in once, and suddenly your laptop could see everything on the network.

That worked fine when:

• Everyone sat in the same office.

• The network perimeter was clear.

• Threats were smaller and slower.

But now?

Users, apps, and devices are everywhere — and a single stolen VPN credential can open the entire castle gate.

⸻

🔁 The New Idea: “Zero Trust”

Zero Trust means we stop assuming anything (or anyone) is safe just because it’s inside the network.

Instead, every connection:

1. Proves who it is.

2. Is checked for permission each time.

3. Gets access only to the one resource it needs.

You don’t trust by location; you trust by identity and policy.

That’s Zero Trust Network Access, or ZTNA.

🏢 How the Big Players Do It

Platform	Who’s It For	Core Strength
Zscaler Private Access (ZPA)	Large enterprises	Deep policy control, integrates with corporate identity systems
Netskope Private Access	Mid-to-large businesses	Granular user/device posture checks
Microsoft Entra Private Access	Microsoft 365 & Azure users	Built-in integration with Entra ID and Defender for Endpoint
Cloudflare Access / Tunnels	SMBs & developers	Easy browser-based login, great for web apps
Twingate	Teams & homelabbers	Fast setup, free tier, identical architecture to enterprise ZTNA

All of them follow the same model:

• A small connector sits inside your private network.
• An access controller in the cloud brokers identity and policy.
• Users authenticate to reach only approved resources.

🧩 Why Twingate Works Perfectly in a Homelab

Twingate gives you enterprise-grade ZTNA concepts without enterprise pain.

1. Create a free account at twingate.com.
2. Add a remote network called Homelab.
3. Deploy the connector:

docker run -d --name twingate-connector \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -e TWINGATE_NETWORK="homelab" \
  -e TWINGATE_ACCESS_TOKEN="your_token_here" \
  twingate/connector:latest

4. Install the client on your laptop and phone.
5. Log in, select your connector, and connect — no router changes required.

if you don’t already have docker installed, don’t worry – click here for the guide and script (coming soon)

Congratulations: you just built a zero-trust access layer the same way large organisations do.

💡 Why This Matters for Your Career

Learning ZTNA hands-on puts you ahead of the curve.

Right now, every major enterprise is replacing traditional VPNs with zero-trust models.

By running Twingate (or even experimenting with Entra Private Access) you’re learning:

• Modern network design – identity-based instead of perimeter-based.
• Access segmentation – per-app permissions.
• Cloud identity – how SSO and MFA fit into networking.
• Policy thinking – what “least privilege” actually looks like.

When you can show you’ve deployed, tested, and monitored a real ZTNA stack — even in a homelab — you instantly stand out from paper-cert engineers.

This is the perfect project to learn not to ‘allow all’

🔍 Optional Next Steps

Project	Skill
Add a second connector in Azure to link cloud + lab	Site-to-site zero-trust
Use Cloudflare Access for web dashboards	Compare architectures
Integrate MFA via Twingate’s identity provider	Identity federation
Monitor access logs	Intro to security operations

Big names like Zscaler, Netskope, and Microsoft Entra Private Access prove the model.

Twingate lets you learn it right now, safely and for free, inside your own lab.

If you’re serious about modern IT or cybersecurity roles, this is one of the smartest weekend projects you can do.

Which project do you want to see us do next? Let us know on our socials