VPN vs ZTNA for Remote Work: A Small Business Comparison
VPN, ZTNA, conditional access or a cloud virtual desktop: which remote access approach fits your hybrid small business? Risks, costs and prerequisites compared.
Facts verified : October 2026This comparison is not sponsored.
Our recommendation for your situation
12-person surveying firm in Kingston with a file server and line-of-business software at the office
Remote access VPN
It's the simplest way to reach on-premises resources. Require phishing-resistant MFA, avoid split tunnelling and patch the firewall without delay.
20-person Montréal marketing agency running entirely on Microsoft 365
Conditional access without VPN
There's nothing to reach at the office. Conditional access, already part of Microsoft 365 Business Premium, requires MFA and a compliant device at every sign-in.
50-employee hybrid engineering firm with contractors and two internal applications
ZTNA (zero trust network access)
Each contractor reaches only the application they need, without seeing the rest of the network. Plan a gradual transition and keep the VPN for the remaining cases.
Side-by-side comparison
Criterion
Remote access VPN
ZTNA (zero trust network access)
Conditional access without VPN
Cloud virtual desktop
What the user reaches
The office network, often all of it
Authorized applications only
Cloud applications
A hosted Windows PC
Device check
Depends on the solution
Yes, core to the model
Yes (compliant device, with Intune)
Not specified
Lateral movement after a stolen account
High risk if the network isn't segmented
Limited to authorized applications
Limited to the account's applications
Limited to the hosted PC and its access
What's exposed to the internet
The firewall's VPN gateway
Depends on the vendor's architecture
No on-premises device
A service hosted by the vendor
Access to office servers and software
Yes
Yes, application by application
No
Possible with an additional network connection
Multi-factor authentication
Must be added (recommended by the Cyber Centre)
Essential prerequisite
Enforceable by policy
Enforceable at Microsoft Entra sign-in
Deployment effort for a small business
Low, often already in place
Medium: inventory and per-application rules
Low to medium if everything is in Microsoft 365
Medium: licences, configuration and support
Typical cost
Often included with the firewall
Per-user subscription
Included in Entra ID P1 / Microsoft 365 Business Premium
CA$42.90 to CA$85.90 per user per month (Windows 365 Business)
An encrypted tunnel that puts the remote device on the office network, as if it were there.
Best for
Businesses with a file server or software hosted at the office and only a few remote staff.
Pricing
Often included with the firewall: for example, unlimited remote access VPN in the Sophos Firewall Base Licence, VPN included with WatchGuard from Standard Support and on UniFi gateways (official sites, October 2026)
Strengths
Often already paid for with the firewall
Familiar to every IT provider
Reaches everything: file server, printers, local software
Limitations
Once connected, the user often sees much of the network
VPN gateways are among the most targeted devices
Urgent patches must be applied quickly on the firewall
A Windows PC hosted in the cloud (e.g., Windows 365), reachable from any device.
Best for
Contractors, personal devices and Windows software that can't be made available any other way.
Pricing
Windows 365 Business: CA$42.90 to CA$85.90 per user per month depending on configuration, plus tax (official site, October 2026)
Strengths
Data stays on the hosted PC rather than the device
Access from Windows, Mac, iOS, Android or a browser
Standardized, centrally managed desktop
Limitations
Monthly per-user cost
Depends on internet connection quality
Network-related charges may apply on top
For years, remote work came down to three letters: VPN. You installed a client on the laptop, the employee connected and found their network drives just like at the office. Today, vendors talk about ZTNA, zero trust and conditional access, often without explaining what that changes for a 20-person business.
The right question isn't "which technology is newest?" but "what do my staff need to reach, and from which devices?" This comparison builds on our guide to remote work security.
Our method
We compare remote access approaches, not products. The criteria draw on publications from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, NIST, the UK's NCSC and CISA, plus Microsoft documentation, reviewed in October 2026.
Criteria: what users can reach, device checks, lateral movement, internet exposure, access to on-premises resources, MFA, deployment effort and cost.
Prices come from official sites and are given as examples; they exclude tax.
Before comparing technologies, list what your staff actually use remotely. If everything lives in Microsoft 365 and other cloud services, you may no longer need a tunnel back to the office. If a file server, an on-premises accounting system or a line-of-business application remains, you need a secure way to reach it.
Note the devices too: company-managed laptops, personal phones, a contractor's own computer. The answer narrows your options. A managed device can be checked before it connects; an unmanaged one is better kept away from your data altogether.
That inventory is also the first step in any zero trust effort, according to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: know your data, users, devices and applications.
A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between the device and the office network. It's convenient, and often already paid for with the firewall. The downside: once connected, the user, or the attacker who stole their password, often sees much of the network.
The Cyber Centre lists the risks: vulnerabilities in VPN equipment, credential harvesting and misconfiguration. Its recommendations are clear: MFA, ideally phishing-resistant; prompt patching; logging; and avoiding split tunnelling as much as possible. This isn't theoretical. Flaws in VPN gateways from several manufacturers appear in the list of most exploited vulnerabilities published by CISA and its partners, including the Cyber Centre. A patch management policy that puts the firewall first is essential.
ZTNA applies zero trust principles: no trust is granted by default, and every connection is authenticated and authorized based on identity, device and context. Staff reach only the application they need, not the whole network. If an account is stolen, the attacker stays boxed in.
The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security calls MFA an essential prerequisite and recommends a gradual transition, running the old and new models side by side where needed. The UK's NCSC warns that legacy services that don't support zero trust can trip up a project late in the game.
For a fully cloud-based business, the answer is often already in the licence. Microsoft Entra Conditional Access, part of Microsoft 365 Business Premium, applies rules at every sign-in: require MFA, require a device marked compliant, block certain countries, block legacy protocols. It doesn't cover what's left at the office, though, and one forgotten exclusion can weaken the whole setup.
For a contractor or an employee on a personal device, a virtual desktop such as Windows 365 keeps data off the device. The hosted PC opens from Windows, Mac, iOS, Android or a browser. Billing is monthly and per user, and Microsoft notes that network usage charges may apply.
Everything in Microsoft 365? Conditional access is often enough, with no VPN.
A server or software still at the office? A well-hardened VPN does the job; plan to migrate those resources or move to ZTNA.
Contractors or several internal applications? ZTNA limits each person to what they need.
Devices you don't manage? A virtual desktop keeps data off the device.
In every case, MFA is mandatory on every access path. Our remediation and hardening service can tighten an existing VPN or support the move to more targeted access.
Frequently asked questions
Does ZTNA completely replace the VPN?+
Not overnight. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security recommends applying zero trust principles incrementally and, where needed, running both models side by side during the transition. In practice, you can keep a VPN for a few leftover uses while applications move to more targeted access.
Should we turn off split tunnelling?+
The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security recommends avoiding it as much as possible, because it creates a bridge between the internet and the secure tunnel. It favours a forced VPN, where all traffic goes through the tunnel. If performance is a concern, discuss specific exceptions with your IT provider rather than opening the tunnel by default.
Does a consumer VPN protect our remote workers?+
No, it's a different tool. A consumer VPN encrypts the connection to a commercial provider's server; it doesn't give access to company resources or enforce your security rules. Staff access should go through a solution the business controls, with MFA.
Can a product make us 'zero trust'?+
No. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security warns against vendors who claim a single product delivers zero trust: it's an approach, not a single technical solution. ZTNA is one piece of it, alongside MFA, device management and an inventory of who can access what.