Business VPNs May Be Replaced by Zero-Trust Access Services

The traditional concept of a business VPN may not be as relevant in 2026 as it once was. Instead of focusing on which VPN is best, organizations should consider whether they need a traditional VPN at all or if a zero-trust access service would serve them better.

A recent evaluation of eight options across both camps found that only one vendor stood out for each specific use case. For small teams with the simplest setup, Tailscale was chosen due to its ease-of-use and modern security model. Fortinet was recommended for existing Fortinet estates as it offered top value and strong performance.

Absolute (NetMotion) excelled in mobile and field workforces, providing unmatched performance in conditions where network transitions are common. For large Cisco enterprises, the highest scale score went to Cisco Secure Client / AnyConnect due to its ability to support very large concurrent user counts and integrate with Duo for MFA.

The evaluation was based on five criteria: security model, ease of deployment and use, performance and reliability, scale and management, and value. The results highlighted the importance of considering specific needs rather than relying on general features comparisons.