Secure remote accessApplication-level access

COSGrid ZTNA vs Zscaler ZPA

Name: COSGrid Zero Trust Network Access
Brand: COSGrid

Zero Trust access on your terms

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At a glance

Where COSGrid ZTNA works differently from ZPA

Six differences a security team can test in a POC, not just read about.

Two access products, not one with add-ons

MicroZAccess for managed devices. SwiftZAccess in the browser for contractors and unmanaged devices, with nothing to install.

Revoke access mid-session

MicroZAccess re-checks device posture during the session. If a device falls out of compliance, access is cut then, not at the next login.

See every hop

Digital Experience Monitoring shows the health of the endpoint, Trust Broker, App Connector and application, so support knows where a connection broke.

Run it on your infrastructure

Deploy specified components in your own data centre or in-country cloud when regulators or customers ask where the access plane runs.

Keep your proven IPSec

The App Connector terminates IPSec from your existing firewall into a per-tenant VRF. Users get Zero Trust and the data centre is not re-plumbed.

Hybrid post-quantum key exchange

ML-KEM-768 + X25519 on the MicroZAccess tunnel, for eligible customers. Keys are held only at the two ends.

How each works

Two products vs one service with add-ons

COSGrid architecture: MicroZAccess agent on managed devices and SwiftZAccess Gateway for any browser, both connecting through the Trust Broker and App Connector to applications

Zscaler ZPA architecture: Client Connector and browser access both brokered through the Zscaler Service Edge to the App Connector and applications

Feature comparison

COSGrid ZTNA vs Zscaler ZPA, row by row

Capability

COSGrid ZTNA Zscaler ZPAWhy it matters

Access model

Agent-based private-app access

MicroZAccess agent on desktop and mobile, with application-specific policies

Zscaler Client Connector

Baseline for managed employee devices

Agentless browser access

ZPA Browser Access for web apps; Privileged Remote Access for browser-based RDP/SSH/VNC

Contractors and unmanaged devices, no install

Time-bound access with approval

On-Demand Access with explicit or automatic approval

Privileged approvals within Privileged Remote Access

Third-party access that expires on its own

Enforcement & visibility

Posture re-checked during the session

Re-evaluates posture and revokes access mid-session when requirements fail

A compromised laptop loses access in the session, not hours later

Hop-by-hop experience monitoring

Digital Experience Monitoring: endpoint, Trust Broker, App Connector and app health

Zscaler Digital Experience (ZDX), a separately licensed product

Answers "is it me, the network or the app?" without a war room

Deployment

Where the access plane runs

COSGrid cloud, or specified components in your data centre or in-country cloud

Zscaler cloud; Private Service Edge brokers on-premises and is managed from the Zscaler cloud

Data-handling reviews by RBI, CEA and sector regulators

Resource-side connectivity

App Connector, or IPSec from your existing firewall into a per-tenant VRF (GA)

App Connector deployed next to the applications

Move users to Zero Trust without re-plumbing the data centre

Cryptography

Post-quantum key exchange on the private-app tunnel

Hybrid ML-KEM-768 + X25519 between endpoint and App Connector

Public PQC material covers inspection of PQC-encrypted internet TLS; no ZPA tunnel PQC documentation found as of Nov 2026

Reduces "harvest now, decrypt later" exposure for private-app traffic

Platform

Modules on the same platform

Z3 SASE: SWG, CASB, DLP, NetShield NDR and SD-WAN

Zero Trust Exchange: ZIA, ZDX, Privileged Remote Access and more

Consolidate vendors as requirements grow

Pick by scenario

Which COSGrid ZTNA product handles your use case

Retire legacy remote access for employees

Application-level policies, posture checks and hop-level diagnostics for the helpdesk.

Use MicroZAccess

ZTNA for contractors and third parties

Time-bound access with approval to the apps they need, and nothing to install.

Use SwiftZAccess + On-Demand Access

BYOD and unmanaged devices

Browser-based access to supported web apps, with identity and access policies applied at the gateway.

Use SwiftZAccess

Regulated and in-country deployment

Place specified components in your data centre or in-country cloud. Review the full data flows before making residency claims.

Use MicroZAccess

Keep IPSec at the data centre

Zero Trust on the user side, your existing firewall IPSec on the resource side. Migrate without a forklift.

Use App Connector IPSec

"Is it me, the network or the app?"

Per-hop health from endpoint to Trust Broker to App Connector to application.

Use Digital Experience Monitoring

COSGrid ZTNA vs Zscaler ZPA

Have a question about how COSGrid compares with Zscaler ZPA?

What is the difference between MicroZAccess and SwiftZAccess?

MicroZAccess uses an endpoint agent for managed devices, while SwiftZAccess provides browser-based access without requiring agent installation.

Does COSGrid support post-quantum cryptography?

MicroZAccess offers hybrid ML-KEM-768 and X25519 key exchange for eligible customers under Early Access.

How do COSGrid and Zscaler differ in deployment and access models?

COSGrid offers separate agent-based and agentless products, while Zscaler provides Client Connector, Browser Access and Privileged Remote Access within its ZPA ecosystem.