Least-Privilege Employee Access
Give employees access to only the applications required for their roles.
Zero Trust accessApplication-level access
Give Employees Access to Applications, Not the Whole Network
The challenge
Your Employees Need Applications. Why Give Them the Network?
Traditional VPNs typically place remote users inside a network and allow access based on network routes and firewall rules.
But most employees don't need access to an entire network. They need a limited set of applications such as HR systems, ERP platforms, internal portals, development tools or business applications.
Broad network access can create unnecessary exposure and increase the potential impact of a compromised account or device.
- Employees receiving more network access than their role requires
- Broad VPN access increasing the potential attack surface
- Compromised credentials creating opportunities for lateral movement
- Complex firewall and network rules for restricting user access
- Different access requirements for users working from offices, homes and branches
- Difficulty maintaining consistent access policies across hybrid environments
The COSGrid solution
Application-Level Zero Trust Access
COSGrid MicroZAccess replaces broad network-level access with identity-based, application-specific access. Before access is granted, MicroZAccess verifies the user's identity and device, then evaluates the applicable access policy. Users can access only the applications authorised for them. Applications outside their policy remain inaccessible.
MicroZAccess provides
- Identity-Based Access
- Device-Aware Access
- Application-Level Policies
- Least-Privilege Access
- Secure Application Connectivity
- Legacy Application Support
How It Works
Employee Authenticates
The employee signs in using the organisation's identity provider.
Identity and Device Are Verified
MicroZAccess verifies the user's identity and the connecting device according to the organisation's access requirements.
Access Policy Is Evaluated
MicroZAccess determines which applications the user is authorised to access.
Only Authorised Applications Are Accessible
The employee can connect to approved applications while other protected applications remain inaccessible.
Secure Connection Is Established
MicroZAccess establishes an encrypted connection between the authorised device and application.
Key Benefits
Reduce Lateral Movement
Limit the applications reachable from a compromised user account or device.
Replace Broad VPN Access
Move from network-level remote access to application-specific Zero Trust access.
Consistent Hybrid Access
Apply the same access policies whether employees work from the office, home or another location.
Simplify Access Management
Manage application access through identity and policy rather than maintaining extensive network-level access rules.
Protect Legacy Applications
Provide controlled access to applications that cannot run an endpoint agent through the MicroZAccess App Connector.
Traditional VPN vs MicroZAccess
Traditional VPN / Network Access
- Network-level remote access
- User connects to a network
- Broad reach may be available
- Network rules control reachability
- Greater potential for lateral movement
- VPN-centric architecture
MicroZAccess Application-Level Access
- Application-level Zero Trust access
- User connects to authorised applications
- Access is limited by application policy
- Identity, device and policy control access
- Reduced reachable attack surface
- Zero Trust application access
Use cases
Employee Access Use Cases
Secure remote access without broad network exposure
Employees working remotely can securely access the internal applications required for their role without receiving broad access to the corporate network.
Access that follows the employee's role
Finance users can access finance applications, while engineering users can access engineering applications, based on their assigned policies.
One policy model for every work location
Employees can work from home, branch offices or corporate locations while the same identity and application policies govern their access.
Zero Trust access across private and cloud environments
Provide Zero Trust access to authorised applications hosted across private infrastructure and cloud environments.
Who Is This For?
Need secure third-party application access? See "Agentless access for contractors and partners"
- CISOs & Security Architects
- CIOs & IT Leaders
- Network & Security Teams
- IT Administrators
- Organisations Modernising VPN Access
FAQs
Have a question about application-level access and MicroZAccess?
What is application-level access?
Application-level access allows users to access specific applications instead of connecting them to an entire network. Access is determined by identity, device and policy.
How is MicroZAccess different from a VPN? A traditional VPN generally provides network-level access. MicroZAccess provides application-level access, allowing employees to reach only the applications authorised by their policy.
Can MicroZAccess replace our VPN? MicroZAccess is designed to provide Zero Trust application access for employees on managed devices, making it a VPN alternative for application-based remote access. Organisations can transition applications gradually rather than replacing their VPN all at once.
