About the Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) category
What belongs in this category
The Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) category covers products that connect a user to one application at a time, not to the network. Each request is checked against who the user is, the health of the device and the context, and applications stay hidden from anyone not allowed to use them. Typical entries replace VPNs for remote staff and contractors, and some apply the same checks inside the office.
ZTNA is one access method among several, so any ZTNA product may also enter Secure Access, the broad access category, as well as Zero Trust Security. ZTNA delivered as part of a cloud security bundle fits Security Service Edge (SSE), and encrypted tunnels into the network fit Virtual Private Network (VPN). Remote access for staff, contractors and vendors, including access to privileged and OT systems, fits Secure Remote Access, which a ZTNA product can also enter.
Related categories to enter
Each category is judged separately, so you can enter a product in every category that matches what it does, with a separate nomination for each. Tailor each nomination to that category's focus. Entering several related categories gives the product more than one chance to be recognized.
How entries are judged
An independent jury of security practitioners, analysts and CISOs scores each nomination on leadership, innovation and impact. Each nomination competes in its category against organizations of similar size and region, so a mid-sized firm is not ranked against a global enterprise. Your entry package, any sponsorship and public votes do not affect the jury's scores.
Strong entries in this category show:
- Leadership — the access the product controls: users and applications connected, sites and clouds covered, and customers that use it as their main way into private applications.
- Innovation — an access problem solved in a new way, such as access without an agent, checks that continue during the session, or support for older applications that VPNs used to reach.
- Impact — results for customers: VPN retired, applications hidden from the internet, access-related incidents, time to give a new user or contractor access. Give before-and-after figures.
The jury awards Gold, Silver or Bronze, or a Finalist badge, and results are published on this site and announced to the 600,000+ member Cybersecurity Insiders community. Every approved nomination also enters the separate Community Choice award, decided by public votes.
How to enter
A vendor can enter its own product or service, and a PR agency can enter it on a client's behalf. The nomination form has a confidential field for detail that is shared with the judges and not published, such as customer names, deployment figures or roadmap. Deadlines, pricing and entry steps are on the How it Works page.
