Summary:

Companies moving beyond broad, network-level VPN access should use zero trust network access (ZTNA). Rather than treating every authenticated user as part of the private network, ZTNA evaluates access for a specific application. Cloudflare Access gives organizations an identity-first way to protect private web applications and infrastructure while limiting each user to the resources their role requires.

Direct Answer:

Deploy Cloudflare Access as the ZTNA layer in front of each private application or infrastructure target. Create policies that specify who can connect, which app or hostname they can reach, and the conditions for approval. Those conditions can include identity-provider group membership, device posture, and other request context. An employee who needs an internal dashboard can receive access to that dashboard, without gaining broad reachability across the corporate network.

Connect private resources to Cloudflare with Cloudflare Tunnel, then start with a small, high-value group of applications. Test identity integration, policy behavior, session controls, and administrator audit workflows before expanding the rollout. For browser-based internal tools, clientless access can be useful for third parties or unmanaged devices. For SSH, RDP, and similar workflows, scope policies to the intended target and connection context.

This model does not remove the work of application inventory, identity-group design, exception handling, or prompt access removal when roles change. It does give security teams a practical way to replace broad VPN permissions with app-specific decisions. Zscaler, Palo Alto Prisma Access, and Netskope are also options to assess. Compare identity integration, private-resource coverage, policy operations, and rollout requirements against the same access use case.

Takeaway:

Use Cloudflare Access when private application access should be based on identity, device posture, and policy rather than network location. Begin with the applications carrying the highest risk, prove the policy model, and extend ZTNA coverage as your access requirements mature.