Cloudflare Access Alternative: SSO, MFA, and Granular Access Control
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Datawiza Access Proxy is a Cloudflare Access alternative for organizations that need no-code SSO, MFA, and granular access control for web applications. Connect your identity provider for centralized authentication, or retain existing application credentials and add Datawiza's built-in MFA.
You can run the proxy in your own environment and enforce policies for specific application paths using identity attributes and request context. The goal is to control both who signs in and what they can access—without building these controls into each application's code.
Compare solutions across three decisions: how users authenticate, which requests are allowed, and where application traffic is processed.
When to consider an alternative to Cloudflare Access
An application-focused approach is worth evaluating when:
- Your customer or partner portal already manages its own usernames and passwords.
- You want to connect existing web apps to Entra ID, Okta, Cisco Duo, or another supported identity provider for SSO and MFA.
- Different groups need different access to administrative pages, reports, or other application paths.
- You want the application access proxy on infrastructure your team controls.
- You want to keep an existing WAF or CDN while choosing a separate application-authentication layer.
Datawiza uses an identity-aware reverse proxy to separate authentication and access controls from application code. It supports existing, custom-built, and packaged web applications; the use case is not limited to legacy software. Datawiza Access Proxy overview.
Choose your authentication model: built-in MFA or identity-provider SSO
Keep application credentials and add built-in MFA
For a customer or partner portal with an established account database, users can retain their existing application credentials while Datawiza adds MFA around the login flow. This deployment does not require introducing Active Directory, LDAP, or an external identity provider. Plan MFA enrollment, recovery, and session behavior during setup. MFA with existing application credentials.
Connect your identity provider for SSO and MFA
If you already use Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, Cisco Duo, Ping Identity, or another supported identity provider, Datawiza can connect your web applications to that identity platform for SSO and MFA. Keep centralized sign-in and apply the configured provider's authentication requirements to protected access. Datawiza identity integrations.
Datawiza can map identity-provider attributes to the user attributes or roles expected by an application. Validate the application's supported identity handoff, account mapping, and session behavior to achieve the intended SSO experience. Passing user attributes to applications.
These are alternative authentication models, not a requirement to migrate every application at once. Choose the appropriate integration for each application's users.
Add granular access control beyond sign-in
Successful authentication should not automatically grant access to every part of an application.
Datawiza supports role-based and attribute-based access control, including URL-level authorization. Its rules can combine application paths and HTTP methods with available identity attributes, groups, IP addresses, and time conditions. Datawiza access-control rules.
For example, a policy design could:
- Restrict an administrative path to members of an administrator group.
- Allow a finance group to access reporting paths while excluding unrelated users.
- Limit partner users to designated portal paths, using the attributes available in that integration.
Configure rule priority and a deliberate default action, then test allowed and denied requests. Proxy policies complement the application's own record-level permissions and business rules; they do not automatically understand every business operation inside it.
Cloudflare Access also supports application-path and identity-based policies. The comparison is whether each product's policy model, identity inputs, and enforcement location fit your application—not whether Cloudflare lacks granular controls. Cloudflare application paths and Access policies.
Does Cloudflare Access already provide MFA without an external IdP?
Yes. A fair comparison should acknowledge Cloudflare's current capabilities.
Cloudflare Access supports independent MFA, including authenticator-app codes, WebAuthn security keys, and device biometrics. It can enforce these factors directly instead of relying exclusively on an identity provider's MFA. Cloudflare independent MFA.
Access also supports email one-time PIN login as an alternative to integrating a third-party identity provider. Cloudflare-account authentication is another supported login option. One-time PIN login and Cloudflare as an identity provider.
Datawiza offers a choice of authentication models combined with granular policy enforcement in a customer-hosted proxy. Evaluate the full login and authorization flow, rather than assuming either product lacks MFA or identity-provider options.
Where does application traffic flow?
For web applications protected through a public hostname, Cloudflare Access puts Cloudflare's network in the application request path. Users authenticate through a browser, and permitted requests continue toward the origin. This mode does not require users to install a device client. Cloudflare application types.
Cloudflare Tunnel is a way to connect a private origin to that service. It is not strictly required when the application is already publicly routable, although the origin still needs protection against requests that bypass Access. Cloudflare public application setup.
With a customer-hosted Datawiza deployment, the proxy runs in your infrastructure, near or in front of the web application. The application payload does not require a Datawiza-hosted cloud relay. Datawiza deployment architecture.
| Evaluation point | Cloudflare Access public-hostname deployment | Customer-hosted Datawiza Access Proxy |
|---|---|---|
| Access enforcement | Cloudflare's network | Proxy in your environment |
| Browser access | Clientless web access is supported | Browser-based web-app access |
| Authentication | Supported identity-provider login options and independent MFA | Identity-provider SSO/MFA, or existing application credentials with built-in MFA |
| Granular access control | Application-path and identity-based Access policies | URL-level, role-based, and attribute-based rules using available identity and request context |
| Infrastructure choice | Origin connectivity and Cloudflare configuration | Proxy placement, ingress, and availability in your infrastructure |
These are different operating models. Customer-hosted application traffic does not mean a completely offline product: Datawiza uses a cloud management console, and its documented outbound connections include management and logging services. Datawiza network prerequisites.
Can you keep Cloudflare's WAF or CDN and use Datawiza for app access?
Yes—an access-layer evaluation does not have to become a replacement project for your entire web stack.
A possible design keeps a CDN or WAF in front of Datawiza, with Datawiza enforcing application authentication before requests reach the web app. This is an architecture to validate for your environment, not a claim of an automatic integration in every configuration.
For example: browser → existing WAF/CDN → Datawiza Access Proxy → web application.
In that design, Cloudflare can remain responsible for the services you retain, while Datawiza handles the selected application's SSO, MFA, and access policies. Review caching, headers, cookies, TLS, and origin restrictions across both layers. See our explanation of WAF-like MFA for web applications.
One important distinction: if you retain Cloudflare's reverse-proxy CDN or WAF in the request path, application traffic still passes through Cloudflare. Adding Datawiza does not remove that hop. If your requirement is to avoid a cloud-hosted application data path, the full ingress design must reflect that requirement.
Evaluate security and performance in your actual deployment
Customer control over proxy placement can be valuable. It is not, by itself, proof of better security or lower latency.
Cloudflare's HTTP reverse proxy terminates TLS to process requests, making its role part of your vendor-trust and data-processing assessment. Cloudflare also offers Regional Services and data-localization controls; it would be inaccurate to say it has no options for controlling processing location. Cloudflare HTTP processing and Zero Trust localization.
For either product, document the application data path separately from identity, configuration, and log flows. Confirm who operates certificates, administers policy, handles updates, and restores service during an interruption.
Prevent direct access to the protected origin. Cloudflare documents Access-token validation, while Datawiza documents restricting upstream access to the proxy. Cloudflare origin protection and Datawiza upstream protection.
For performance, measure real workflows from representative user locations. Include sign-in, page loads, file transfers, concurrent usage, and failover. A shorter-looking diagram is not a benchmark, and a cloud hop does not guarantee a slower experience.
When Cloudflare Access may be the right choice
Cloudflare Access is worth considering when its cloud-delivered enforcement model and supported login methods fit your applications and operating preferences. Its clientless web access and independent MFA are real capabilities, not gaps that require an alternative by default.
Datawiza is worth evaluating when you need identity-provider SSO/MFA, built-in MFA with existing credentials, or granular application-access policies enforced by a proxy in your environment.
This comparison focuses on HTTP and HTTPS web applications. It does not position Datawiza as a replacement for every networking, DNS, CDN, WAF, or other Cloudflare One capability.
Pilot one application before making the decision
Choose a representative application and agree on acceptance criteria:
- Login fit: Retain application credentials with built-in MFA, or select a supported enterprise identity provider. Test enrollment, recovery, and account removal.
- Session fit: Verify redirects, cookies, logout, session expiry, and which user account is associated with the MFA check.
- Application fit: Exercise browser API calls, uploads, downloads, and long-lived connections your application depends on.
- Authorization fit: Test group or attribute mappings, path rules, default-deny behavior, and attempts to access unauthorized resources.
- Operational fit: Validate origin restrictions, logging, monitoring, capacity, and the planned failure and recovery behavior.
For a concise product overview, compare Datawiza and Cloudflare Access. You can also explore Datawiza MFA for web applications.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Cloudflare Access alternative for web-app SSO, MFA, and access control?
Datawiza Access Proxy supports identity-provider SSO/MFA, built-in MFA with existing credentials, and granular application-access rules. Its customer-hosted deployment lets you operate the application enforcement point in your environment.
Can I connect Entra ID, Okta, or Cisco Duo and use identity-based access rules?
Yes. Datawiza supports these integrations for SSO/MFA and can use available identity attributes or groups in access rules. Validate the attributes returned by your provider and the application's identity mapping during setup.
Can I add MFA without Active Directory, LDAP, or an external identity provider?
Yes. Datawiza's built-in MFA model does not require those services. Users can retain their existing application credentials, with the application's login and session flow validated during setup.
Does Cloudflare Access always require Cloudflare Tunnel?
No. Cloudflare documents that a tunnel is not strictly required for an already publicly routable application. Such deployments still need appropriate origin protection.
Do I need to stop using Cloudflare to use Datawiza?
Not necessarily. Evaluate the application-access layer separately from the DNS, CDN, and WAF services you want to retain. A Cloudflare reverse proxy retained ahead of Datawiza remains part of the application's traffic path.
Choose the right authentication and access-control model
Connect your preferred identity provider for SSO/MFA, or keep existing application credentials with built-in MFA. Add granular policies for the resources each user should be allowed to access.
Book a demo to review SSO, MFA, granular access control, and deployment options for your web applications.
