ZTNA alternatives
If users only need browser access to HTTP and HTTPS applications, Datawiza Access Proxy provides an agentless path to SSO, MFA, per-application policy, and audit. Deploy it on premises or in your cloud. If you need SSH, RDP, TCP, or broader private-network access, choose a full ZTNA solution.
Right tool, right job
The right choice depends on what users need to reach. Datawiza is deliberately focused on browser-based web applications rather than every private protocol and network resource.
For HTTP and HTTPS applications, Datawiza provides browser-based, agentless access with SSO, MFA, per-app policy, and audit. A focused reverse proxy is simpler to deploy and manage than broad network-access infrastructure.
If users need SSH, RDP, raw TCP, database connections, thick clients, or private-network access, use a full ZTNA solution designed to secure those protocols and resources.
Keep full ZTNA for non-web and network access, then use Datawiza in front of web applications that need deeper app-level SSO, MFA, conditional policy, or legacy login integration.
How it works
Datawiza sits in the HTTP/HTTPS request path and consults your enterprise identity provider before forwarding approved traffic. SSO, MFA, and conditional access are enforced per application while the proxy and application traffic remain in your environment.
Browser-based access
Employees · Partners · Customers
No endpoint agentReverse proxy enforcement point
Identity controls
SSO
Enterprise IdP
MFA
Conditional access
Per-app policy
App path rules
Audit logs
Customer-managed data plane
On premises · Private cloud · VPC / VNet
Protected destinations
ERP · Legacy · Internal · Portals
Approved traffic onlyIdentity connection · SAML / OIDC
Enterprise identity provider
Enterprise identity provider
Browser-based access
Employees · Partners · Customers
No endpoint agentReverse proxy enforcement point
Identity controls
SSO
Enterprise IdP
MFA
Conditional access
Per-app policy
App path rules
Audit logs
Customer-managed data plane
On premises · Private cloud · VPC / VNet
Protected destinations
ERP · Legacy · Internal · Portals
Approved traffic onlyScope boundary: this architecture protects browser-accessed web applications. Use a full ZTNA platform for SSH, RDP, raw TCP, databases, thick clients, or broad private-network access.
Comparison
This table summarizes the architectural tradeoff. It is intentionally focused on web applications, not full private-network replacement.
| Criteria | Datawiza Access Proxy | Common ZTNA pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | App-level SSO, MFA, access policy, and audit for existing HTTP/HTTPS web applications. | Secure reachability to private apps and networks, often as part of a broader Zero Trust or SASE platform. |
| Data plane | Self-hosted in your environment; application traffic does not route through Datawiza's cloud service. | Often cloud-brokered through vendor points of presence, connectors, tunnels, or service edges. |
| Vendor cloud outage impact | Existing protected web-app traffic continues through the self-hosted data plane; management changes depend on the cloud control plane. | Depends on architecture; cloud-brokered access can make vendor service availability part of the traffic path. |
| Tunnel or connector | No outbound tunnel dependency; standard reverse proxy pattern for web apps. | Many products require connectors, publishers, tunnels, or service edges. |
| Endpoint agent | Not required for browser-based HTTP/HTTPS application access. | May require an endpoint client or agent depending on the product, protocol, and protected resource. |
| Legacy ERP login | Supported app-specific SSO patterns, including PeopleSoft PSSSOUID, Oracle EBS ICX session creation, and JDE_SSO_UID. | Often gates access but leaves the legacy application login experience intact. |
| Identity options | Works with Entra ID, Okta, Ping, Cognito, Auth0, Google, and Datawiza built-in MFA. | Varies by vendor and platform assumptions. |
| Non-web protocols | Not covered. Use full ZTNA for SSH, RDP, raw TCP, databases, thick clients, or broad private-network access. | Many ZTNA/SASE products cover non-web protocols and broader private access. |
Vendor comparisons
Each comparison keeps the tradeoffs honest: where the ZTNA product is strong, where Datawiza is different, and when the products can be complementary.
Focused web access
Users open protected applications in a standard browser. There is no endpoint client to deploy, update, troubleshoot, or support for the web-app use case.
Place Datawiza in front of existing web applications and route HTTP/HTTPS traffic through it. No application rewrite or broad private-network rollout is required.
Deploy the data plane on premises, in a private cloud, VPC, or VNet near the applications. Protected application traffic stays in your environment.
Connect Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, Ping, or another SAML/OIDC identity provider, then enforce SSO, MFA, conditional policy, and audit per application.
FAQ
Datawiza is a good ZTNA alternative when users only need browser access to HTTP and HTTPS applications. It provides an agentless web-app path to SSO, MFA, per-application conditional policy, and audit without deploying broad private-network access infrastructure.
Use full ZTNA when users need non-web protocols or network resources, including SSH, RDP, raw TCP, database connections, thick clients, or broad access to private subnets. Datawiza Access Proxy is intentionally limited to HTTP and HTTPS web applications.
No endpoint agent is required for the browser-based web application use case. Users access the protected application through a standard browser, while Datawiza Access Proxy enforces identity and policy in the HTTP/HTTPS request path.
The Access Proxy data plane is deployed in your environment, such as an on-premises network, DMZ, private cloud, VPC, or VNet. It sits in front of protected web applications as a reverse proxy, and application traffic does not traverse Datawiza's cloud service.
Yes. Use the ZTNA platform for non-web protocols and private-network reachability, and use Datawiza in front of web applications that need app-level SSO, MFA, conditional policy, audit, or legacy login integration.
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