Cloudflare Access vs Forcepoint ZTNA

Cloudflare Access controls access to self-hosted apps, SaaS applications, and infrastructure by checking identity, device posture, and other context on each request. Policies can grant access at the individual resource level, and applications deny access unless a user matches an Allow policy. It supports SAML- and OIDC-compliant identity providers, including enterprise and social providers, as well as Cloudflare as an identity provider. Contractors, partners, and people using unmanaged devices can connect through a browser with social sign-in or a one-time PIN. Access can replace or supplement a legacy VPN by limiting access to specific applications, and its controls also cover infrastructure such as SSH and RDP. Administrators can manage policies centrally and scale them through APIs and Terraform. Publishing a self-hosted public application requires an active Cloudflare domain with full or partial CNAME setup. The free plan is for fewer than 50 users; paid service starts at $7/user/mo (annual).

Forcepoint ZTNA provides controlled access to private applications from managed and unmanaged devices, including personal devices and contractor access. Its agentless and agent-based options let users reach internal applications without requiring a VPN service on their device. Administrators can base access policies on user or group, device type or operating system, management status, and location. Agent-based access supports private web applications and non-web protocols, including TCP applications through SmartEdge Agent. The product can proxy private-app traffic and apply inline data loss prevention controls intended to help prevent data leakage and malicious uploads or downloads. Forcepoint cites more than 190 predefined DLP policies and malware scanning for private web apps. Deployment requires a connector in the network hosting internal apps. Agent-based use requires SmartEdge Agent 1.6.1 or newer, and end-user machines must run Windows 10 or newer. Forcepoint says its AWS-based platform provides 99.99% service uptime with no planned downtime. The paid product has pricing on request and no free plan.