Fortra ZTNA vs OpenVPN Access Server

Fortra ZTNA provides secure remote access to private applications and helps protect their data. It makes access decisions using user, device, and data context, so authorized people can reach only approved applications. An endpoint client monitors device posture and reports changes for access adjustments. The product can hide applications from the network, monitor traffic for lateral movement, and discover private applications to help organizations onboard them from an existing VPN. Private applications may be hosted in AWS, Azure, or GCP. Agent-based access supports browser and thick-client applications, while web applications can be accessed without an agent. Additional protections include digital rights management and data loss prevention policies, as well as inspection and blocking of files identified as infected with malware. Fortra describes a unified proxy architecture shared across its ZTNA, secure web gateway, and CASB offerings, with shared policies and monitoring. The product supports hybrid deployment and lists web as its supported platform. It is paid, has no free plan, and pricing is available on request.

OpenVPN Access Server is a business VPN hosted in a customer's environment, including Linux systems, virtual appliances, containers and public clouds. Its free plan lasts indefinitely, includes all features, requires no credit card and permits up to two simultaneous connections. Growth costs $7 a month per connection and supports up to 2,000 connections; Enterprise & IoT has custom pricing and unlimited connections. A 14-day trial is available for five or more connections. Administrators have a Web UI, self-service client UI, CLI, REST API and automation templates. Authentication options include PAM, RADIUS, LDAP, SAML, local and custom methods. User- and group-level access controls are available, as are protocol and port restrictions. Identity, device and location context can be used to control application access. OpenVPN Connect supports Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and ChromeOS. Deployment options include Docker, Hyper-V, VMware ESXi, Kubernetes Helm and public cloud marketplaces. The listed security and compliance items include SOC 2 Type 2, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, HIPAA and GDPR.