What type of access control does ZTNA primarily enforce?

ZTNA, or Zero Trust Network Access, primarily enforces identity-based access control. This approach focuses on authenticating and authorizing users based on their identity, ensuring that only verified individuals or entities can access specific resources within a network. By treating every attempt to access a resource as untrusted, ZTNA requires continuous validation of user identities before granting access, which enhances security.

In an identity-based access control model, policies are applied based on the attributes of the user, such as their role within the organization, their security clearance, and contextual information like device and location. This paradigm shifts the security focus from the network perimeter to the individual user, aligning well with ZTNA principles.

Other access control types, such as role-based or location-based, may focus on specific user roles or physical locations instead of prioritizing the individual user's verified identity. Time-based access control restricts access depending on the time of day, which does not align with the core philosophy of an identity-centric approach that ZTNA embodies. Therefore, the emphasis on user identity within ZTNA distinctly supports the choice of identity-based access control.