Prisma Access ZTNA Connector
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Prisma Access

Prisma Access ZTNA Connector

Table of Contents

Prisma Access
ZTNA Connector

Describes what the ZTNA Connector is and how it works in
Prisma Access
.
Where Can I Use This?
What Do I Need?
  • Prisma Access (Cloud Management)
  • Prisma Access (Panorama Managed)
  • Prisma Access
    4.0
    Prisma Access
    5.0 supports wildcards and IP subnet-based app targets.
  • ZTNA Connector Add-On license
    Prisma Access
    Enterprise licenses include two Connectors and 10 Apps without the Add-On license in Enterprise and ZTNA Edition licenses. In the Business and Business Premium edition, the licenses include two Connectors and 10 Apps. This functionality is provided for the purpose of trying out ZTNA Connectors in your environment. To deploy more apps and connectors, purchase the add-on license.
The Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) Connector lets you connect
Prisma Access
to your organization's private apps simply and securely. ZTNA Connector provides mobile users and users at branch locations access to your private apps using an automated secure tunnel. Because the ZTNA Connector sets up the tunnels automatically, you don’t have to manually set up IPSec tunnels and routing to the data center or headquarters locations, public cloud locations, and partner networks where your private apps are located.
The ZTNA Connector VMs you deploy automatically connect to the closest
Prisma Access
location ensuring the best possible latency. In addition to scaling bandwidth access up to 1 Gbps per Connector and 10 Gbps per Connector Group.
Prisma Access
denies all access by default, and an administrator must explicitly allow access to a resource using a policy rule, based on our patented User-ID, App-ID, and Device-ID constructs, helping you to reduce the attack surface and the security risks. Once a connection is allowed, we continuously verify the trust of that connection, continuously inspect for security threats, and continuously inspect for data leakage. In addition, the private IP addresses of your applications aren’t exposed when you use the
Prisma Access
ZTNA Connector.

ZTNA Connector Components

  • Connectors
    —Connectors are the virtual machines that build tunnels to
    Prisma Access
    . ZTNA Connector automates tunnel management without you having to specify IPSec and IKE settings. You onboard Connectors in VMs, which you onboard in a cloud service (Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Microsoft Azure, or in a virtual server (VMware ESXi)
    , or in a Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM)
    . Palo Alto Networks recommends that you deploy the VM in the same subnet as the onboarded application to Prisma Access. You can also provide a different subnet, as long as there's a route to the applications from the Connector.
    After you deploy the Connector VM,
    Prisma Access
    manages the VM, including providing you with options to upgrade the VM version. After installing the ZTNA Connector VM, it discovers the nearest
    Prisma Access
    location and initiates a secure IPSec tunnel to
    Prisma Access
    .
  • Connector Groups
    —A Connector Group is a logical grouping of connectors and apps. By adding multiple connectors in a Connector Group, you provide tunnel redundancy and increased bandwidth to the apps within the group. Each connector group supports up to
    4
    connectors.
    If you want to provide access to specific apps using different connectors, place the connectors in separate groups.
  • Targets
    —The private apps that ZTNA Connector onboards to Prisma Access. You can define specific apps to which you want to provide access using FQDN and port
    or define IP addresses or subnets where the apps are located
    . Or, you can have ZTNA Connector automatically discover apps by pulling them from an IdP connected to CIE.

Use Cases for ZTNA Connector

Use ZTNA Connector to connect to private apps in the following use cases:
  • Overlapped Private Networks
    —If you're a network administrator in a large enterprise that has acquired or merged with another organization, two networks might use address ranges that overlap (for example, RFC 1918 private network address space). To provide access to apps that are hosted in overlapped networks to your users, routing and NAT configuration can become tedious. ZTNA Connector simplifies app access in overlapped networks by allowing you to connect to apps using FQDNs, FQDN wildcards, and IP subnets, without you having to configure IP routing.
    ZTNA Connector provides your users secure access to the private apps using ZTNA-Connector Tunnel Terminators (ZTTs). ZTNA sets ZTTs up automatically.
  • Data Center to Cloud Migration
    —If your organization is migrating your on-premises apps to the cloud (either migrating your existing on-premises applications using "lift and shift" or developing cloud-native apps), you can host apps in cloud VPCs in AWS, GCP, Azure, or other cloud providers. If you have hundreds or thousands of VPCs, ZTNA Connector can accelerate the process of providing cloud-delivered app access.
  • Access to Applications in Business Partner Networks
    —Some organizations access apps hosted in their business partner’s networks. Using service connections to connect these apps requires manual routing and NAT configuration. ZTNA Connector allows you to connect to these apps without performing manual IP routing configuration.

Supported Use Cases for Service Connections and ZTNA Connector

ZTNA Connector isn't a replacement for service connections. It can complement or coexist with service connections, allowing you flexibility in how you secure private apps. If you have already deployed service connections, you can continue to use them, unless you want to move to a different application access model. The following table shows the supported and unsupported use cases for service connections or ZTNA Connector. A check mark indicates that the use case is supported; a dash (—) indicates that it's not supported.
Use Case
ZTNA Connector Support
Service Connection Support
Access to applications in overlapped networks
Access to all ports and protocols for client-initiated application traffic
Automatic tunnel establishment to
Prisma Access
Automatic
Prisma Access
location discovery
Automatic scaling of
Prisma Access
locations for up to 10-Gbps throughput
Access to private apps using IP addresses and subnets
Server-initiated traffic (such as a remote help desk) reaching out to a managed device (GlobalProtect mobile user or remote network).
Applications or services that require a unique client IP address (such as the Active Directory or Server Message Block (SMB) protocol)
Access to applications with dynamic ports (such as FTP Active mode or VoIP)
Hybrid deployments with on-premises next-generation firewalls where policy rules based on User-ID are applied

ZTNA Connector 2.0 Principles

ZTNA Connector lets you connect your private apps to
Prisma Access
using the following ZTNA Connector 2.0 principles:
  • Device Posture and Risk
    —Using policy rules based on User-ID in Prisma Access, you can define a posture for users and devices (both mobile user and IoT devices) to prevent unauthorized access to the private apps. You can also create common policy rules between ZTNA Connector and
    Prisma Access
    .
  • User Authentication and Least Privilege Access
    —Using user authentication and policy rules based on user or group, you can implement the principle of least privilege (PoLP) to provide users access to the apps they require, while blocking access to the apps they don't require.
  • Threat and Data Loss Prevention
    Prisma Access
    and ZTNA Connector use advanced security features such as Advanced Threat Prevention, Advanced URL Filtering, SaaS Security, Advanced WildFire, and Enterprise DLP to make sure that your private apps and app data are secure.

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