How are organizations replacing their VPN with Menlo?

Menlo Secure Application Access provides a modern, Zero Trust solution to replace the vulnerabilities and limitations of VPNs. VPNs grant broad network access and lack the necessary browser-level context for fine-grained security controls. Menlo replaces this by providing least-privileged access only to specific applications, includes granular controls like copy/paste limitations and data redaction, and logs all traffic with Browsing Forensics for complete visibility and faster incident response.

How does the performance of Menlo SAA compare to a dedicated VPN connection for global users?

Menlo SAA delivers superior performance compared to a dedicated VPN connection. VPN performance suffers because it relies on a central server, forcing traffic backhauling (hairpinning) and creating bottlenecks. Menlo SAA uses a highly distributed, global cloud-native architecture that routes traffic optimally and directly to the application. This approach eliminates the performance drain caused by VPN tunnels, providing a fast, native-like user experience anywhere in the world.

Why are organizations replacing their VPN with Menlo?

Organizations are replacing their VPNs because they cannot deliver the core principle of Zero Trust, least-privileged access, as they typically grant access to a broad network segment. VPN vulnerabilities also present an unacceptable risk because they are exposed to the internet, and their encrypted nature prevents the visibility needed for breach investigations. Menlo eliminates these issues with fine-grained access, browser-level controls, and complete session visibility.

How does Menlo Secure Application Access protect against attacks that target VPNs?

Instead of granting access to the entire network, Menlo provides access on an application-by-application basis, which helps to prevent lateral movement by a threat actor who may have gained access. The solution also shields applications from malicious requests by preserving network separation and inspecting all requests with AI-driven protections within the Menlo Cloud. This approach also helps to prevent attacks based on unauthorized access, protocol manipulation, session hijacking, and cookie stealing.

Is it easy to provision and deprovision user access with Menlo?

Yes, you can quickly provision and de-provision access to applications without needing to change network topology or firewall rules. Access can be enabled for any user with any browser.

What applications does Menlo SAA support?

Menlo SAA supports Web, SaaS, and legacy Windows thick-client applications. Users access everything via a single web portal, eliminating the need for a VPN client even when using legacy software like SAP, Oracle, or custom internal tools.

VPN Replacement | Menlo Security

With Applications in the Cloud, Why Put Users on the Network?

The centralized VPN model wasn't built for the hybrid, cloud-first world. Traditional VPNs are often retained only to support legacy 'thick-client' applications that standard ZTNA cannot reach. This forces IT to maintain risky network tunnels, complex client software, and expensive infrastructure just to provide access to a handful of legacy apps.

Excessive Attack Surface: VPNs expose the network, making them a high-value target for lateral movement and zero-day exploits. In 2023, 45% of organizations confirmed experiecing at least one attack that exploited VPN vulnerabilities in a 12-month period (Cybersecurity Insiders).

Zero Visibility into User Activity: Once a user is authenticated, the encrypted VPN tunnel prevents security teams from seeing or analyzing activity at the application or browser level. This lack of visibility means you cannot determine:

Which specific application the user is accessing

Whether the user is uploading or downloading sensitive files

If the user is clicking a malicious link while connected

Frequent Latency and Bottlenecks: Centralized VPN gateways force traffic backhauling and "hairpinning," resulting in slow application speeds and a poor user experience.

High Operational Burden: Managing VPN client software, patches, and complex firewall rules requires constant focus from security and IT teams, draining resources for strategic work. Additionally, moving to ZTNA from VPNs is complicated, involving extensive policy definition and configuration.

It's clear that VPNs compromise security, frustrate users, and drain budgets. They leave critical blind spots where attackers can hide. Instead, organizations need a modern access architecture that eliminates the risk and scales effortlessly with granular, application-level visibility.

Zero-Trust Network Separation

Unlike VPNs that provide broad network-level access, SAA guarantees application-by-application access. This principle instantly eliminates the external attack surface and lateral movement risk by ensuring users never directly access application servers.

All Client Types, One Solution

Menlo SAA provides one consistent solution for all client types by leveraging a flexible, multi-mode deployment model. The platform prioritizes a clientless, browser-agnostic approach for all web applications, a lightweight browser extension, and a dedicated client is available for non-browser-based applications.

A professional works on a laptop in a modern office or travel lounge, representing the freedom and simplicity of Agentless Access. The image symbolizes seamless, secure access from any browser or device without the need for VPN hardware or client software

Secure Your Applications and Data

Menlo SAA delivers data protection by integrating security directly into the user session. We enforce strict DLP controls such as copy/paste, watermarking, and data redaction to prevent data leakage. File Security inspects all data transfers which blocks malware in uploads and prevents leakage during downloads, while Secure Storage ensures sensitive information is never transferred to unauthorized or insecure file storage locations, maintaining the integrity of your data within the corporate boundary.

Take a Quick Product Tour

Synapxe Replaces Broadcom RBI with Menlo Security Enterprise Browser

To protect its 67,000+ users, Singapore’s healthtech agency Synapxe replaced its disruptive, pixel-streaming RBI solution. They adopted the Menlo Security Enterprise Browser, which uses Adaptive Clientless Rendering™ (ACR) and DOM mirroring to deliver a lightweight, safe view of websites. This provided seamless security without the performance degradation of their previous solution.