10 Secure Internet Access Solutions for Distributed Workforces

Overview

Security threats are evolving fast, making secure internet access more vital than ever. Whether your team is fully remote or only partially in the office, robust controls safeguard user access, data, and overall business integrity. Below, we explore ten solutions that offer peace of mind in this digital age.these solutions help businesses maintain availability, protect sensitive data, and cultivate an environment of resilience.

Understanding secure internet access

In today’s interconnected world, online threats can bombard organizations with the force of a continuous wave. Cybercriminals, armed with sophisticated tools, look for vulnerabilities in networks and endpoints, eager to exploit any gap in your defenses. Cyberattacks undermine trust, drain resources, and bring day-to-day business operations to a sudden halt.

Thankfully, advanced solutions have emerged to curb these risks and ensure protected access to critical resources. From threat detection in cloud environments to identity verification for every user, secure internet access extends a lifeline in times of change. Taken together, these solutions help businesses maintain availability, protect sensitive data, and cultivate an environment of resilience.

Common cybersecurity threats facing distributed workforces

Teams dispersed across multiple locations face a dynamic set of challenges that require careful, ongoing attention. 96.5% of users access the internet via mobile devices, which now contribute nearly 60% of total traffic—expanding the mobile attack surface. From endpoint vulnerabilities to network-level attacks, understanding the breeding grounds of these threats is critical to sustaining business momentum.

Some of today’s most prevalent attacks include:

• Phishing and malware attacks targeting remote workers
• Man-in-the-middle and data interception risks
• Insider threats and unsecured devices

Essential secure internet access solutions for modern enterprises

Organizations aiming for robust and resilient security should consider a comprehensive suite of defenses tailored to the modern workforce’s needs. Ideally, decision-makers ensure their environment remains flexible, cost-effective, and fully equipped to counter evolving risks. They can accomplish this by leveraging proactive defensive security tooling that’s informed by threat intelligence, AI and a zero trust foundation that reduces the attack surface by making IPs invisible to AI-powered threats and ensuring users access only authorized applications, not full networks.

Zero trust network access (ZTNA): Core to secure internet access

Zero trust network access (ZTNA) takes a cautious approach toward verifying every user, device, and request before granting a connection. An identity-driven, context-aware ZTNA solution ensures that only valid credentials and appropriate usage conditions come together to establish a safe session. It builds a shield, never exposing applications to prying eyes or leaving networks wide open to intrusion.

Unlike older methods, ZTNA assumes that danger can emanate from inside as easily as it can from outside the traditional firewall. By continuously evaluating users based on their role, location, and device security posture, ZTNA significantly limits the spread of breaches.

Use cases

• Preventing lateral movement to reduce the attack surface
• Providing seamless connectivity for distributed SaaS apps
• Shielding developers’ work environments in hybrid infrastructures
• Enforcing granular trust policies for external partners
• Validating corporate devices against compliance baselines

Secure web gateway (SWG) for distributed workforce protection

A secure web gateway (SWG) filters, inspects, and analyzes all web traffic to prevent malicious content from reaching endpoints. By intercepting attempts to browse to suspicious sites or download dangerous files, an SWG curtails threats before they burrow into your environment. Traditional on-premises gateways have offered protection in the past, but a cloud-delivered SWG capable of SSL inspection combined with a suite of AI-powered security services  adds scalability and consistent enforcement for globally distributed users.

Such an approach eases the burden of large hardware investments, offering centralized policy control across locations. Furthermore, automated updates strengthen real-time defense and remove the impasse of slow patching cycles or manual oversight.

Use cases

• Blocking access to flagged or malicious websites
• Enforcing robust URL filtering for compliance and parental controls
• Identifying suspicious file downloads in real time
• Providing sandbox analysis to isolate new threats
• Sustaining uniform security across corporate branches and remote users

Firewall as a service (FWaaS): Scalable perimeter security

Cloud-based firewalls, otherwise known as a firewall as a service (FWaaS), replace the need for traditional, appliance-based firewalls by moving firewall capabilities to the cloud. It reviews traffic entering or leaving your infrastructure, classifying and filtering packets to thwart intrusions and data leaks. In this flexible service model, updates are handled autonomously, scaling can happen seamlessly, and coverage can stretch across globally distributed teams.

Compared to legacy firewalls, FWaaS unifies security policy enforcement without forcing you to juggle separate appliances in each branch office. Organizations gain the agility to roll out new rule sets instantly, while still meeting compliance and performance demands.

Use cases

• Integrating with software-defined perimeters for simplified traffic control
• Preventing command-and-control (C&C) callbacks in ransomware scenarios
• Handling encrypted traffic defense with minimal latency
• Delivering instant patching for known vulnerabilities
• Centralizing governance for multicloud architectures

Browser isolation to reduce web-based threats

Browser isolation creates a virtual boundary between the end user’s browser session and the internet, sheltering local machines from malicious web content. It moves webpage rendering away from the endpoint to a cloud-based virtual machine, so if threats are detected, they are defused in an isolated container rather than the user’s device. This method drastically reduces the risk of drive-by downloads and zero day exploits.

As a straightforward yet powerful tactic, browser isolation is particularly advantageous for industries needing airtight security for web activity. It provides an added layer to reinforce endpoint security, working hand in hand with other tools like SWG.

Use cases

• Safeguarding employees who frequently click unknown links
• Reducing exposure to malicious ads through remote rendering
• Adding extra protection for sensitive browsing, such as finance portals
• Preventing exploited plugins or vulnerabilities in outdated browsers
• Isolating web sessions in containerized environments for testing suspicious URLs

Domain name system (DNS) tunneling for encrypted and resilient connectivity 

DNS tunneling enables establishing secure channels by sending traffic through DNS queries and responses. Since nearly every device uses DNS to convert hostnames into IP addresses, attackers and defenders alike can leverage this channel for controlled, encrypted communication. When legitimate security teams use DNS tunneling responsibly, it can bypass traditional, on-premises firewalls or filters that block conventional ports, helping you maintain uninterrupted access under strenuous conditions.

It’s also an interesting alternative for stealthy, secure connectivity, particularly in complex or restricted network environments. With careful monitoring and policy controls, DNS Tunneling has grown in popularity as another layer of help in mitigating hostile disruptions.

Use cases

• Protecting traffic in regions with heavy network restrictions
• Providing alternate routing when conventional ports are blocked
• Seamless failover channel in high-latency scenarios
• Testing firewalls’ ability to detect malicious DNS requests
• Assisting compliance with resilient fail-safes during downtime

Identity and access management (IAM) for role-based security

Identity and access management (IAM) solutions give you granular authority over who is allowed into your digital environment and what they can do while inside. By requiring robust authentication, IAM sets out comprehensive controls that guard sensitive assets. This approach firmly aligns remote user privileges with organizational roles, ensuring alignment with regulatory and operational guidelines.

Moreover, it plays a pivotal role in establishing a trustworthy framework for any online interaction. For multinational teams, IAM can unify identity stores, building a sense of cohesion among distributed resources and services. What’s more, it offers elevated protection for remote app access, a key element of zero trust platforms.

Use Cases

• Enforcing strong multifactor authentication (MFA) for critical systems
• Standardizing single sign-on (SSO) to reduce password fatigue
• Aligning user access rights with their dynamic roles
• Monitoring account behavior for suspicious deviations
• Simplifying onboarding and offboarding processes

Cloud access security broker (CASB) for SaaS data protection

A cloud access security broker (CASB) functions as a policy enforcement point between users and cloud applications. It grants deeper control over data usage and enforces security rules to keep malicious or accidental data leaks at bay. As businesses rely heavily on software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions, CASBs offer a central vantage point to oversee compliance and manage privileges.

This approach becomes invaluable when orchestrating secure internet and cloud access at scale. By blending encryption, threat detection, and visibility, CASBs harmonize compliance with the flexibility of a modern work environment.

Use cases

• Monitoring shadow IT usage and sanctioning approved cloud apps
• Encrypting sensitive data at rest and in motion
• Governing collaboration across SaaS platforms
• Detecting unusual file-sharing behaviors
• Blocking unauthorized downloads or external-facing links

Endpoint detection and response (EDR) for device-level defense

Endpoint detection and response (EDR) is an advanced security solution that continuously monitors end-user devices, collecting and analyzing activity data to detect suspicious behavior. By rapidly illuminating breaches at the endpoint level, EDR technology helps security practitioners address zero day exploits and stealthy attacks that might otherwise go unnoticed in a distributed environment.

Because employees now connect from various devices and networks, EDR has become a prevalent method of securing internet access through rigorous endpoint protection. It empowers businesses with a rich set of behavioral insights, enabling swift remediation before malware or other malicious processes can execute and spread or data exfiltration occurs.

Use cases

• Blacklisting known malicious processes to prevent lateral movement
• Automatically isolating compromised devices to curb further infiltration
• Proactively blocking zero day exploits in real time
• Tracing root causes of endpoint breaches for forensic analysis
• Enhancing incident response with unified threat intelligence

Secure mobile access for BYOD and corporate devices

Secure mobile access ensures that smartphones and tablets, which often operate beyond traditional security perimeters, are shielded from cyberthreats. As companies adopt mobile device management (MDM) strategies, they can enforce security policies across a broad inventory of personal and corporate-owned devices, improving resilience against phishing apps, malicious downloads, and unvetted third-party services.

With bring-your-own-device (BYOD) practices growing more common, comprehensive mobile security is paramount for a distributed workforce. Lax controls can leave businesses open to interception or unauthorized entry, but secure mobile access frameworks enable encryption, seamless authentication, and usage monitoring to keep threats at bay.

Use cases

• Requiring multifactor authentication (MFA) before network access
• Enforcing data encryption on both mobile apps and local storage
• Configuring remote wipe for lost or compromised devices
• Locking down unapproved app installations with MDM policies
• Segmenting corporate data from personal content for user privacy

Virtual private network (VPN): Legacy but still relevant in some cases

A virtual private network (VPN) creates an encrypted tunnel between the user and the corporate network, protecting data from interception. VPNs were, at one point, the gold standard for secure connections when businesses were primarily on-premises, encased behind a single perimeter. However, as organizations scale worldwide and keep moving away from the office, VPNs begin to show their age, often leading to slow performance, complex infrastructure, and extensive trust assumptions.

Though still used in many environments, VPNs today can be more of a burden than a boon when compared to modern alternatives like ZTNA and cloud-delivered solutions. What’s more, a single compromised VPN account can open the door for an attacker to enter your environment and wreak havoc, making them a risk to distributed enterprises.

In the past, these were often employed in these situations:

• Granting mobile employees access to local network files
• Providing secure connections for traveling executives offsite
• Supporting remote IT staff for after-hours maintenance
• Tunneling to on-premises data centers from partner organizations
• Extending corporate access to external contractors intermittently

Advanced strategies for distributed workforces

As organizations scale beyond the basic tools that protect remote access, more advanced frameworks and methodologies can unite security with performance. The following strategies meld networking intelligence with robust defenses, offering a clear path forward for enterprises aiming to harmonize technology, people, and processes.

SASE architectures unify networking and security 

Secure access service edge (SASE) combines security (SWG, CASB, FWaaS, ZTNA) and software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) into a unified service. By reducing the complexity of managing multiple point solutions, SASE optimizes infrastructure costs and simplifies policy control, delivering heightened agility and enabling high-quality user experiences across geographic regions.

Such architectures push security enforcement and routing decisions to the cloud, where traffic is examined and authorized before reaching destination points. With zero trust principles at its core, SASE ensures that sensitive data and critical assets are consistently protected, regardless of where the user or application resides.

Real-time threat detection and AI-powered response

Next-generation architectures increasingly leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) engines to sift through massive streams of data, spotting anomalies at cloud scale and speed. These capabilities automate previously time-intensive tasks, allowing teams to prioritize the most pressing alerts and neutralize threats in record time.

When security events occur, real-time detection empowers incident responders to stop malicious flows before they can propagate. This holistic approach mirrors the distributed nature of the modern workforce, delivering cohesive, around-the-clock protection that binds cyber defense directly to business continuity and user safety.

How Zscaler delivers secure internet access with zero trust

Zscaler, a leader in cloud native security, embodies the principles of ZTNA by verifying every user, device, and connection with identity-driven, context-aware policies that prevent unauthorized access and minimize breach risks. 

Our Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) solution inspects 100% of TLS/SSL-encrypted traffic at scale to stop advanced threats, ransomware, and data loss, while providing seamless, direct-to-cloud connectivity for users anywhere. By replacing legacy firewalls with a true zero trust proxy architecture, Zscaler ensures robust protection without backhauling traffic or compromising performance, delivering benefits such as:

• Minimizing the attack surface to stop compromise, eliminate lateral movement, and prevent data loss from sophisticated cyberthreats.
• Reducing costs and complexity by simplifying networks and eliminating the need for edge and branch firewalls and other tools in your security stack.
• Securing sensitive data from accidental exposure, theft, or double extortion ransomware across users, SaaS apps, and public clouds.
• Empowering a hybrid workforce with secure access to web apps and cloud services from any device or location, ensuring a great digital experience.

Ready to transform your security architecture? Request a demo today to see Zscaler in action.