Dear B2B VPN, It’s Not Me, It’s You: Why Healthcare Needs Zscaler Extranet

There’s a dirty little secret in healthcare cybersecurity that no one really likes to talk about.

It’s the B2B VPN.

You know, that dusty relic from 2003 still controlling third-party access across entire hospital systems. It's the tool that lets a vendor access one application—and oops—grants them lateral movement across the entire network. It’s like handing a contractor the key to your guest bathroom and realizing you’ve inadvertently given them access to the operating room, HR files, and neonatal unit. Not great.

Let’s break down why this matters.

B2B VPNs: The Swiss Army Knife of Risk

In theory, VPNs were designed to provide secure tunnels for trusted partners. In practice, they've become fire hoses of unfettered access.

• Flat Network Exposure: Once connected, vendors often land on a network segment that gives them much more access than they actually need. Least privilege? Never met her.
• Community Connect Chaos: In Community Connect environments, VPNs are often spun up to link smaller clinics or affiliates to the main system. Unfortunately, this can open up the entire hospital network to third-party risks.
• Unmonitored Access: Most VPNs lack any meaningful visibility into partner activities once connected. Sure, you might log connection times, but what about application-level access? Crickets.
• Ransomware Loves VPNs: In healthcare, 32.2% of all data breaches involve third-party compromises. This underscores the enormous risks associated with unrestricted third-party access. (Source: HIPAA Journal)

If a vendor falls victim to phishing and their VPN credentials are compromised, it’s effectively rolling out the red carpet for attackers. Lateral movement becomes trivial, data exfiltration gets easy, and your incident response team gets a long weekend…in the worst possible way.

Enter Zscaler Extranet: A 21st-Century VPN Replacement

Now, let’s talk about a solution that doesn’t require duct tape, prayer, or an architectural diagram that looks like spaghetti spilled on a Visio chart.

Zscaler Extranet is purpose-built to replace B2B VPNs with zero trust-based, app-specific access—ensuring partners see only what they need to and nothing more.

Some magic under the hood:

• App Segmentation: Vendors never see the entire network. They only access apps you explicitly allow—no shared IP subnets, no broadcast storms, and absolutely no lateral movement.
• Clientless or Agent-Based Access: Depending on the use case, Zscaler enables secure access without requiring software installation on the vendor’s side.
• Bidirectional Connectivity: Perfect for Community Connect workflows, even for tasks like sending printer jobs both directions.
• Policy Control and Visibility: Every session is logged, inspected, and policy-enforced. Whether applying Data Loss Prevention (DLP), malware scanning, or restricting app-layer access, you maintain control.
• Built-In Resiliency: Delivered via Zscaler’s global cloud, you avoid backhauling traffic or relying on outdated VPN concentrators that crumble under load. Your uptime won’t depend on a forgotten Cisco ASA buried under someone’s desk.

TL;DR

B2B VPNs are the tech equivalent of letting a plumber fix your sink—then finding him eating lunch in the ICU.

Zscaler Extranet provides scalable, fine-grained, zero trust-based access that ensures your hospital’s crown jewels remain secure. It’s compliant, easy to implement, and doesn’t require an orchestra of subnet whiteboarding and MAC address filtering just to grant a vendor access to a single app.

So maybe it’s time to break up with your VPN.

Your network deserves boundaries. And your third parties don’t need access to the whole house—just the one room they’re supposed to be in.