Phishing, credential theft, and stolen sessions are the #1 vector across virtually every breach report — and they all route through one layer: identity. MFA, device trust, adaptive access policy, and identity-aware ZTNA all sit in this category. Below is the shortlist and when each one fits.
| MFA + Device TrustCisco Duo | Enterprise ZTNAAppgate | SMB AccessNord Security | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approach | Identity-layer MFA + device posture + adaptive access policy | Identity-aware ZTNA — network access controlled by identity, not network location | Cloud VPN / ZTNA hybrid for distributed teams |
| Best-fit buyer | CISO standardizing MFA, retiring legacy tokens, strengthening identity layer | Enterprise CISO replacing VPN with identity-based network access | SMB IT lead at 25–500 employees needing modern remote access economics |
| What it solves | "Passwords are the breach. Stop trusting them alone." | "VPN trusts the network, not the user. Flip that." | "We need ZTNA-grade access without enterprise pricing." |
| Differentiator | Push MFA UX users accept, deep M365 integration, broad SaaS coverage | Single-packet authorization, deep policy granularity, hybrid architecture | Channel-friendly, fast deployment, per-user pricing |
| Less ideal when… | You need network-level segmentation, not authentication | You're SMB — overkill | You're enterprise with complex segmentation needs |
Brief Duo if your wedge is identity — retire SMS MFA, modernize hardware tokens, add device posture checks, and standardize on MFA that users actually accept.
Supplier page →Brief Appgate if you're an enterprise replacing legacy VPN with identity-aware ZTNA at scale, with granular policy and hybrid-first architecture.
Supplier page →Brief Nord Security if you're SMB / growth-stage and need modern remote access deployed in days at channel-friendly per-user pricing.
Supplier page →