I've been reading through the implementation threads here to understand Cloudflare Access before my team evaluates it. The term "Zero Trust" is used constantly, but I'm finding that its specific meaning in the context of Access differs from the broader, more theoretical security presentations I've seen.
Could someone explain the core Zero Trust principles *as they are mechanically applied* by Cloudflare Access? I understand the general "never trust, always verify" idea, but I need to connect it to the actual product features.
From my reading so far, I've gathered that in Access, Zero Trust primarily means:
* Every request to an application (whether a web app, SSH server, or RDP) is authenticated and authorized *before* any connection is established, regardless of where the request originates (inside or outside the corporate network).
* There is no inherent trust granted based on network location. A user on the office Wi-Fi has no more inherent access than a user at a coffee shop.
* Access decisions are based on a set of rules that evaluate user identity (via your identity provider), device posture, group membership, and other contextual signals.
My specific questions are:
1. How does this differ from a traditional VPN model in practical terms for an end-user's experience?
2. What is the "trust" that is being removed? Is it the trust in the network perimeter itself?
3. In a typical Access rule, what are the common "signals" used to verify a request before granting trust?
I'm trying to move from a conceptual understanding to the concrete mechanics, as this will help me map it to our internal application landscape.