Palo Alto GlobalProtect VPN
OnePAM vs Palo Alto GlobalProtect VPN
Compare OnePAM's architecture-level Zero Trust — browser-based, per-resource access with full session recording — with Palo Alto's appliance-dependent GlobalProtect VPN and Prisma Access ZTNA.
Feature Comparison
See how we compare across key capabilities
| Capability | OnePAM | Palo Alto GlobalProtect VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Security model |
Zero Trust — per-resource access, no network exposure
|
VPN — full network access once tunnel is established
|
| Client software required |
No — browser-based access
|
Yes — GlobalProtect agent on every device
|
| Hardware appliance |
No — fully managed SaaS
|
Yes — PA-series firewall or VM-Series in cloud
|
| Lateral movement risk |
Eliminated — users reach only authorized resources
|
High — VPN grants zone/subnet-level access
|
| Session recording |
Full visual playback (SSH, RDP, VNC, DB, Web)
|
Not available — VPN only logs connection metadata
|
| Protocol-aware controls |
SSH keystroke logging, DB query audit, RDP/VNC screen capture
|
Protocol-agnostic encrypted tunnel
|
| Identity-based access |
Per-user, per-resource RBAC with IdP integration
|
Zone-based policies on PA firewall, HIP checks
|
| Just-in-time access |
Built-in approval workflows with time-limited grants
|
Not available natively
|
| Deployment time |
Minutes (SaaS, no hardware)
|
Weeks (PA firewall + Panorama + GlobalProtect rollout)
|
| Prisma Access / ZTNA 2.0 |
True Zero Trust — no network exposure by design
|
ZTNA 2.0 still requires GlobalProtect agent + cloud infrastructure
|
| Multi-protocol support |
SSH, RDP, VNC, K8s, gRPC, Telnet, databases & web apps
|
IPsec/SSL tunnel (all traffic in same encrypted tunnel)
|
| Audit & compliance |
Full audit trails, session recordings, exportable logs
|
PA firewall syslog, no session-level visibility
|
| Pricing model |
Per-user, transparent published pricing
|
PA firewall + GlobalProtect + Panorama + support SKUs
|
| Data masking |
Built-in database query masking
|
Not available
|
| Vendor lock-in |
Works with any infrastructure, no proprietary stack
|
Tightly coupled to Palo Alto ecosystem (Cortex, Prisma, Strata)
|
Why Choose OnePAM
Key advantages for secure infrastructure access
Zero Trust by architecture, not by firewall rules
- Users never touch the network — access is per-resource, not per-zone or per-subnet
- No implicit trust after authentication; every request is independently verified
- Palo Alto's ZTNA 2.0 improves on VPN but still relies on GlobalProtect agent and tunnel-based access
- OnePAM eliminates lateral movement by design — there are no network segments to move laterally across
With OnePAM, a compromised credential cannot be used to scan or pivot across your network. GlobalProtect VPN hands over access to the zone — your firewall rules are the last line of defense.
No client software, no appliance, no Panorama
- Browser-based access — nothing to install, update, or troubleshoot on user devices
- No PA-series firewall to procure, rack, license, and maintain
- No Panorama management server for policy orchestration
- No GlobalProtect agent rollout across every laptop, tablet, and phone
Stop managing VPN client deployments, firewall firmware upgrades, and Panorama policy sync. Users just open a browser and authenticate.
Full session visibility that VPN tunnels can't provide
- SSH sessions recorded with full keystroke-level detail
- RDP sessions with screen recording and clipboard controls
- Database queries logged, auditable, and maskable per column
- GlobalProtect VPN logs only show tunnel up/down and bytes transferred — zero session content
Know exactly who ran which command, executed which query, and accessed which screen. VPN logs tell you someone connected — OnePAM shows you everything they did.
Dramatically lower TCO and operational burden
- No PA-series HA firewall pairs to manage and upgrade
- No Panorama license and infrastructure to maintain
- No GlobalProtect gateway capacity planning
- Transparent per-user pricing vs. multi-SKU enterprise licensing with annual true-ups
Replace a stack of Palo Alto appliances, licenses, and management infrastructure with a single SaaS platform at a fraction of the total cost.
Our Focus
We specialize in secure infrastructure access with full session visibility. We don't try to do everything — we focus on what security and operations teams need most.
- We don't provide next-generation firewall features (IPS, threat prevention, URL filtering)
- We don't replace perimeter firewalls for north-south traffic inspection
- We focus on secure infrastructure access, not SD-WAN or SASE fabric
- We complement your existing Palo Alto firewalls by replacing the VPN access layer
Works with your existing tools: OnePAM integrates with your identity providers, alerting tools, and SIEM platforms.
Common Questions
What customers often ask when comparing
We already have GlobalProtect VPN and it works for our teams
GlobalProtect works for network connectivity, but it grants broad network access behind the firewall. Every modern security framework (NIST 800-207, CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model, Gartner ZTNA) now recommends Zero Trust over VPN. OnePAM gives users access to specific resources — not zones or subnets — with full session recording and per-action audit trails that VPN architecturally cannot provide.
Palo Alto has Prisma Access and ZTNA 2.0 now
Prisma Access ZTNA 2.0 is an improvement over traditional VPN, but it still requires the GlobalProtect agent on every device and operates at the network/app-tunnel level. It cannot record SSH sessions, log database queries, or capture RDP screen content. OnePAM is Zero Trust by design — browser-based, agentless, with protocol-level visibility and controls that Prisma Access doesn't offer.
We're invested in the Palo Alto ecosystem (Cortex, Prisma, Strata)
OnePAM doesn't require replacing your Palo Alto firewalls. You can keep your PA-series for perimeter security and replace only the GlobalProtect VPN access layer with OnePAM's Unified PAM Solution. OnePAM integrates with your existing IdP (Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace) and sends audit logs to your SIEM — it works alongside Palo Alto, not against it.
GlobalProtect includes HIP (Host Information Profile) checks for device posture
Device posture is important, and OnePAM supports device trust verification through IdP-based posture signals. The difference is what happens after the device is verified: GlobalProtect opens a network tunnel, OnePAM grants access to a specific resource with full session recording. Posture checks are the gate — what happens after the gate opens is where the security models diverge.
We need VPN for compliance requirements
Most compliance frameworks (SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, HIPAA) require access controls, audit trails, and session monitoring — not a VPN specifically. OnePAM exceeds these requirements with identity-based access, full session recording, per-query database auditing, and data masking — controls that a VPN tunnel architecturally cannot provide.
Is OnePAM Right for You?
OnePAM works best for teams that need secure access with full audit trails
OnePAM is ideal for
- Organizations moving from traditional VPN to Zero Trust architecture
- Teams frustrated with GlobalProtect client deployment, compatibility issues, and split-tunnel complexity
- Companies needing session recording and command-level audit trails for compliance
- Cloud-first teams that don't want appliance-dependent access solutions
- Security teams concerned about lateral movement risk from zone-based VPN access
- Organizations paying for PA firewalls + Panorama + GlobalProtect + support and wanting to simplify their access stack
OnePAM replaces your Palo Alto GlobalProtect VPN with true Zero Trust access — no client software, no firewall appliance, no lateral movement risk. Every session recorded, every action audited, every connection least-privilege by design, not by firewall rule.
Ready to See the Difference?
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