Sophos Connect
OnePAM vs Sophos Connect
Compare OnePAM's Unified PAM Solution — no VPN tunnels, no network exposure, no client software — with Sophos Connect's traditional VPN approach and Sophos ZTNA.
Feature Comparison
See how we compare across key capabilities
| Capability | OnePAM | Sophos Connect |
|---|---|---|
| Security architecture |
Zero Trust — never trust, always verify every request
|
VPN — implicit trust after tunnel established
|
| Access model |
Per-resource, least-privilege access
|
Network-level access to entire subnets
|
| Client software required |
No — browser-based, works from any device
|
Yes — Sophos Connect client on every endpoint
|
| Hardware appliance |
No — fully managed SaaS gateway
|
Yes — requires Sophos Firewall (XG/XGS)
|
| Lateral movement risk |
Eliminated — users reach only authorized resources
|
High — VPN grants subnet-level network access
|
| Session recording |
Full visual playback (SSH, RDP, VNC, DB, Web)
|
Not available for VPN sessions
|
| Protocol-aware controls |
SSH keystroke logging, DB query audit, RDP/VNC screen recording
|
Protocol-agnostic tunnel — no visibility into session content
|
| Identity verification |
Continuous per-request verification with IdP integration
|
One-time authentication at tunnel setup
|
| Just-in-time access |
Built-in time-limited approval workflows
|
Not available — access is always-on while connected
|
| Deployment time |
Minutes (SaaS, no hardware)
|
Weeks (Sophos Firewall + Sophos Connect rollout)
|
| Sophos ZTNA comparison |
True Zero Trust — no agents, no appliances, session-level controls
|
Sophos ZTNA still requires agent + Sophos Firewall gateway
|
| Multi-protocol support |
SSH, RDP, VNC, K8s, gRPC, Telnet, databases & web apps
|
IPsec/SSL VPN tunnel (all traffic in same tunnel)
|
| Audit & compliance |
Full audit trails, session recordings, exportable logs
|
Firewall syslog (no session-level visibility)
|
| Data masking |
Built-in database query masking for sensitive fields
|
Not available
|
| Pricing transparency |
Per-user, published pricing from $5/user/month
|
Sophos Firewall + Sophos Connect + optional ZTNA licenses
|
Why Choose OnePAM
Key advantages for secure infrastructure access
Zero Trust by architecture, not by add-on
- Users never touch the network — access is granted per-resource, not per-subnet
- Every request is verified against identity, device posture, and policy — not just at tunnel setup
- Sophos Connect grants implicit trust once the VPN tunnel is established
- Sophos ZTNA is a step forward but still requires endpoint agents and Sophos Firewall hardware
- OnePAM eliminates lateral movement by design — there is no network to move laterally on
With OnePAM, a compromised credential can't be used to scan your network — because there is no network access to begin with. Sophos VPN hands over access to the subnet the moment the tunnel connects.
No client software, no hardware appliance, no maintenance
- Browser-based access — nothing to install, patch, or manage on user devices
- No Sophos Firewall to buy, rack, license, and keep updated
- No Sophos Connect client rollout across every laptop
- Works from any browser, any device, any location — including BYOD and contractors
Stop managing VPN client deployments, firewall firmware updates, and IPsec tunnel configurations. Users just open a browser and access exactly what they need.
Full session visibility that VPNs can never provide
- SSH sessions recorded with keystroke-level detail — every command captured
- RDP sessions with full screen recording and playback
- Database queries logged, auditable, and maskable for sensitive data
- Web app sessions recorded with full interaction capture
- VPN tunnels are opaque — they show connection times but nothing about what happened inside
Know exactly who did what, when, and where. Sophos VPN logs show connection timestamps — OnePAM shows every command typed, every query run, every screen viewed.
Simpler operations, dramatically lower total cost
- No Sophos Firewall HA pairs to manage and maintain
- No firmware upgrades, security patches, or hardware refresh cycles
- No Sophos Central management overhead for VPN policies
- Transparent per-user pricing vs. multi-SKU hardware + software licensing
- No split-tunnel vs. full-tunnel configuration headaches
Replace a stack of Sophos hardware, licenses, and management consoles with a single SaaS platform at a fraction of the TCO — and get session recording and Zero Trust that Sophos VPN can't provide at any price.
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 endpoint antivirus or threat protection (Sophos Intercept X domain)
- We don't replace perimeter firewalls for north-south traffic inspection
- We focus on secure infrastructure access, not SD-WAN or network fabric
- We complement existing network security — OnePAM can work alongside Sophos Firewall for different use cases
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 Sophos Connect and it works fine for our VPN needs
VPN works for basic network connectivity, but it grants broad network access that modern security frameworks explicitly recommend against. NIST, CISA, and Gartner all advocate Zero Trust over VPN. OnePAM gives users access to specific resources — not entire subnets — with full session recording and audit trails that VPN architecturally cannot provide. The question isn't whether VPN connects — it's whether you can see and control what happens after connection.
Sophos has their own ZTNA solution now
Sophos ZTNA is a meaningful step beyond VPN, but it still requires a Sophos agent on every endpoint and a Sophos Firewall as the gateway. It's ZTNA grafted onto a firewall platform. OnePAM is Zero Trust by architecture — browser-based, agentless, with protocol-level visibility (SSH keystrokes, database queries, RDP/VNC screen recordings) and just-in-time access workflows that Sophos ZTNA doesn't offer. The difference is foundational, not incremental.
We're heavily invested in the Sophos ecosystem (Central, Intercept X, Firewall)
OnePAM doesn't require you to rip out Sophos. Keep Sophos Firewall for perimeter security, Intercept X for endpoint protection, and Central for management. Replace only the VPN component — Sophos Connect — with OnePAM's Zero Trust access for infrastructure. You get session-level security that Sophos's stack can't provide, without disrupting what's already working.
We need VPN for full network access to some legacy resources
OnePAM includes WireGuard-based VPN for cases where network-level access is truly needed — but with identity-aware policies, per-user tunnels, and full audit trails. You get the best of both: Zero Trust per-resource access by default, and network-level access when required, all through one platform with unified logging and session recording.
We need VPN for compliance requirements
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, database query auditing, and just-in-time access controls — capabilities a VPN tunnel cannot provide regardless of vendor.
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 Sophos Connect deployment, split-tunnel configuration, and management overhead
- Companies needing session recording and audit trails for compliance (SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS)
- Cloud-first teams that don't want hardware-dependent access solutions
- Security teams concerned about lateral movement risk inherent in VPN network access
- Organizations paying for Sophos Firewall + Sophos Connect + Sophos Central and wanting to simplify their access stack
- Contractors and third-party access scenarios where installing VPN clients is impractical
OnePAM replaces Sophos Connect with true Zero Trust access — no VPN tunnels, no client software, no hardware appliances, no lateral movement risk. Every session recorded, every action audited, every connection least-privilege by design. Even Sophos's own ZTNA can't match browser-based, agentless, session-level security.
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