Operational Cost & Complexity
Purpose-built for OT and Critical Infrastructure (CI)
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Good
Simple to deploy. Intuitive to use. Set and forget.
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Good
Frictionless 3rd-party access. Nothing required aside from a device with a modern browser supporting HTTPS.
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Best
Deployment – Easy to Deploy
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Concerning
Software must be staged on hardware, VM, or cloud
XONA Systems
Not Applicable
Xage ZTRA
Concerning
Network/Firewall modifications required
XONA Systems
Not Applicable
Xage ZTRA
Concerning
Agent (vendor) required
XONA Systems
Not Applicable
Xage ZTRA
Not Applicable
User/operator must install proprietary client application for full solution functionality
XONA Systems
Not Applicable
Xage ZTRA
Not Applicable
Time required to install
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Concerning
Usability
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Best
Manageability
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Concerning
Network Complexity
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Concerning
Risk of losing access to OT Asset
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Worst
Authentication (e.g., 1FA, 2FA/MFA, SAML 2.0)
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Best
Authorization – Enforces least privilege
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Best
User access is limited to specific OT/CI systems
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Best
User access is limited to specifics dates and times
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Best
Data Stream Protection
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Concerning
Secure File Transfer
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Best
OT Protocol Isolation
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Good
Risk Introduced based on external dependencies
XONA Systems
Not Applicable
Xage ZTRA
Concerning
Key Features & Functionality
User/Operator Session Monitoring
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Best
User/Operator Session Recording (video)
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Best
Compliance support for key OT regulations such as ISA99/IEC 62443, NERC-CIP, NIST 800-53, and TSA SD02C
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Best
High Availability Option
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Concerning
Log Management Integrations (e.g., SIEM, etc.)
XONA Systems
Best
Xage ZTRA
Best
Incident Management Integrations
XONA Systems
Good
Xage ZTRA
Good
Conclusion
In evaluating secure user access solutions for OT/CI, it’s important that the solution be flexible enough to address the operational needs and constraints of the environment into which it will be deployed, supports a zero-trust authentication and authorization model, and brings a high degree of security to the OT environment into which it needs to connect.
From initial deployment to ongoing maintenance, Xage ZTRA has significantly more complexity and potential points of compromise and failure compared to the XONA CSG. It is the reason that Xage introduced a cloud-based version of their solution as the on-premises solution proved to be difficult to configure and maintain.
In contrast, the XONA Critical System Gateway (CSG) enables frictionless employee, contractor, and/or vendor access that’s purpose-built for operational technology (OT) and critical infrastructure (CI).
The CSG is the definition of simplicity and can be deployed in less than an hour. It’s approach to data stream protection and protocol isolation mitigates the risk of connecting to a protected OT network from an unprotected network, and eliminates common attack vectors, while reducing the overall attack surface. It also enables compliance with OT-specific regulations such as ISA99/IEC 62443, NERC-CIP, NIST SP 800-27, NIST 800-53, and TSA SD02C.
XONA CSG is your secure portal into the cyber-physical world and enables critical operations to happen from anywhere with total confidence and trust.
1 https://www.cisa.gov/critical-infrastructure-sectors
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