ZTNA and open vpn server

DonM

So I studied OPENVPN servers quite a bit, my thought was I could learn how to set these up and I could provide businesses with access to their data securely. I became discouraged when I could not find anyone to help me if I get stuck. I could not find any instances where it was practice for a small business to set up a onsite remote access server so they could securely access their data ( In the case that a small business does not wish to use a cloud ) like Attorneys -- But I could not find any instances of this here in my little town and I could not find any person on this forum willing to speak of it. Maybe or maybe not this was something possible. ? Feasible ? Every single instance on the web where people show how to setup a remote access server they are doing it a cloud someplace. It is not the same. I have a ubuntu server setup on a OPTIPLEX with 16 gig of ram and a I3 intel. I have ubuntu server installed.
I could not figure out how to access it securely with the security keys. I could not get that fundamental thing figured out.

It appears the learning curve to all of this is very high, especially when your trying to learn it on your own.

I was sent an email from openvpn about ZTNA What does this mean, ? it says "Join OpenVPN on March 29, 2023, to see how you can create Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) with OpenVPN Access Server." What do they mean when they say "OpenVPN Access Server" ?
Like are they talking about a server that is in my possession at my office ? a server install of ubuntu on location ?
Does anyone do this ??
I became discouraged when I saw very old posts on forums where people are trying to setup a remote access server how they spent weeks trying to get it to work yet no person would give them a clue. Its like a shower, if you have never used a shower you don't know how to do it, you don't know You do not know you can get burned, everyone assumes you just know that you need to adjust the water temperature. IF you don't know you don't know. Maybe you need to study for a CCNA first ? Maybe no person uses a remote access server located at their office to access files remotely in a small business ? But it seams to me that many small businesses WOULD want to access their files and cameras safely. Anyway are their small businesses out their that figure out how to use this remote access server software as I describe here ? Is ZTNA for this kind of small business who does not wish to use a cloud or have their RAS on a cloud ?

doit2010

The operation guide on the website is really not easy to use
1. The difference between openvpn and openvpn access server
openvpn is open source and free, but the setup is very complicated. openvpn access server is web ui setting, 2 user are free, multiple people charge

2. It is recommended that you buy a cheap cloud server to learn
If you install it on your own computer and need Internet ip and port, you need to open the port on the router.
Or you can install Oracle VM VirtualBox to install openvpn access server, learn some simple passwords and user profile to use

3. openvpn consists of two parts, the server and the client
For installation and use, it is recommended that you go to the website to check more information
https://openvpn.net/

openvpn_inc

Hello,

OpenVPN Access Server is the commercial VPN solution that OpenVPN Inc. has had on the market for years. It is designed to be deployable almost anywhere. You can run it at home. On your business server. Or in the cloud. People pick the cloud often because nowadays it's fairly common to deploy services in a cloud provider like Amazon or Azure or Google cloud or such. But we also have customers that run it on their own servers just fine. You mentioned a server install of ubuntu on location. That's exactly what that is. You install Access Server on that and you configure some users and open some ports needed for the VPN connections and you're basically good to go.

We have quick start guides on our website to get you started with deploying an Access Server. You will need a minimum experience with Linux and networking. If you don't have that, you can learn, or find an IT company that has experience with those two items. We try to make it as easy as possible but at some point some knowledge will be required.

If you want to give it a try yourself, go right ahead, it's free to install and try. If you need some help setting up your proof of concept you can contact our support department.

Kind regards,
Johan