Conditional Access 101: The First Five Policies Every Organization Should Deploy

Introduction: What Is Conditional Access?

If you're using Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), there's a good chance you've already heard the term Conditional Access. Maybe your IT admin mentioned it, maybe Microsoft recommended enabling it, or maybe you ran into it while reviewing your security roadmap.

But here's the truth:

Conditional Access isn't just another optional feature — it's one of the most important cybersecurity tools for the modern workplace.

Today's digital environment is full of remote workers, cloud apps, mobile devices, and increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. The old model of "trusted networks" and firewalls protecting everything inside the office no longer applies. Employees may log in from home, airports, personal laptops, hotel Wi-Fi, or smartphones. That flexibility is amazing for productivity — but dangerous without the right controls in place.

This is where Conditional Access steps in.

Think of Conditional Access as the security guard of your digital environment — checking identity, device compliance, location, and risk before allowing access. The best part? It all happens automatically and silently behind the scenes — no manual approvals, no constant pop-ups, and no complicated workflows.

In this guide, we'll break down Conditional Access in plain English and walk through the first five policies every organization should deploy, whether you're a small business with ten employees in Raleigh, NC or an enterprise with thousands of decentralized users headquartered in Washington, DC.

What Is Conditional Access? (The Easy Explanation)

Conditional Access is a security framework in Microsoft Entra ID that controls access based on conditions you define.

Instead of simple yes/no access, Conditional Access asks questions like:

• Who is signing in?
• What app are they trying to access?
• Where are they signing in from?
• Is the device trusted or unmanaged?
• Is the login attempt suspicious or risky?

Based on those conditions, Entra ID can:

• Require multi-factor authentication (MFA)
• Block the sign-in entirely
• Allow access only from compliant devices
• Grant temporary access
• Require passwordless authentication

In short:

Conditional Access enforces Zero Trust—never trust, always verify.

Why Conditional Access Matters (Especially Now)

Cybersecurity isn't about if an attack will happen — it's about when.

And right now:

• 99% of account breaches happen on accounts without MFA
• Passwords alone are no longer reliable
• Phishing has become more sophisticated
• Employees work from everywhere on every kind of device

Conditional Access gives organizations a safer, smarter way to protect identity and access.

And here's the good news:

You don't have to deploy dozens of policies to be secure.

Just five core Conditional Access policies will drastically improve your security posture — often with minimal friction for end users.

Let's dive into them.

✅ The First Five Conditional Access Policies Every Organization Should Deploy

These policies form a strong baseline and align with Microsoft best practices, Zero Trust architecture, and modern identity security.

Policy #1: Require MFA for All Users

If you only implemented one Conditional Access policy, this should be it.

Multi-Factor Authentication is the most effective defense against stolen passwords and unauthorized access. Conditional Access lets you enforce MFA intelligently — not by interrupting users constantly, but only when risk conditions require it.

What This Policy Does

• Prompts users for MFA during suspicious or risky sign-ins
• Ensures authentication requires something more than just a password

Why It's Important

Passwords get stolen.
MFA stops attackers from using them.

Best Practice Settings

User Experience

End users authenticate once using a trusted method like:

• Microsoft Authenticator
• Windows Hello for Business
• FIDO2 security keys
• SMS (less secure, but acceptable as backup)

This alone stops the overwhelming majority of credential-based attacks.

Policy #2: Block Legacy Authentication

This is one of the most overlooked — yet critical — conditional access policies.

Legacy authentication protocols (like IMAP, POP, ActiveSync Basic Auth) do NOT support MFA.

Hackers love them.

Microsoft reports that up to 97% of brute-force attacks target legacy protocols.

What This Policy Does

• Blocks authentication attempts from old, insecure protocols and outdated devices/apps

Why It's Important

Even if you enable MFA, an attacker can bypass it using legacy authentication unless it's blocked.

Best Practice Settings

Before Enforcing

Check sign-in logs to see if any users or systems depend on old protocols.

Policy #3: Require Compliant or Entra ID-Joined Devices for Access

Now that identity is secure, it's time to protect devices.

If someone logs in from a personal laptop with no antivirus, outdated patches, or malware — that's a risk. Conditional Access helps ensure only secure and managed devices access sensitive resources.

What This Policy Does

• Ensures users accessing company resources are doing so from enrolled and secure devices

Why It Matters

Remote work changed everything. Organizations can't assume all devices are safe.

Best Practice Settings

This is especially powerful when paired with Microsoft Intune for compliance enforcement (patching, encryption, antivirus, and OS version checks).

Policy #4: Require MFA for Admin Roles

Admins have elevated access, which makes them an enormous target. Even highly secure accounts should require extra verification during sign-in.

What This Policy Does

• Adds stronger login requirements for admin roles like Global Admin, SharePoint Admin, Intune Admin, etc.

Why It Matters

If an attacker compromises an admin account, they can:

• Create new accounts
• Change security settings
• Exfiltrate data
• Disable MFA and Conditional Access entirely

So this policy protects your highest-risk users.

Best Practice Settings

Admins should also use:

• Passwordless authentication
• Dedicated admin workstations
• Privileged Identity Management (PIM)

Policy #5: Block Access from High-Risk Sign-Ins and High-Risk Countries

Microsoft Entra collects intelligence from billions of daily signals to analyze whether a sign-in attempt is suspicious.

Conditional Access can automatically respond by:

• Forcing MFA
• Forcing a password reset
• Blocking access entirely

What This Policy Does

• Protects against logins from unknown locations, TOR networks, disposable IPs, or impossible travel scenarios (ex: login from New York and 10 minutes later from China)

Why It Matters

Attackers rarely log in from the same region or network as the user they're impersonating.

Best Practice Settings

This policy alone stops many credential stuffing and bot attacks.

💡 Bonus Policy: Require Terms of Use / Acceptable Use Prompt

Not required for security — but great for compliance.

Users must accept terms before gaining access.

Perfect for:

• Remote access policies
• Confidential systems
• Regulated industries
• Cybersecurity awareness accountability

How to Roll Out These Policies Safely (Without Locking Anyone Out)

Implementation matters. The right way to deploy Conditional Access is gradual and strategic:

Recommended Rollout Strategy

1. Start in report-only mode
2. Review logs for 3–7 days
3. Fix dependencies (legacy apps, unmanaged devices)
4. Apply policies to pilot users
5. Expand organization-wide

You'll improve security without accidental disruption.

Conditional Access + Zero Trust = A Strong Foundation

Conditional Access is more than a feature — it's one of the core building blocks of Zero Trust security.

It enforces Microsoft's identity security principles:

These five policies represent the foundation of a secure identity strategy — scalable whether you have 10 users or 10,000.

Final Thoughts

Cybersecurity is no longer optional — and identity is the new perimeter. Conditional Access gives organizations a powerful and flexible way to protect access without sacrificing productivity.

By implementing the first five policies:

• Require MFA
• Block legacy authentication
• Require compliant or trusted devices
• Protect admin accounts
• Block risky sign-ins

...you immediately reduce attack exposure while improving control and visibility across your Microsoft environment.

Want Help Implementing Conditional Access?

If you're ready to strengthen security, reduce risk, and deploy best-practice Conditional Access policies — but don't want to guess your way through setup — we can help.

We offer:

• ✅ Conditional Access baseline deployment
• ✅ Policy audit and optimization
• ✅ Admin and user training
• ✅ Intune and Zero Trust integration

📅 Book a free Conditional Access readiness consultation today.

Let's make your environment secure — without slowing down your users.