Conditional access
Conditional access is an access-control technique that grants or denies requests according to contextual conditions and policy requirements.
Azure Security
A conditional access policy is a Microsoft Entra access rule that evaluates assignments and conditions to apply access controls.
- How it is used
- Controls authentication and access decisions for selected identities, applications, locations, devices, and risk scenarios.
- How deep it goes
- Descends through assignments, conditions, controls, and portal configuration, while stopping short of command-line implementation.
- Examples
- Demonstrates MFA for Azure management tasks, trusted-location exclusions, report-only evaluation, and medium-or-high sign-in-risk policies.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure a report-only or enforced MFA policy for selected users and Azure management actions.
Microsoft Azure in Action
Conditional Access is a Microsoft Entra access-control capability that applies policies based on identities, applications, devices, locations, and other conditions.
- How it is used
- Applies MFA rules to selected Entra ID users, groups, and target applications before granting access.
- How deep it goes
- Walks through portal configuration, policy scope, access grants, and applications, but does not develop broader condition types.
- Examples
- Uses the Alpaca-Ma-Bags scenario, broad user groups, target applications, and text-message or phone-call MFA confirmation.
- What you can do after
- Configure an MFA conditional access policy through the Azure portal for selected users, groups, and applications.
Read how Microsoft Azure in Action explains conditional access →
Related concepts
- multifactor authenticationconfigures · Multifactor authentication is an authentication method that verifies identity using evidence from at least two distinct authentication-factor categories.
- conditionpart of · A condition is a contextual boolean requirement that determines whether an authorization policy or access requirement applies.
- dynamic evaluationuses · Dynamic evaluation is runtime evaluation in which executable content or decision criteria are determined from current values or context.
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