Conditional access, also known as contextual access, is a method used to control user access in an organisation. This enables IT administrators to control access based on users’ identities, device security attributes, location, and more.
Conditional access is commonly set up in Azure Active Directory. It can also be set up in any other similar identity and access management tool.
What is Single Sign-On and How Does it Differ from Conditional Access?
Single sign-on (SSO) is a feature that allows users to access different applications with only one set of credentials, usually a username and password.
Conditional access expands access control to consider other criteria including IP address, location, devices, and more. Access is only granted when the set criteria are met.
Why Conditional Access is Important for Identity Management
Conditional access is an important security feature for identity management. It allows administrators to allow or restrict access to resources based on different criteria and not solely usernames and passwords. This is a critical feature for protecting company data from unauthorised access.
Conditional access can be used to protect company data from unauthorised access. It can also be used to allow or restrict access to resources based on the identity of the user.
The Benefits of Implementing Conditional Access for Identity Management
#1 Improves Security
Conditional access allows you more flexibility in challenging user legitimacy. Authentication of a user goes beyond a username and password. Users will be required to meet specific requirements before they are granted access.
Contextual access could block any login attempts from unknown countries. It could also present an extra verification question when employees use an unrecognised device.
#2 Automate Access Management Process
Conditional access can be automated to reduce the burden on administrative IT teams. Once the if/then statements are set up, the system takes over. It automates the monitoring of contextual factors and takes the appropriate actions.
Automated processes are more accurate and reliable than human manual processing. Without manual intervention, each conditional is verified based on the conditional statements that were set up.
#3 Restriction of Certain Criteria and Activities
Conditional access can be used for more than keeping unauthorised users from your network and data. It can also be used to restrict activities that legitimate users can do.
You can restrict access to data based on a user’s role in the system. You can also use a combination of criteria to prevent logging in from unknown devices. Conditional access can also be used to prevent users from overloading your network’s bandwidth.
#4 Improves User Login Experience
Not all employees prefer the use of Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) as it may slow down their work and interfere with productivity. You can use conditional access with MFA to improve the user’s experience. You can set up a condition to only require MFA when users are not in the office premises or out of the office network. You can also put in extra challenge questions on a role of context-based basis.
#5 Enforce the Rule of Least Privilege
You can set the rule of least privilege as a security’s best practice. This means that you grant the lowest level of access in a system for a user to get their work done. Additional access can be set up based on roles, job requirements, and other criteria.
Conditional access simplifies the process of restricting access to data, functions, and networks. Streamlining identifty management makes management easier.
Get started with implementing conditional access today
Leveraging conditional access is central to implementing a comprehensive identity and access management solution. Conditional access enables organisations to grant access to resources based on rules, policies, and classification, with predefined validity periods. Conditional access helps organisations limit access to sensitive data and intellectual property. Conditional access also functions as an access control mechanism.
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