Microsoft 365

How Conditional Access Evaluates Sign‑Ins Behind the Scenes Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) is Microsoft’s cloud identity and access management (IAM) service. It handles authentication (proving who you are), authorization (what you can access), and identity governance for users, apps, and devices across Microsoft 365, Azure, and many third-party SaaS platforms. What makes Entra ID especially powerful for modern security is Conditional Access, a policy engine that evaluates requests in real time and enforces security requirements based on conditions like user, location, device state, and risk. Microsoft positions Conditional Access as a key part of a Zero Trust approach, where access is continuously verified rather than assumed.