Compromised cybersecurity is one of the primary roadblocks that hinder many businesses’ success worldwide, especially following the migration to the cloud. According to an IBM/Ponemon Institute Report, the average cost of data breaches globally is $4.24 million, with the breaches in the United States being the costliest at $9.05 million. Thus, while migrating your business’ network to the cloud means more opportunities and flexibilities, it also means more cybersecurity headaches since users have various access methods.
That being the case, you need a way to verify or validate users and devices accessing your network and data to protect your business from cybercriminals. Luckily, conditional access policy gives you absolute control over your business’ network by requiring users to perform specific approved actions before gaining access. This article will extensively discuss everything you need to know about conditional access policy and why it is crucial for your business’s cybersecurity.
What Is Conditional Access Policy?
Conditional access policy is a policy or a condition that adds an extra layer of security to your business’ network by enabling the admin to regulate remote connections. The policy goes over and above the standard identification-based authentication to manage the user’s location, the application accessed, and the device used, among other things. If the user fails to meet these policies, they’re denied access or asked to provide additional login credentials such as an additional password or verification by mobile device.
The Importance of Conditional Access Policy
In today’s tech-oriented world, cybercriminals are constantly devising new ways to breach the cybersecurity of businesses worldwide. Luckily, there is a wide range of measures, including conditional access policy, which you can take to protect your business from these cyberattacks. Outlined below are some of the importance of having a conditional access policy to secure your business.
Improves Admin Experience
Conditional access technology lightens your workload, as an IT administrator, by automating the cybersecurity of your cloud and network. With a well-thought-out conditional access policy in place, you can trust that the login process to your network is sufficiently secured and doesn’t require additional work. In addition, the policy removes the need to have MFA at every login attempt, reducing user login errors which, in turn, cuts down the help desk tickets you need to deal with.
This policy also allows you to grant individual users different access levels to your network, depending on their authorization rank or need. For instance, you can set that only users whose duties involve using sensitive resources or files are allowed to access the sensitive data. In this case, access requests from other users will be denied, or they’ll be asked to provide additional authentication details to be granted access.
Blocks Access to Unauthorized Users
Conditional access policy blocks all unauthorized users from gaining access to your private or sensitive digital assets. The technology also prevents authorized users in your business’ network from creating or sharing copies of confidential or proprietary information. Blocking unauthorized users from accessing your network and sharing your business’s proprietary information, in turn, reduces the possibility of cybersecurity incidents.
With a conditional access policy, you can block user requests from specific geographical locations from accessing your network. The technology also enables you to set conditions to authorize access requests from specific geographical areas such as branch offices. If that’s not enough, you can demand additional security authorization for access requests coming from locations outside your control.
Improves User Experience
Over 80% of businesses worldwide use multi-factor authentication (MFA) to securely verify their users’ login attempts. However, placing MFA requirements everywhere in your network can be overwhelming to users and prompt them to bypass the authentication requirements. Conditional access policy alienates the need to have multi-factor authentication requirements at every login juncture by automatically verifying the login attempts, thus enhancing cybersecurity.
Besides, the technology allows you to regulate access requests from your employee’s devices, such as smartphones and personal laptops. For instance, you can limit the number of employee endpoints allowed to gain access to your business’ network. Additionally, you can enable access to a limited number of devices within your business IT department’s control to prevent cybercriminals from accessing your business’s cloud or data.
Final Word
In hindsight, incorporating a well-thought-out conditional access policy in your business is significant if you intend to improve your network’s cybersecurity. The policy prevents harmful and careless agents from accessing your business’ network by demanding additional authentication details and blocking access to unauthorized users.
While a conditional access policy effectively keeps away cyberattacks, it would help to work with a reputable cloud security partner to protect your business from cyber disasters. Here at 360 Visibility, we are your best shot when it boils down to implementing cloud security for your business.