Roll out Conditional Access for SharePoint Sites

Implementation Effort: Medium – Requires configuring authentication contexts and applying them to sites or sensitivity labels. User Impact: Medium – Users may encounter new access requirements on protected sites.

Overview

Implementing Conditional Access to protect content in SharePoint Online involves applying Microsoft Entra authentication contexts to specific sites or sensitivity labels, enabling granular access control based on user identity, device compliance, and session risk. This approach supports the Zero Trust principles of Verify Explicitly—by enforcing authentication requirements tailored to the sensitivity of the content—and Use Least Privilege Access—by restricting access to only those who meet defined security criteria. Authentication contexts can be directly assigned to SharePoint sites using PowerShell or associated with sensitivity labels in Microsoft Purview, allowing for scalable policy enforcement across multiple sites. Without these controls, sensitive information stored in SharePoint may be accessible without adequate security measures, increasing the risk of data breaches and non-compliance with organizational policies.

Reference

• Conditional access policy for SharePoint sites and OneDrive
• Use sensitivity labels to protect content in Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365 groups, and SharePoint sites
• Conditional Access: Cloud apps, actions, and authentication context
• SharePoint and OneDrive unmanaged device access controls
• Recommended SharePoint access policies