SoaebRathod shares a practical starter pack for implementing Conditional Access in Microsoft Entra ID, complete with policy templates, PowerShell deployment scripts, and a GitHub Actions workflow for secure, automated rollout.

Kickstart Conditional Access in Microsoft Entra: Free Starter Pack with Policies & Automation

Conditional Access (CA) is a core component of the Zero Trust security model in Microsoft Entra ID. This post introduces a free starter pack designed to help organizations implement CA quickly and safely, without risking productivity or accidentally locking out administrators.

What’s Included

  • Policy Templates (JSON): Pre-defined Conditional Access policies, including blocking legacy authentication and requiring MFA for privileged accounts.
  • PowerShell Deployment Scripts: Scripts to deploy CA policies via Microsoft Graph, export existing policies, and toggle report-only mode.
  • GitHub Actions Workflow: Enables CI/CD automation for policy deployment.
  • Safety-Focused Documentation: Usage guides and a checklist to ensure careful, non-disruptive rollout.

Why Use Conditional Access?

  • Block legacy authentication to reduce vulnerabilities.
  • Enforce MFA for administrators for enhanced security.
  • Require compliant devices and MFA for high-risk sign-ins.
  • Validate new policies with report-only mode before enforcing them organization-wide.

How To Get Started

  1. Download the Repository
    Access the resources on GitHub.

  2. Install Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK

    Install-Module Microsoft.Graph -Scope CurrentUser
Connect-MgGraph -Scopes 'Policy.ReadWrite.ConditionalAccess','Directory.Read.All'
Select-MgProfile -Name beta

  3. Deploy Policies in Report-Only Mode

    ./scripts/deploy-conditional-access.ps1 -PolicyPath ./policies -ReportOnly
  4. Validate Impact
    Review the Sign-in logs to verify how policies would affect users and services before enforcement.

Safe Rollout Best Practices

  • Always exclude break-glass accounts from CA policies.
  • Start with report-only mode and validate for 48–72 hours.
  • Pilot new policies with a small group before organization-wide rollout.

Next Steps

  • Enable report-only mode for all new policies.
  • Explore Microsoft Entra portal Conditional Access templates for further customization.
  • Stay tuned for upcoming content on optimizing Conditional Access for performance and security.

Have questions or challenges with Conditional Access? Share in the comments for discussion in a future post.

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