Entra ID is one of the keys to ensuring business continuity. It authenticates access to your organisation’s Microsoft data by integrating with services like Microsoft 365 and Azure. If Entra ID is compromised, you can quickly find yourself locked out of your systems. With over 25 billion attacks per year, that’s not a chance you want to take.
Backing up Entra ID is essential for ensuring a rapid recovery. From users and groups to roles and admin units, managing who gets access to what data is a fundamental part of modern business environments. Protecting these configurations against malicious or accidental deletions is as important as establishing them in the first place.
Two of the most important components within Entra ID are Conditional Access Policies (CAPs) and Microsoft Intune. Here’s why.
What are Conditional Access Policies?
CAPs serve as gatekeepers, enforcing access controls based on specific conditions. These policies evaluate various signals, including user location, device compliance, and risk levels, to determine access permissions.
If a user attempts to access corporate resources from an unfamiliar location or device, CAPs can prompt additional authentication or block access altogether. This dynamic approach aligns with the Zero Trust security model, which operates on the principle of ‘never trust, always verify’.
Microsoft’s data underscores the effectiveness of CAPs. Implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) through CAPs can reduce the risk of account compromise by over 99%. However, MFA alone is not enough. Attackers are now using Evilginx to intercept session tokens from real Microsoft login pages, sidestepping MFA protocols. The only solutions are location-based rules and device compliance.
How does Intune work?
Microsoft Intune complements CAPs by providing comprehensive device management capabilities. It ensures that devices accessing organisational resources are compliant with security policies, have the latest updates, and are properly configured. This is crucial in environments where employees use personal devices for work purposes.
By managing devices effectively, Intune reduces the attack surface and enhances overall security posture. Combining Intune with CAPs allows organisations to create a comprehensive security framework that evaluates both user identity and device health before granting access.
The importance of backing up CAPs and Intune configurations
Implementing CAPs and Intune configurations requires significant effort and expertise. These configurations are critical to an organisation’s security infrastructure – any disruption can have severe consequences.
Risks of not backing up:
- Configuration errors: Accidental changes or deletions can lead to security gaps or access issues.
- Cyberattacks: Malicious actors may target and alter CAPs or Intune settings to compromise security.
- Operational disruptions: Loss of configurations can result in downtime and hinder productivity.
Given these risks, it’s imperative to have a reliable backup solution that allows for quick restoration of CAPs and Intune settings.
Protecting CAPs and Intune with Redstor
CAPs and Intune offer a vital last line of defence against cyberattacks and accidental misconfigurations. Leveraging these tools can be the difference between business continuity and organisational chaos. However, their effectiveness hinges on the ability to maintain and restore configurations and, crucially, the speed at which this can be achieved.
Redstor’s Entra ID Backup offers a robust recovery solution. We protect CAPs from malicious or accidental changes and ensure existing settings can be restored in seconds. When it comes to Intune, our Entra ID Backup is equally responsive. We protect Intune device compliance across all major platforms, including Windows 10+, macOS, iOS, Android, and AOSP Device Owner. Whatever your needs, we protect your data for when you need it most.
Data is the blood that flows through any business. Organisations that fail to prepare for disruptions to Entra ID run the risk of disaster, even if the rest of their files and systems remain secure.
Prepare for the worst by partnering with Redstor today. Get in touch to learn more.