The correct answer is to use Conditional Access with a device compliance condition and session control via Defender for Cloud Apps. This solution works because Conditional Access evaluates the device compliance state for both managed devices enrolled in Intune and unmanaged devices by leveraging signals from third-party MDM or Defender for Cloud Apps, while the session control enforces real-time blocking at the application level. On the AZ-500 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to combine Entra ID Conditional Access policies with Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps to enforce device compliance across heterogeneous environments, a common trap being to rely solely on Intune compliance policies which only cover managed devices. Remember the memory tip: “Conditional Access checks the ticket, Defender for Cloud Apps blocks the gate”—the first evaluates device state, the second enforces the action.
AZ-500 Secure identity and access Practice Question
This AZ-500 practice question tests your understanding of secure identity and access. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Your organization uses Microsoft Entra ID P2 and Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps. You want to detect and block sign-ins from non-compliant devices to a critical SaaS application. The solution must work for both managed (Microsoft Intune enrolled) and unmanaged devices. What should you use?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use Conditional Access with device compliance condition and session control via Defender for Cloud Apps.
Option B is correct because it combines Conditional Access with a device compliance condition to evaluate device state for both managed (Intune-enrolled) and unmanaged devices, and then uses session control via Defender for Cloud Apps to block sign-ins from non-compliant devices. This approach works for unmanaged devices by leveraging device compliance signals from Intune or third-party MDM, and the session control enforces real-time blocking at the app level.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Deploy Microsoft Entra application proxy and require pre-authentication.
Why it's wrong here
Pre-authentication does not enforce device compliance.
✓
Use Conditional Access with device compliance condition and session control via Defender for Cloud Apps.
Why this is correct
Device compliance covers managed devices; Defender for Cloud Apps session control can block unmanaged devices.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Configure Intune compliance policies and require compliant device in Conditional Access.
Why it's wrong here
Only works for Intune-enrolled devices; unmanaged devices bypass.
✗
Enable Microsoft Entra ID Protection and set sign-in risk policy to block medium and above.
Why it's wrong here
Risk policy does not enforce device compliance.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often think Intune compliance policies alone (Option C) can cover unmanaged devices, but they forget that unmanaged devices cannot be evaluated for compliance without a session-level control like Defender for Cloud Apps.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Conditional Access evaluates device compliance by checking the device's compliance status reported by Intune or a connected MDM; for unmanaged devices, the device compliance condition can be set to 'Require device to be marked as compliant' which inherently fails for unmanaged devices, allowing a block action. The session control via Defender for Cloud Apps uses reverse proxy to intercept the session and enforce policies like 'Block' or 'Read-only' based on device tags, even for unmanaged devices that are not enrolled. In a real-world scenario, this is critical for SaaS apps like Salesforce or Office 365 where you need to enforce access from only compliant devices regardless of enrollment status.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-500 question in full detail.
Secure identity and access — This question tests Secure identity and access — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use Conditional Access with device compliance condition and session control via Defender for Cloud Apps. — Option B is correct because it combines Conditional Access with a device compliance condition to evaluate device state for both managed (Intune-enrolled) and unmanaged devices, and then uses session control via Defender for Cloud Apps to block sign-ins from non-compliant devices. This approach works for unmanaged devices by leveraging device compliance signals from Intune or third-party MDM, and the session control enforces real-time blocking at the app level.
What should I do if I get this AZ-500 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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