Restrict ServiceNow Access to a Specific IP Address Using Conditional Access

Overview

This article walks through restricting ServiceNow Access to one or more approved IP Addresses using Conditional Access in Microsoft Entra ID. When Entra ID is configured as the identity provider for ServiceNow via SAML SSO, Conditional Access policies are 
evaluated at sign-in time, blocking access from any IP not on your approved list before a 
SAML assertion is issued to ServiceNow.

The approach uses two components working together: 

• Named Locations:  A saved list of trusted IP addresses or CIDR ranges defined in 
  Entra ID. 
• Conditional Access policy:  A policy that blocks ServiceNow sign-ins originating from 
  any IP not on the trusted list. 

Please Note:  ServiceNow also includes native IP access restriction controls at the instance and user record level, configurable under System Security > IP Address Access Control. These can be used alongside Entra ID Conditional Access as complementary layers. This article covers the Entra ID approach, which enforces restrictions at the identity provider level before authentication reaches ServiceNow.

Important: ServiceNow requires the Integration - Multiple Provider SSO Installer 
plugin to be activated before SAML SSO can be configured. If this plugin 
has not been activated in your ServiceNow instance, SSO configuration will not be available. Confirm the plugin is active before proceeding.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, confirm the following are in place:

• Microsoft Entra ID P1 or P2 license - required for Conditional Access.
• Conditional Access Administrator role or higher in Microsoft Entra ID.
• ServiceNow enterprise app (SAML SSO) registered in your Entra ID tenant with SSO 
  configured, the Multi-Provider SSO plugin activated in ServiceNow, and the identity provider set to Active.
• Local ServiceNow logins disabled (recommended) -  if users can still log in with their ServiceNow username and password, they can bypass Entra ID and the Conditional Access policy. Disable local logins in ServiceNow under Multi-Provider SSO > Properties by enabling the option to redirect all users through the external identity provider.
• Security Defaults Disabled in Entra ID - Security Defaults and Conditional Access cannot run simultaneously.
• Known static IP address -  the public IP address or CIDR range of each approved location.
• Break-glass admin account -  must be excluded from this policy to prevent administrative lockout.

Important:  If your approved IP address is dynamic, this approach will not work reliably. You must use a static IP before implementing IP-based Conditional Access.

Step 1: Create a Named Location for Your Trusted IP(s)

A Named Location defines the trusted IP addresses that Entra ID will reference as a condition in the policy.

1. Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center at entra.microsoft.com
2. Navigate to Protection > Conditional Access > Named locations.
3. Select + IP ranges locations.
4. Name the location. For example: Trusted - Corporate Office
5. Check the Mark as trusted location checkbox.
6. Click + and enter your approved IP address or CIDR range. 

7.  Click Create.

Step 2: Create the Conditional Access Policy

Create a policy that blocks Salesforce access from any location not on your trusted list.

1. In the Entra admin center, navigate to Protection > Conditional Access > Policies.
2. Select + New policy.
3. Name the policy. For example, Block ServiceNow- Outside Trusted IPs

Assignments: Users

1. Under Assignments > Users, select All users.
2. Under Exclude, add your break-glass admin account and any automation or service accounts that authenticate from dynamic IPs.

Please Note: ServiceNow integrations and MID Servers may authenticate to the ServiceNow instance through Entra ID in some configuratoins. Review your integration accounts before enabling this poliyc to confirm they will not be blocked.

Assignments: Target Resources

1. Under Target Resources, select Cloud apps > Select apps.
2. Search for and select ServiceNow.

Conditions: Locations

1. Under Conditions > Locations, set Configure to Yes.
2. Under Include, select Any location.
3. Under Exclude, select Selected locations, then choose the Named Location you created in Step 1.

Tip: This configuration reads: Apply this policy to sign-ins from any location except the trusted named location. Any ServiceNow sign-in originating outside the trusted IP will be blocked before a SAML assertion is issued to ServiceNow.

Access Controls: Grant

1. Under Access Controls > Grant, select Block access.
2. Click Select to confirm.

Enable Policy

1. Set Enable policy to Report-only.
2. Click Create.

Important: Do not set this policy to On immediately. A block policy applied to All users that is misconfigured will lock all users out of ServiceNow instantly. Always validate in Report-only mode first.

Step 3: Validate the Policy

Before enabling enforcement, confirm the policy is evaluating sign-ins correctly.

1. In the Entra admin center, navigate to Identity > Monitoring & health > Sign-in logs. 
2. Filter by the ServiceNow application.
3. Open a sign-in from a user on your trusted IP and confirm the Conditional Access 
tab shows Would succeed. 
4. If available, review a sign-in from an untrusted IP and confirm it shows Would fail 
with the location condition listed as the reason. 
5. Identify any Salesforce integration users, connected apps, or API access accounts that authenticate from IPs outside your Named Location. These will show as Would fail and must be reviewed before enabling enforcement.

Tip:  Use the What If tool under Protection > Conditional Access to simulate how a specific user signing in from a specific IP would be evaluated without waiting for a real sign-in event.

Step 4: Enable the Policy

1. In the Entra admin center, navigate to Protection > Conditional Access > Policies.
2. Select the policy created in Step 2.
3. Change Enable policy from Report-only to On.
4. Click Save.

From this point forward, any ServiceNow sign-in attempt from an IP address not included in your Named Location will be blocked. Entra ID will not issue a SAML assertion to ServiceNow, and the user will be denied access at the identity provider level.

Please Note: Users who are already signed in to ServiceNow when the policy is enabled will not be immediately signed out. The block takes effect on the next sign-in or token refresh. Confirm that local ServiceNow logins are disabled in Multi-Provider SSO settings to prevent users from bypassing Entra ID using their ServiceNow credentials.

Summary

The following table summarizes the full configuration process.