The Microsoft SC-900 exam, also known as the Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals exam, is a certification exam designed to test a candidate’s foundational knowledge of security, compliance, and identity concepts related to Microsoft’s cloud services, including Azure, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365.
The exam is intended for individuals who are looking to start a career in technology and want to gain a basic understanding of cloud security, compliance, and identity concepts. It is also suitable for business professionals who are looking to gain a better understanding of the security and compliance features of Microsoft’s cloud services.
Let us now move to the main point of the article –
Exam Format
The Microsoft SC-900 exam is a certification exam that tests a candidate’s foundational knowledge of security, compliance, and identity concepts related to Microsoft’s cloud services, including Azure, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365. The exam format is as follows:
- Exam Name: Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals (SC-900)
- Exam Format: Multiple-choice questions
- Number of Questions: 40-60 questions
- Exam Duration: 60 minutes
- Passing Score: 700 out of 1000
- Exam Cost: $99 USD (price may vary by location)
Candidates can prepare for the exam by taking the Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals training course, reading the Microsoft Exam Reference Guide, and practicing with sample questions and practice exams. The exam can be taken online or in person at a certified testing center. Once the exam is passed, the candidate will earn the Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals certification.
Microsoft SC-900 Exam Glossary
Here are some key terms and concepts related to the Microsoft SC-900 exam glossary:
- Cloud Computing: Refers to the delivery of computing services, including servers, storage, databases, software, analytics, and intelligence, over the internet.
- Security: Refers to the protection of information and systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction.
- Compliance: Refers to the adherence to legal, regulatory, and industry standards and requirements related to data protection, privacy, and security.
- Identity: Refers to the unique digital representation of a person, device, or service that allows them to be authenticated and authorized to access resources and services.
- Access Management: Refers to the process of granting or denying users access to resources and services based on their identity, permissions, and policies.
- Authentication: Refers to the process of verifying the identity of a user, device, or service attempting to access a resource or service.
- Authorization: Refers to the process of granting or denying access to a resource or service based on the authenticated identity, permissions, and policies.
- Encryption: Refers to the process of encoding information in a way that can only be decoded and read by authorized parties.
- Key Management: Refers to the process of generating, storing, and managing cryptographic keys used for encryption and decryption.
- Azure: Refers to Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, which provides a wide range of cloud services, including computing, storage, networking, and analytics.
Microsoft SC-900 Study Guide
Here are some official resources to help candidates prepare for the Microsoft SC-900 exam:
- Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals Training Course: This is a free, self-paced online course provided by Microsoft to help candidates prepare for the exam. The course covers the key concepts and topics of the exam and includes hands-on exercises and quizzes. Access the course here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/exams/sc-900
- Microsoft Exam Reference Guide: This guide provides an overview of the exam and its objectives, as well as sample questions and tips for exam preparation. Download the guide here: https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RE4USX9
- Microsoft Certification Exam Policies: This document outlines the policies and procedures for taking Microsoft certification exams, including information on exam retakes, exam security, and exam accommodations. Read the policies here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/exam-policies
- Microsoft Certification Community: This is a forum for Microsoft certification candidates to connect with other candidates, share study tips and resources, and get answers to their certification-related questions. Join the community here: https://trainingsupport.microsoft.com/en-us/mcp/forum
- Microsoft Official Practice Tests: These are official practice tests provided by Microsoft to help candidates assess their exam readiness and identify areas for improvement. Access the practice tests here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/exam-sc-900.aspx
Microsoft SC-900 Exam Tips and Tricks
Here are some tips and tricks that can help candidates prepare for the Microsoft SC-900 exam:
- Review the exam objectives: Start by reviewing the exam objectives and understanding the key concepts and topics covered in the exam. This will help you focus your study efforts and ensure that you are covering all the relevant material.
- Take advantage of official resources: Use official resources provided by Microsoft, such as the training course, exam reference guide, and practice tests. These resources are designed to help candidates prepare for the exam and provide a good understanding of the concepts covered.
- Practice with hands-on exercises: To gain a deeper understanding of the concepts and topics covered in the exam, practice with hands-on exercises using Microsoft’s cloud services. This will help you gain practical experience and become familiar with the features and capabilities of the services.
- Use flashcards and study guides: Use flashcards and study guides to help you memorize key concepts, terms, and definitions. This can help you quickly recall information during the exam and improve your overall performance.
- Take breaks and stay focused: Take breaks during your study sessions to avoid burnout and stay focused. Make sure you are getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and exercising regularly to maintain your energy levels and mental focus.
- Time management: Make sure you manage your time effectively during the exam. Pace yourself and don’t spend too much time on any one question. If you are unsure of an answer, mark it for review and come back to it later.
- Stay calm and confident: Finally, stay calm and confident during the exam. Trust in your knowledge and preparation, and don’t let anxiety or stress get the best of you. Take deep breaths and stay focused on the task at hand.
Microsoft SC-900 Exam Course Outline
Describe the Concepts of Security, Compliance, and Identity (10—15%)
Describe security and compliance concepts
- describe the shared responsibility model (Microsoft Documentation: shared responsibility model, Shared responsibility in the cloud)
- define defense in depth (Microsoft Documentation: What is defense in depth?)
- describing the Zero-Trust model (Microsoft Documentation: zero-trust methodology)
- Describe encryption and hashing (Microsoft Documentation: Describe security and compliance concepts)
- Describe Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) concepts
Define identity concepts
- define identity as the primary security perimeter (Microsoft Documentation: Identity as the primary security perimeter)
- defining authentication (Microsoft Documentation: Authentication vs. authorization)
- define authorization (Microsoft Documentation: Authentication vs. authorization)
- describing identity providers (Microsoft Documentation: Identity Providers for External Identities)
- Describe the concept of directory services and Active Directory
- describe the concept of Federation (Microsoft Documentation: federation with Azure AD)
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra (25—30%)
Describe the basic identity services and identity types of Microsoft Entra ID
- describing Microsoft Entra ID
- describe types of identities
- describing hybrid identity (Microsoft Documentation: concept of hybrid identities)
Describe the authentication capabilities of Microsoft Entra ID
- describing the authentication methods (Microsoft Documentation: authentication and verification methods)
- describing Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) (Microsoft Documentation: Azure AD Multi-Factor Authentication, Configure Azure AD Multi-Factor Authentication settings)
- describe password protection and management capabilities (Microsoft Documentation: password protection and management capabilities of Azure AD, Eliminate bad passwords using Azure Active Directory Password Protection, Enforce on-premises Azure AD Password Protection for Active Directory Domain Services)
Describe access management capabilities of Microsoft Entra ID
- describing conditional access (Microsoft Documentation: Define Conditional Access)
- Describe Microsoft Entra roles and role-based access control (RBAC)
Describe the identity protection and governance capabilities of Microsoft Entra
- describe Microsoft Entra ID Governance
- Describe access reviews (Microsoft Documentation: Azure AD entitlement management, Azure AD access reviews)
- Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management (PIM) (Microsoft Documentation: capabilities of Privileged identity Management)
- Describe Entra ID Protection
- Describe Microsoft Entra Permissions Management
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Security Solutions (35—40%)
Describe core infrastructure security services in Azure
- Describe Azure distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) Protection (Microsoft Documentation: Azure DDoS Protection Standard)
- describing Azure Firewall (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Firewall)
- describing Web Application Firewall (WAF) (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Web Application Firewall)
- Describe Network Segmentation with Azure Virtual Networks
- Describe Network Security groups (NSGs) Network security groups)
- describe Azure Bastion (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Bastion)
- Describe Azure Key Vault
Describe security management capabilities of Azure
- Describe Microsoft Defender for Cloud (Microsoft Documentation: Microsoft Defender for Cloud)
- Describe Cloud security posture management (CSPM) (Microsoft Documentation: Manage cloud platform security)
- Describe how security policies and initiatives improve the cloud security posture
- Describe the enhanced security features provided by cloud workload protection
Describe security capabilities of Microsoft Sentinel
- Define the concepts of security information and event management (SIEM) and security orchestration automated response (SOAR) (Microsoft Documentation: concepts of SIEM, SOAR)
- Describe threat detection and mitigation capabilities in Microsoft Sentinel
Describe threat protection with Microsoft Defender XDR
- describe Microsoft Defender XDR services
- describe Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (Microsoft Documentation: Office 365 Security, Microsoft Defender for Office 365)
- describing Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (Microsoft Documentation: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint)
- Describe Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps (Microsoft Documentation: Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps overview)
- describing Microsoft Defender for Identity (Microsoft Documentation: Microsoft Defender for Identity)
- Describe Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management
- Describe Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence (Defender TI)
- Describe the Microsoft Defender portal (Microsoft Documentation: Visit the Microsoft 365 Defender portal)
Describe the Capabilities of Microsoft Compliance Solutions (20—25%)
Describe Microsoft’s Service Trust Portal and privacy principles
- Describe the Service Trust Portal offerings (Microsoft Documentation: Get started with Microsoft Service Trust Portal)
- Describe the privacy principles of Microsoft (Microsoft Documentation: Privacy overview)
- Describe Microsoft Priva
Describe the compliance management capabilities of Microsoft Purview
- Describe the Microsoft Purview compliance portal (Microsoft Documentation: Microsoft Purview compliance portal)
- describing compliance manager (Microsoft Documentation: Microsoft Compliance Manager)
- describe use and benefits of compliance score (Microsoft Documentation: Understanding your compliance score)
Describe information protection, data lifecycle management, and data governance capabilities of Microsoft Purview
- describing data classification capabilities (Microsoft Documentation: Know your data – data classification, data classification capabilities in the Microsoft 365 Compliance Center)
- describe the benefits of content explorer and activity explorer (Microsoft Documentation: activity explorer, content explorer)
- describing sensitivity labels and sensitivity label policies (Microsoft Documentation: sensitivity labels)
- describing Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (Microsoft Documentation: Overview of data loss prevention, Data loss prevention)
- describe Records Management (Microsoft Documentation: records management in Microsoft 365)
- Describe retention policies, retention labels, and retention label policies (Microsoft Documentation: retention policies and retention labels)
- Describe unified data governance solutions in Microsoft Purview
Describe insider risk, eDiscovery, and audit capabilities in Microsoft Purview
- describe Insider risk management (Microsoft Documentation: insider risk management in Microsoft 365)
- Describe eDiscovery solutions in Microsoft Purview
- Describe audit solutions in Microsoft Purview
Let us look at the preparation resources that will help you ace the exam in one go!
SC-900 Microsoft Official Learning Path –
Microsoft provides access to its SC-900 Exam learning path. This SC-900 exam learning path consists of topics covering modules for understanding concepts in a step-by-step format. The main module, on the other hand, includes:
- Firstly, SC-900 part 1: Explains the concepts of security, compliance, and identity
- Secondly, SC-900 part 2: Explaining the capabilities of Microsoft Identity and access management solutions
- Thirdly, SC-900 part 3: Describing the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions
- Lastly, SC-900 part 4: Describing the capabilities of Microsoft compliance solutions
Paid training – Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals
Microsoft Documentation
Microsoft documentation is a powerful source of knowledge that has been developed to provide detailed information about all certification exams. Furthermore, by using Microsoft Documentation for Microsoft SC-900 Exam, you will learn about the various scales of this exam. This also includes modules that will help you learn a lot about the concepts covered in the Microsoft SC-900 Exam.
Testpreptraining Online Tutorials
SC-900: Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals Online Tutorials broaden your knowledge and help you understand exam concepts thoroughly. They also discuss exam details and policies. As a result, learning with Online Tutorials will assist you in better preparing.
Practice Tests
A practice test ensures that the candidate has prepared adequately. Candidates will benefit from the practice test in identifying their weak points so that they can work on them. These days, there are numerous practice tests available on the internet, so the candidate can choose which one they prefer. We also offer practice tests at TestprepTraining, which are extremely helpful to those who are preparing.
