SC-900 Overview & My Tips
SC-900 or Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals is a fundamentals (one star) certification from Microsoft. It is aimed at people who want to know about the security, compliance and identity feature of the various Microsoft Cloud products (Microsoft 365, Azure and Dynamics 365). Note this certification focuses on Microsoft 365 and Azure only.
Generally, the Fundamentals qualifications can be classified as looking at what not how. So, for example, with the Security, Compliance and Identity Fundamentals you need to know what options are available for securing your cloud services within the Microsoft stack but not how to implement it. Therefore these qualifications are often targeted at those in business management and sales roles. If you have a technical role or mindset, the challenge with the fundamentals certifications can be that we tend to want to know how something works in order to understand what it can do and therefore end up overcomplicating things and going too deep. The objectives for this exam are primarily to describe or define the features.
Disclaimer: All these links were correct at the time of posting. But the Cloud changes regularly, so the referenced articles my change/be removed. Please do post a comment if you spot a broken link or have suggestions to add so others can benefit too.
General References
- SC-900 Exam page https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/exams/sc-900
- Microsoft Learn. Provides searchable learning paths and modules for a variety of roles and levels. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/
- Learn TV. Digital content so you can always keep updated on the latest announcements, features, and products from Microsoft. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/tv/
- Microsoft Azure Blog https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/
- Channel 9. Informational videos, shows, and events on variety of technical topics. https://channel9.msdn.com/
- Microsoft Learning Community Blog. Get the latest information about the certification tests and exam study groups. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/community-blog.aspx
- Azure Documentation https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/
- Microsoft 365 Documentation https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365
- Microsoft Security Documentation https://docs.microsoft.com/en-gb/security/
Taking a Microsoft Professional Exam
There are a number of blogs about taking MCP exams. My personal favourites are:
- Certification process overview | Microsoft Docs
- Microsoft Certifications – Microsoft Exam duration and question types – tiagocosta.com
- An MCT’s perspective on taking a Microsoft Fundamentals Exam (FAQ’s) – @Microsoft365Pro
- How to take a Microsoft Certification Exam Online – Thomas Maurer
Pre-study References
Before attending an SC-900 course you should have a good understanding of what the Microsoft Cloud is. I would recommend reviewing both MS-900 (Microsoft 365 Fundamentals) and AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals) content either by attending a course or reviewing the content on Microsoft Learn. You do not need to pass the exams, but the content will help with this course and exam. These resources can help.
- My MS-900 Extras Page – https://m365train.co.uk/2021/08/15/ms-900-course-extras
- Azure Fundamentals Learning Path (Microsoft Learn)
- Describe Core Azure Concepts https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/az-900-describe-cloud-concepts/
- Describe Core Azure Services https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/az-900-describe-core-azure-services/
- Describe core solutions and management tools on Azure https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/az-900-describe-core-solutions-management-tools-azure/
- Describe general security and network security features https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/az-900-describe-general-security-network-security-features/
- Describe identity, governance, privacy and compliance features https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/az-900-describe-identity-governance-privacy-compliance-features/
- Introduction to Azure security (Microsoft Learn) https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/overview
- Introduction to Microsoft 365 Security & Compliance (Microsoft Learn) https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/m365-security-compliance-capabilities/
- Azure identity management security overview https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/security/fundamentals/identity-management-overview
- Microsoft Azure Well-Architected Framework Security (Learn) https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/modules/azure-well-architected-security/
Microsoft Learn Learning Paths (SC-900)
- SC-900 part 1: Describe the concepts or security, compliance, and identity https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/describe-concepts-of-security-compliance-identity/
- SC-900 part 2: Describe the capabilities of Microsoft identity and access management https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/describe-capabilities-of-microsoft-identity-access/
- SC-900 part 3: Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/describe-capabilities-of-microsoft-security-solutions/
- SC-900 part 4: Describe the capabilities of Microsoft compliance solutions https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/describe-capabilities-of-microsoft-compliance-solutions/
Relevant Videos
- Zero Trust https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4J3ms
- Cloud adoption framework video https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4tyzr
- Azure AD Authentication Fundamentals https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4Kdt9
- The new sign-in standard: Passwordless authentication https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4zhD7
- Azure AD Conditional Access https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4INyI
- AD entitlement management https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4JXQr
- Privileged identity Management https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4ILbu
- Azure Sentinel https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4LHLR
- M365 Defender Overview https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4IPYr
- M365Defender-Incident https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4J3mt
- Explore endpoint security https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4LTIu
- Compliance Manager https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4FGYZ
- Data Classification in the M365 Compliance Center https://www.microsoft.com/videoplayer/embed/RE4vx8x
- Detect Workplace Harassment & Respond – Communication Compliance in Microsoft 365 https://www.microsoft.com/videoplayer/embed/RE4xlaF
- Privileged Access Management https://www.microsoft.com/videoplayer/embed/RE4xqtC
References by Exam Objectives
Based on exam objectives from July 26, 2021
Describe the Concepts of Security, Compliance, and Identity (10-15%)
Describe security and compliance concepts & methodologies
- describe the Zero-Trust methodology
- describe the shared responsibility model
- Bear in mind this exam cover Microsoft 365 (SaaS) and Azure (PaaS & IaaS) so you do need to understand and describe the shared responsibility model for all 3
- Shared responsibility in the cloud – Microsoft Azure | Microsoft Docs
- define defense in depth
- describe common threats
There is no specific reference for this and the actual threat landscape does shift continuously. Threats to organisational security are around the risks to organisations of loss of data or loss of service. The terms you should understand and be able to explain are unauthorised access to systems (commonly known as hacking), unauthorised use of user credentials, denial of service attacks, malware, ransomware, data stolen by staff, data accidentally lost by staff, phishing, spear phishing, scams, SQL injection, dictionary attack, brute force attack, trojan, worm, rootkit exploits
See also Introduction to cybersecurity – Learn | Microsoft Docs
- describe encryption
- describe cloud adoption framework
Define identity concepts
- define identity as the primary security perimeter
- define authentication
- define authorization
- describe what identity providers are
- As per Describe modern authentication and the role of the identity provider – Learn | Microsoft Docs “At the center of modern authentication is the role of the identity provider. An identity provider creates, maintains, and manages identity information while offering authentication, authorization, and auditing services.”
- describe what Active Directory is
- describe the concept of Federated services
- define common Identity Attacks
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Identity and Access Management Solutions (30-35%)
Describe the basic identity services and identity types of Azure AD
- describe what Azure Active Directory is
- describe Azure AD identities (users, devices, groups, service principals/applications)
- describe what hybrid identity is
- describe the different external identity types (Guest Users)
Describe the authentication capabilities of Azure AD
- describe the different authentication methods
- describe self-service password reset
- describe password protection and management capabilities
- describe Multi-factor Authentication
- describe Windows Hello for Business
Describe access management capabilities of Azure AD
- describe what conditional access is
- describe uses and benefits of conditional access
- describe the benefits of Azure AD roles
Describe the identity protection & governance capabilities of Azure AD
- describe what identity governance is
- describe what entitlement management and access reviews is
- describe the capabilities of PIM
- describe Azure AD Identity Protection
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Security Solutions (35-40%)
Describe basic security capabilities in Azure
- describe Azure Network Security groups
- describe Azure DDoS protection
- describe what Azure Firewall is
- describe what Azure Bastion is
- describe what Web Application Firewall is
- describe ways Azure encrypts data
Describe security management capabilities of Azure
- describe the Azure Security center
- describe Azure Secure score
- describe the benefit and use cases of Azure Defender – previously the cloud workload protection platform (CWPP)
- describe Cloud security posture management (CSPM)
- describe security baselines for Azure
Describe security capabilities of Azure Sentinel
- define the concepts of SIEM, SOAR, XDR
- describe the role and value of Azure Sentinel to provide integrated threat protection
Describe threat protection with Microsoft 365 Defender
- describe Microsoft 365 Defender services
- describe Microsoft Defender for Identity (formerly Azure ATP)
- describe Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (formerly Office 365 ATP)
- describe Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (formerly Microsoft Defender ATP)
- describe Microsoft Cloud App Security
Describe security management capabilities of Microsoft 365
- describe the Microsoft 365 Defender portal
- describe how to use Microsoft Secure Score
- describe security reports and dashboards
- describe incidents and incident management capabilities
Describe endpoint security with Microsoft Intune
- describe what Intune is
- describe endpoint security with Intune
- describe the endpoint security with the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center
Describe the Capabilities of Microsoft Compliance Solutions (25-30%)
Describe the compliance management capabilities in Microsoft
- describe the offerings of the Service Trust portal
- describe Microsoft’s privacy principles
- describe the compliance center
- describe compliance manager
- describe use and benefits of compliance score
Describe information protection and governance capabilities of Microsoft 365
- describe data classification capabilities
- describe the value of content and activity explorer
- describe sensitivity labels
- describe Retention Polices and Retention Labels
- describe Records Management
- describe Data Loss Prevention
Describe insider risk capabilities in Microsoft 365
- describe Insider risk management solution
- describe communication compliance
- describe information barriers
- describe privileged access management
- describe customer lockbox
Describe the eDiscovery and audit capabilities of Microsoft 365
- describe the purpose of eDiscovery
- describe the capabilities of the content search tool
- describe the core eDiscovery workflow
- describe the advanced eDiscovery workflow
- describe the core audit capabilities of M365
- describe purpose and value of Advanced Auditing
Describe resource governance capabilities in Azure
- describe the use of Azure Resource locks
- describe what Azure Blueprints is
- define Azure Policy and describe its use cases
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