The Microsoft SC-900 certification, formally known as Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals, is a beginner-level certification that introduces candidates to the core principles of security, compliance, and identity as they relate to Microsoft cloud technologies. This includes services such as Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365.
This exam is part of Microsoft’s fundamentals certification track and is especially helpful for those new to IT or cloud-based environments. It offers a practical starting point for understanding the foundational layers of cloud security and data protection. The SC-900 exam does not assume prior deep technical expertise, making it accessible for business professionals, students, and individuals transitioning into the tech industry.
Earning this certification validates that the candidate understands Microsoft’s approach to protecting digital assets, enforcing compliance, and managing identities in modern enterprise environments. It serves as a baseline for further certifications in Microsoft’s security and compliance specialization tracks.
Who Should Consider Taking the SC-900 Exam
The SC-900 exam is well-suited for a broad range of individuals seeking to understand Microsoft’s cloud security, compliance, and identity capabilities. This includes both technical and non-technical audiences who work in environments that leverage Microsoft cloud services.
Professionals in roles such as compliance officers, security analysts, or IT administrators can benefit from the certification as it strengthens their understanding of Microsoft’s tools and strategies for secure, compliant cloud adoption. For those already in IT, the SC-900 provides formal recognition of foundational cloud security knowledge.
Individuals in sales, product management, or customer-facing roles who regularly interact with cloud-based applications or clients using Microsoft services will also find value in this certification. A basic understanding of Microsoft’s compliance and identity tools enhances their ability to support and advise clients.
Students and career changers often use the SC-900 exam as a launching point into more technical certifications. It offers exposure to essential concepts without requiring deep technical experience, making it an excellent choice for those exploring cloud security as a career path.
Even business leaders and managers, who may not be directly responsible for implementation, can benefit from the exam. Understanding how Microsoft secures and governs data helps them make informed decisions about risk management, vendor selection, and compliance obligations.
Overview of Security, Compliance, and Identity Concepts
The SC-900 exam is built around three primary pillars: security, compliance, and identity. Each of these components plays a vital role in ensuring that digital environments remain safe, regulated, and properly managed.
Security focuses on protecting data, systems, and infrastructure from unauthorized access, threats, and vulnerabilities. Microsoft offers various tools and services to help organizations detect threats, respond to incidents, and protect workloads in the cloud.
Compliance involves ensuring that an organization’s operations and data handling practices align with relevant laws, industry standards, and internal policies. With ever-increasing regulatory complexity, Microsoft provides compliance management tools to help organizations maintain control and visibility over their compliance posture.
Identity is the backbone of access management. It determines who is accessing what, under what conditions, and for how long. Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) is at the center of identity services, offering capabilities such as single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and conditional access.
Understanding how these three areas interact and reinforce each other is crucial for securing cloud environments. The SC-900 exam ensures that candidates are familiar with the shared responsibility model, identity as the new security perimeter, and the principle of Zero Trust—all core philosophies in Microsoft’s security strategy.
Format and Structure of the SC-900 Exam
The Microsoft SC-900 exam is structured to assess foundational understanding across Microsoft’s security, compliance, and identity solutions. While it is considered a beginner-level exam, Microsoft maintains a rigorous standard to ensure that certified candidates are well-versed in the subject matter.
The format of the exam includes multiple-choice and multiple-response questions. Some questions are direct and fact-based, while others are scenario-based and require the candidate to apply knowledge to real-world situations. There may also be drag-and-drop style questions or matching tasks.
The total number of questions ranges from 40 to 60. The actual number may vary depending on the version of the exam and specific question types included. Microsoft uses a scaled scoring method, meaning the final score is adjusted based on question difficulty.
The duration of the exam is 60 minutes. This is generally adequate time if the candidate is well-prepared, although some questions may require careful reading and interpretation.
A passing score of 700 out of 1000 is required. Not all questions carry equal weight, so it’s important to answer each question carefully. There is no penalty for incorrect answers, which allows candidates to make educated guesses when uncertain.
The cost of the exam is approximately 99 USD, although this may vary depending on geographic location, local taxes, and applicable discounts. Discounts may be available for students or participants in Microsoft-sponsored learning programs.
Candidates can choose to take the SC-900 exam online through a proctored testing platform or at an authorized testing center. Online exams offer flexibility and convenience but require a distraction-free environment, a webcam, and a reliable internet connection. In-person exams offer the benefit of a formal setting with fewer environmental variables.
Upon passing, candidates receive the Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals credential. This certification is recognized across industries and adds value to resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and professional development portfolios.
Available Preparation Resources
Microsoft offers a comprehensive set of official learning materials to help candidates prepare for the SC-900 exam. These resources are designed to be accessible and self-paced, making it possible for learners to study according to their schedule and preferences.
One of the primary resources is Microsoft’s official learning path. This consists of four learning modules that align directly with the exam’s core objectives. The modules cover basic security concepts, identity and access management, Microsoft’s security offerings, and compliance solutions. Each module includes interactive content, knowledge checks, and links to documentation for further reading.
The Microsoft Exam Reference Guide is another useful tool. This document outlines all exam topics, offering a roadmap for candidates to ensure that all required areas are studied. It typically includes example questions and insights into how the exam content is weighted.
Candidates are also encouraged to explore hands-on practice using trial accounts or sandboxes available through Microsoft. These environments allow users to interact with tools like Microsoft Entra ID, Defender for Cloud, and the compliance management portal. Hands-on experience helps bridge the gap between theory and practical application.
In addition to self-study, instructor-led training options are available through various training providers. These classes provide structured guidance, live Q&A, and sometimes additional resources like worksheets and mock exams. Instructor-led sessions can be beneficial for learners who prefer guided learning or need to stay accountable to a study schedule.
Practice exams are highly recommended as they simulate the format, timing, and difficulty of the actual test. They help identify weak areas, reinforce key concepts, and improve test-taking confidence. Many practice exams include detailed explanations for each answer, making them valuable learning tools.
Online communities, forums, and study groups also provide peer support. Engaging with others who are preparing for the exam can lead to resource sharing, discussion of complex topics, and mutual encouragement.
Understanding the Concept of Cloud Security
Cloud security refers to the practices, technologies, and policies used to protect data, applications, and infrastructure associated with cloud computing. In Microsoft’s ecosystem, cloud security spans across services such as Azure, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365, and encompasses several layers of protection, including physical, network, application, and data security.
The fundamental principle of cloud security in Microsoft’s approach is the shared responsibility model. In this model, Microsoft and the customer each hold distinct responsibilities. Microsoft is responsible for securing the cloud infrastructure—such as the physical data centers, networks, and foundational services—while the customer is responsible for protecting the data, applications, identities, and access management they configure in the cloud environment.
Another foundational aspect is defense in depth, which involves implementing multiple layers of security controls across various components. This strategy ensures that if one control fails, others remain in place to protect the environment. Examples of layered protections include firewalls, threat detection systems, encryption protocols, identity access controls, and data classification.
Microsoft’s Zero Trust security model is central to its cloud security philosophy. The model assumes breach and treats every access request as if it originates from an untrusted source. Every request must be verified explicitly, and access is granted using the principle of least privilege. Continuous evaluation of user behavior and conditional access policies helps protect data from both internal and external threats.
These security concepts are not just theoretical. They are implemented using services like Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Azure Firewall, DDoS Protection, Microsoft Sentinel, and others. The SC-900 exam ensures candidates understand not only what these tools do, but also why they are necessary and how they integrate into a broader security strategy.
Introduction to Compliance and Governance in the Cloud
Compliance in the cloud refers to the processes and tools that help organizations adhere to legal, regulatory, and organizational requirements for managing data. Governance, in this context, is about defining policies and procedures to ensure compliance and proper oversight of data assets and cloud usage.
Microsoft provides a comprehensive suite of compliance tools through its compliance ecosystem, including the Microsoft Purview compliance portal, compliance score, and compliance manager. These tools offer insights into an organization’s compliance posture and help track improvements over time.
A key component of governance is the use of policies and controls. These include automated data classification, retention labels, information barriers, and audit logs. These controls help organizations define what data is sensitive, how long it should be retained, who should access it, and how it is handled during its lifecycle.
Microsoft’s compliance framework supports over 100 regulatory standards and certifications, including GDPR, HIPAA, ISO/IEC 27001, and SOC. This extensive compliance coverage is particularly important for global organizations that operate in multiple jurisdictions.
Understanding Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) concepts is vital to passing the SC-900 exam. This includes awareness of risk assessments, internal audits, external regulatory audits, and the role of security in maintaining compliance. Microsoft’s tools are designed to help automate many of these processes, reducing administrative burden and minimizing the risk of human error.
Microsoft also offers the Service Trust Portal, which provides documentation and insights into how Microsoft meets its compliance obligations. This portal is used by organizations to understand Microsoft’s internal practices, audit reports, and trustworthiness in handling sensitive information.
Core Identity Concepts in Microsoft Cloud Services
Identity is the foundation of modern security in cloud environments. In Microsoft’s cloud services, identity is handled primarily through Microsoft Entra ID, which was formerly known as Azure Active Directory. Every user, application, or service that needs access to a Microsoft environment is assigned a digital identity.
Identity acts as the new security perimeter. This means that instead of focusing on physical infrastructure, organizations must now focus on verifying the identity of every user or device accessing the network, regardless of their location.
Key concepts in identity include authentication and authorization. Authentication is the process of verifying who the user is. This may involve usernames and passwords, biometrics, or other factors. Authorization determines what the authenticated user is allowed to do once they gain access. These two processes are critical to ensuring that only the right individuals can access sensitive data or perform privileged operations.
Microsoft supports a variety of authentication methods, such as passwordless login, certificate-based authentication, and multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA is a widely adopted method that enhances security by requiring users to provide additional verification, such as a one-time code sent to their phone or biometric verification.
In hybrid environments, where on-premises systems coexist with cloud-based systems, hybrid identity becomes important. Hybrid identity allows organizations to synchronize their on-premises directories with Microsoft Entra ID to provide a seamless and unified identity experience.
Identity also involves directory services, which are used to store and manage identity information. Active Directory (AD) and Microsoft Entra ID are the primary directory services in Microsoft’s ecosystem. AD is typically used for on-premises environments, while Entra ID is designed for the cloud.
Federation is another key concept covered in the exam. It enables identity sharing between different organizations or domains, allowing users to authenticate using credentials from their home organization even when accessing external services.
Understanding these identity principles is essential for managing secure access to cloud resources and preventing unauthorized activity.
Access Management and Identity Governance
Access management refers to the process of defining and controlling how users gain access to resources. In Microsoft’s ecosystem, this is primarily achieved through Entra ID capabilities such as conditional access, role-based access control (RBAC), and privileged identity management.
Conditional access is a policy-based tool that allows organizations to grant or block access to resources based on specific conditions. These conditions may include user location, device state, login risk, and more. For example, a policy may allow access only if a user is accessing from a corporate device within a specific geographic region.
Role-based access control assigns permissions to users based on their job roles rather than assigning permissions individually. This simplifies access management and ensures that users only receive the permissions they need to perform their duties, adhering to the principle of least privilege.
Privileged Identity Management (PIM) is a service in Microsoft Entra that helps organizations manage, control, and monitor access to important resources. PIM allows for just-in-time (JIT) access, which grants users temporary permissions that expire after a specified duration. This limits the window during which an account can be exploited if compromised.
Microsoft Entra ID Governance is a comprehensive set of tools for managing identity lifecycle, access reviews, and entitlements. It ensures that access rights are regularly reviewed and adjusted as roles change. This minimizes the risk of orphaned accounts or unauthorized access to sensitive systems.
Access reviews are periodic checks where resource owners review who has access to specific systems and determine whether continued access is appropriate. These reviews help enforce accountability and detect instances of over-privileged accounts.
Finally, password protection and management tools help enforce strong password policies and prevent the use of commonly compromised passwords. Microsoft provides services that detect weak or breached passwords in real time and guide users to adopt secure alternatives.
These tools collectively enhance visibility, reduce risk, and ensure compliance with organizational security policies. They are integral to Microsoft’s identity-driven security model and represent a major area of focus in the SC-900 exam.
Introduction to Microsoft Security Solutions
Microsoft provides a comprehensive suite of security solutions designed to protect against threats, manage vulnerabilities, and maintain control over cloud and hybrid environments. These tools are integrated across Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, and other platforms to deliver end-to-end protection.
Microsoft’s security ecosystem focuses on four main areas: threat protection, identity and access management, cloud security posture management, and information protection. The solutions in these areas work together to provide visibility, automation, and intelligence-driven security management.
Key platforms include Microsoft Defender XDR, Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Each of these services plays a unique role in preventing, detecting, responding to, and recovering from security threats.
This section of the SC-900 exam focuses on helping candidates understand what each solution does, how it contributes to a secure environment, and how it aligns with broader security strategies like Zero Trust and defense in depth.
Microsoft Defender XDR Overview
Microsoft Defender XDR, formerly Microsoft 365 Defender, is a cross-domain threat detection and response platform. It is designed to automatically collect, correlate, and analyze threat data across various Microsoft services, including endpoints, email, identity, and applications.
The goal of Defender XDR is to provide a unified response to complex cyberattacks by linking alerts from different systems and correlating them into a single incident. This approach allows security teams to detect advanced threats that may otherwise go unnoticed if observed in isolation.
Defender XDR includes several specialized services:
- Microsoft Defender for Office 365 protects against phishing, business email compromise, and malware delivered through email and collaboration tools like Teams and SharePoint.
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint secures devices across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. It offers features such as threat and vulnerability management, attack surface reduction, endpoint detection and response (EDR), and automated investigation.
- Microsoft Defender for Identity helps identify insider threats and compromised identities by analyzing on-premises Active Directory signals such as user behavior and sign-in anomalies.
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps provides visibility and control over cloud applications and services. It identifies shadow IT, monitors user activity, and protects sensitive information in cloud apps.
- Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management is designed to identify, assess, and remediate vulnerabilities across systems before they are exploited by attackers.
Defender XDR is integrated with Microsoft Sentinel and Entra ID Protection, creating a unified and automated environment where threat detection and response are seamlessly coordinated.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a cloud-native application protection platform (CNAPP) that helps organizations manage their security posture and protect workloads across Azure, hybrid, and multicloud environments.
One of its core functions is Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), which provides continuous assessment of cloud environments to identify misconfigurations, weak security settings, and non-compliance with best practices or regulatory standards.
Defender for Cloud also includes Cloud Workload Protection (CWP), which offers runtime protection for virtual machines, containers, databases, and other workloads. These capabilities extend beyond Azure and support other platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
Security recommendations generated by Defender for Cloud are actionable and prioritized by severity. These recommendations guide organizations in remediating risks and hardening their environment.
Another critical capability is Just-in-time (JIT) VM access, which reduces the exposure of virtual machines to threats by allowing temporary access only when necessary. Defender for Cloud also integrates with Microsoft Sentinel to support advanced threat detection and response.
By using policies, initiatives, and regulatory compliance standards, organizations can map their cloud environment against frameworks such as ISO 27001, NIST, and GDPR, gaining insights into their compliance posture and identifying gaps.
Defender for Cloud also supports integration with third-party tools and SIEM platforms, enabling organizations to unify their security operations and gain full visibility into cloud-native and hybrid workloads.
Microsoft Sentinel and SIEM/SOAR Capabilities
Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Security Orchestration Automated Response (SOAR) platform. It collects security data from across the enterprise and uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze and detect potential threats.
Unlike traditional SIEM systems that require significant infrastructure, Sentinel is fully hosted in Azure and scales automatically. It ingests data from Microsoft services, third-party platforms, and custom sources, offering a centralized view of the organization’s security landscape.
Sentinel’s workbooks provide customizable dashboards for monitoring and reporting. Analytics rules define how Sentinel detects suspicious activity. When a rule is triggered, it creates an incident, which can be investigated and remediated.
Automation in Sentinel is driven by playbooks, which are workflows that can perform predefined actions such as sending alerts, isolating devices, or revoking user sessions. These capabilities fall under SOAR and help security teams respond to threats more efficiently.
Another key feature is threat intelligence integration, which enables Sentinel to leverage external feeds and Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence (Defender TI). This integration enhances threat detection and provides insights into emerging risks.
Sentinel’s hunting capabilities allow analysts to proactively search for threats using a query language called Kusto Query Language (KQL). This empowers security professionals to explore datasets and identify potential indicators of compromise (IoCs) across environments.
The integration of Sentinel with Microsoft Defender services, Microsoft Entra ID, and Microsoft Purview allows organizations to build a unified and automated security operations platform, suitable for both small and large enterprises.
Azure Infrastructure Security Services
Azure offers a broad range of infrastructure-level security services that protect the core components of cloud solutions, including networking, compute, and storage.
Azure DDoS Protection safeguards against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. It provides automatic detection and mitigation of volumetric, protocol, and resource-layer attacks. The standard tier offers additional telemetry, alerts, and application-level protection.
Azure Firewall is a managed, stateful firewall-as-a-service that controls both inbound and outbound traffic. It includes threat intelligence, logging, and policy enforcement capabilities. Organizations can use Azure Firewall to implement network segmentation and secure perimeter controls.
Web Application Firewall (WAF) protects web applications from common vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other OWASP Top Ten threats. WAF is integrated with Azure Front Door and Application Gateway for load balancing and global delivery.
Network Security Groups (NSGs) enable fine-grained control over traffic to and from Azure resources. Rules can be created based on IP addresses, ports, and protocols, allowing organizations to segment networks and enforce least privilege access.
Azure Bastion provides secure and seamless Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and Secure Shell (SSH) access to virtual machines directly through the Azure portal. It eliminates the need for public IP addresses on VMs and reduces exposure to brute-force attacks.
Azure Key Vault is a critical service for managing secrets, encryption keys, and certificates. It ensures that sensitive information is stored securely and accessed only by authorized applications and users. Key Vault is often used in combination with identity-based access controls and auditing.
These infrastructure services are foundational to a secure cloud deployment and support compliance with regulatory frameworks and security best practices.
Integration of Microsoft Security Solutions
One of the key strengths of Microsoft’s security ecosystem is its deep integration across products and services. This allows organizations to build a comprehensive security framework that covers all layers of the IT environment—from identities and endpoints to applications and data.
Integration with Microsoft Entra ID ensures that access policies are consistent and centrally managed. Conditional access, risk-based sign-in, and multifactor authentication are applied uniformly across services.
Microsoft Defender services work together with Microsoft Sentinel to provide real-time visibility into threats and automate responses. For example, an alert in Defender for Endpoint can trigger a playbook in Sentinel to isolate a compromised device.
Microsoft Purview, discussed in the next section, complements these solutions by providing compliance and data protection features that work in tandem with security tools to protect sensitive information.
Microsoft’s security tools also support industry standards and third-party integrations. Organizations can ingest logs into Sentinel from non-Microsoft platforms or use Defender for Cloud to monitor environments in AWS and GCP.
This cohesive architecture supports the Zero Trust model by ensuring that every access request is evaluated, every asset is protected, and every signal is analyzed. It allows organizations to respond to threats quickly, reduce their attack surface, and ensure consistent security policies across hybrid and multicloud environments.
Threat Intelligence and Risk Management
Threat intelligence is a critical component of Microsoft’s security strategy. It involves the collection, analysis, and dissemination of information about current and emerging threats. Microsoft leverages its global presence to gather threat signals from billions of devices and services.
Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence (Defender TI) provides enriched data about indicators of compromise, threat actors, malware, and attack techniques. This information is used to inform security decisions, build detection rules, and prioritize alerts.
By integrating Defender TI with Sentinel, organizations can improve their detection capabilities and conduct investigations more effectively. Threat intelligence feeds can also be customized and imported into security solutions to reflect industry-specific risks.
Risk management tools help organizations identify and assess vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and insider threats. These tools include attack simulations, secure score dashboards, and identity risk detection. Organizations can use this information to prioritize remediation efforts and strengthen their security posture.
Combining threat intelligence with automation enables proactive defense. Automated responses based on threat data reduce the time between detection and mitigation, minimizing the impact of incidents and improving response capabilities.
Introduction to Microsoft Compliance Solutions
As digital transformation accelerates, compliance and data governance have become top priorities for organizations. Microsoft Compliance Solutions, primarily powered by Microsoft Purview, help organizations meet legal, regulatory, and policy requirements while safeguarding sensitive data.
Microsoft Purview brings together compliance, risk management, and data governance in a unified platform. It enables organizations to:
- Discover and classify sensitive data.
- Prevent data loss and misuse.
- Respond to regulatory inquiries.
- Manage insider risks.
- Ensure responsible data usage across Microsoft 365, Azure, and hybrid environments.
This SC-900 exam assesses your knowledge of how Microsoft Purview supports data privacy, regulatory compliance, and information governance.
Overview of Microsoft Purview
Microsoft Purview is a comprehensive suite of tools designed for compliance management, data lifecycle management, data loss prevention, and insider risk management.
Previously known under various names like Microsoft 365 Compliance Center or Microsoft Compliance Manager, Microsoft Purview now serves as the centralized platform for:
- Data classification and labeling.
- Risk detection and remediation.
- Regulatory compliance tracking.
- Data governance across Microsoft and non-Microsoft environments.
Purview integrates with Microsoft 365 services like SharePoint, Teams, Exchange, and OneDrive, as well as Azure and third-party data sources. It gives organizations visibility into where their sensitive data resides, how it’s being accessed, and how to protect it effectively.
Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager
Compliance Manager helps organizations assess and manage their compliance posture. It provides:
- A Compliance Score, which quantifies how well your organization is meeting data protection and compliance requirements.
- Assessments, which map Microsoft and customer-managed controls to specific regulatory standards (e.g., GDPR, ISO 27001, NIST).
- Improvement actions that provide actionable guidance for achieving and maintaining compliance.
Assessments are tailored to different regulations and industry standards. Each one lists required controls, who is responsible (Microsoft or the customer), and how to implement them.
The Compliance Score continuously updates as organizations complete improvement actions. This score can be filtered by regulation, product, or location to provide granular insight into specific risks.
The Compliance Manager also helps document compliance efforts, which is useful for audits and regulatory reporting.
Information Protection and Data Classification
A core feature of Microsoft Purview is Information Protection, which includes data classification, sensitivity labeling, and data encryption.
Sensitivity Labels
Sensitivity labels are metadata tags applied to documents, emails, chats, and sites to classify and protect data. Labels can enforce:
- Encryption (with or without content expiration).
- Watermarking or visual markings.
- Access restrictions based on user or group.
- Auto-labeling based on content inspection.
Labels can be applied manually by users or automatically via policies that detect specific types of data, such as credit card numbers or health information.
Sensitivity labels persist with the content even when it is shared externally, ensuring continuous protection.
Data Classification
Data classification identifies sensitive content using built-in or custom classifiers. These include:
- Sensitive Information Types (SITs) like Social Security Numbers, passport numbers, and financial data.
- Trainable Classifiers, which use machine learning to recognize patterns in content (e.g., HR data, contracts).
- Exact Data Match (EDM), which provides precision when detecting structured, known datasets.
Data classification reports give visibility into where sensitive data lives and how it’s being used across Microsoft 365.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Data Loss Prevention policies help prevent the unintentional sharing of sensitive information. DLP is available in:
- Exchange Online (email)
- SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business (files)
- Microsoft Teams (chat)
- Endpoint devices (via Microsoft Defender for Endpoint)
- Power Platform (Power BI, PowerApps, etc.)
DLP policies use conditions to detect sensitive data and take actions like:
- Showing tooltips or policy tips to educate users.
- Blocking sharing or access (with or without override options).
- Sending alerts to admins or compliance officers.
For example, a DLP policy might block the sharing of credit card information in Teams messages or prevent downloading of files containing financial records to unmanaged devices.
Microsoft Purview provides dashboards and detailed reports to monitor DLP activity and tune policies for effectiveness.
Insider Risk Management
Insider Risk Management uses machine learning and behavioral analytics to detect and mitigate threats from within the organization, such as:
- Data exfiltration by departing employees.
- Inadvertent sharing of confidential data.
- Policy violations and user negligence.
- Malicious activities or sabotage.
Signals are collected from across Microsoft 365 services, including email, file activity, Teams, device usage, and more.
Use cases supported include:
- Data leaks: detecting large downloads or sharing of sensitive data.
- Security violations: flagging access to risky sites or apps.
- Sabotage indicators: recognizing potential retaliatory behaviors after HR events.
Admins can define policy templates, configure thresholds, and assign reviewers. Case management tools let reviewers investigate alerts, escalate incidents, and apply corrective actions such as user training or HR involvement.
Purview also includes Privacy Controls to ensure investigations respect employee privacy and comply with legal standards.
Communication Compliance
Communication Compliance enables organizations to monitor and review internal communications to prevent:
- Harassment or bullying.
- Sensitive data sharing.
- Regulatory violations (e.g., FINRA, HIPAA).
- Workplace misconduct.
It scans emails, Teams messages, Yammer posts, and third-party platforms like Slack. Policies define the types of content to watch for, such as offensive language or inappropriate sharing.
Machine learning classifiers are used to detect nuanced or contextual risks. Admins can assign roles such as reviewers, investigators, and case managers, ensuring proper oversight.
Alerts trigger case workflows where content is reviewed, annotated, and—if needed—escalated to HR, compliance officers, or legal teams.
Communication Compliance supports privacy settings to mask personal information until cases are confirmed.
Microsoft Purview eDiscovery
eDiscovery allows organizations to search, hold, and export data in response to legal investigations or regulatory requests.
There are two main eDiscovery tools in Purview:
Core eDiscovery
Used for simple cases, Core eDiscovery provides:
- Keyword-based content searches across Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams.
- Hold functionality to preserve content during litigation.
- Export tools for transferring content to external reviewers.
Advanced eDiscovery
Designed for legal teams and complex investigations, Advanced eDiscovery includes:
- Custodian management for tracking users involved in a case.
- Optical character recognition (OCR) for analyzing image files.
- Relevance scoring using machine learning to prioritize important content.
- Review sets for filtering, tagging, and redacting content.
Advanced eDiscovery automates many of the manual steps in legal holds and investigations, reducing the cost and time needed for litigation response.
Audit and Access Reviews
Microsoft Purview provides audit logging and access reviews to enhance oversight and control of data access.
Audit
Audit logs track user and admin activity across Microsoft 365. Common audit events include:
- File access and modification.
- Email send and receive actions.
- Admin role changes.
- SharePoint and Teams activity.
Organizations can use Audit Search for basic queries or Advanced Audit (in Microsoft 365 E5) for long-term retention, high-value event types, and forensic analysis.
Access Reviews
Access reviews help ensure users have appropriate access to resources over time. Admins or designated reviewers can periodically assess:
- Group memberships.
- Role assignments.
- App access for external users.
Access reviews integrate with Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) and support automation, email notifications, and conditional access-based enforcement.
Records Management and Information Lifecycle
Records Management helps organizations maintain content for regulatory, legal, or business purposes. With Microsoft Purview, you can:
- Create retention labels to classify content as a record.
- Define retention policies to automatically retain or delete data based on rules.
- Lock records to prevent modification or deletion.
- Apply policies based on conditions like content type, location, or metadata.
Retention labels support event-based triggers, such as employee departure or contract expiration.
Proper records management ensures compliance with retention laws, prevents data sprawl, and supports defensible deletion practices.
Privacy Management and Subject Rights Requests (SRRs)
Microsoft Purview supports data privacy obligations, including:
- Data Subject Requests (DSRs) or Subject Rights Requests (SRRs) under regulations like GDPR and CCPA.
- Discovery and review of personal data.
- Export and deletion of user data upon request.
Admins can manage requests through a guided workflow that includes:
- Identifying the data subject.
- Searching across Microsoft 365.
- Reviewing results.
- Redacting or exporting data.
- Applying access controls.
Purview provides templates for different types of SRRs (e.g., access, delete, rectify) and maintains an audit trail of actions taken.
Compliance and Risk Reporting
Microsoft Purview offers rich dashboards and reporting tools to help compliance teams stay informed and respond quickly to risks.
Key reports include:
- DLP reports: showing policy matches, overrides, and blocked activities.
- Insider Risk alerts: listing potential violations by users or departments.
- eDiscovery case tracking: summarizing case status, custodians, and findings.
- Audit log summaries: visualizing key activity patterns.
- Compliance Score trends: showing posture improvements over time.
Admins can schedule reports, export data, and share insights with stakeholders such as auditors, executives, and regulators.
Integration with Other Microsoft Security Solutions
Microsoft Purview is deeply integrated with Microsoft’s broader security stack:
- Microsoft Entra ID provides identity-based access and classification triggers.
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps monitors and enforces DLP across third-party SaaS apps.
- Microsoft Sentinel can ingest compliance-related events and provide SIEM-level insights.
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint enforces device-level DLP and labeling policies.
This integration supports a unified Zero Trust architecture, ensuring that:
- Only the right users access the right data.
- Data is protected across its lifecycle.
- Threats and compliance risks are detected and remediated together.
Microsoft Purview offers a powerful, integrated platform for data protection, regulatory compliance, and risk management.
Key capabilities include:
- Classification and labeling of sensitive content.
- Enforcement of DLP policies across platforms.
- Insider risk and communication monitoring.
- Legal and regulatory compliance via eDiscovery and audit.
- Lifecycle and records management.
- Comprehensive compliance posture assessment through Compliance Manager.
For the SC-900 exam, you should understand:
- What each Purview feature does.
- How it applies to different regulatory scenarios.
- How it integrates with the broader Microsoft ecosystem.
Final Thoughts
Microsoft’s compliance solutions, especially through the unified Microsoft Purview platform, represent a powerful response to the growing complexity of data protection and regulatory demands. In a world where privacy breaches, insider threats, and strict regulatory frameworks are constant concerns, tools that offer visibility, control, and automation are essential.
Whether you’re an IT administrator, compliance officer, security analyst, or simply preparing for the SC-900 certification, understanding the capabilities of Microsoft Purview is crucial. Its ability to integrate data classification, DLP, insider risk management, eDiscovery, and compliance reporting—while preserving user productivity—demonstrates Microsoft’s commitment to a secure and compliant digital environment.
As you prepare for the exam, focus on conceptual understanding more than memorization. Be clear on:
- What each Purview feature is designed to solve (e.g., DLP prevents leaks, eDiscovery aids legal requests).
- Where those tools are applied (e.g., Teams, Exchange, SharePoint, endpoints).
- How automation, integration, and reporting enhance compliance.
Ultimately, Microsoft Purview helps organizations not just meet their regulatory requirements but build a culture of responsibility and resilience around information governance.