MS-900 Describe Microsoft 365 apps and services Practice Question
Which TWO Microsoft 365 services are specifically designed to help organizations manage and monitor data compliance?
⚠ Common exam trap
MS-900 often tests the distinction between security and compliance services, causing candidates to confuse Defender for Office 365 or Sentinel as compliance tools when they are primarily security-focused.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Microsoft Purview Communication Compliance
Microsoft Purview Communication Compliance (A) is a purpose-built compliance solution that uses policies and machine learning to detect, triage, and remediate inappropriate or risky communications across Teams, Exchange, and other channels, making it a core data-compliance monitoring service. Microsoft Purview (E) is the overarching compliance platform that provides data mapping, classification, sensitivity labels, Data Loss Prevention, Insider Risk Management, and audit/eDiscovery capabilities for managing and monitoring compliance across the organization's data estate. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (B) is a threat-protection service focused on phishing, malware, and zero-day attacks rather than compliance management. Microsoft Intune (C) is a mobile device and endpoint management (MDM/MAM) service for enforcing configuration and app policies, not a data-compliance monitoring tool. Microsoft Sentinel (D) is a cloud-native SIEM/SOAR platform for security analytics, threat detection, and incident response, not a dedicated compliance-management service.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Microsoft Purview Communication Compliance
Why this is correct
Microsoft Purview Communication Compliance uses machine-learning classifiers to detect inappropriate or risky messages across Teams, Exchange and Viva Engage, surfacing them for reviewer triage. It satisfies the stem's requirement for a service specifically built to manage and monitor data compliance.
- ✗
Microsoft Defender for Office 365
Why it's wrong here
Defender for Office 365 provides threat protection for email, links and collaboration workloads, not data compliance management or monitoring. It is tempting because it is a Microsoft 365 security service, but compliance capabilities such as data classification, retention and audit reside in Microsoft Purview solutions.
- ✗
Microsoft Intune
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Intune enforces device configuration and application protection policies, but it does not assess regulatory compliance posture or classify data. It is tempting because device compliance policies feed signals into conditional access, yet the stem asks for services that manage and monitor data compliance, which is Microsoft Purview's function.
- ✗
Microsoft Sentinel
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Sentinel is a SIEM/SOAR platform for threat detection and incident response across cloud and on-premises estates, not a compliance management tool. It is tempting because it ingests audit logs and can surface policy violations, but its purpose is security analytics; compliance posture and assessment belong to Microsoft Purview.
- ✓
Microsoft Purview
Why this is correct
Microsoft Purview provides unified data governance, using sensitivity labels, data loss prevention and insider risk tools to classify and protect information across Microsoft 365 workloads. Its compliance portal centralises audit, eDiscovery and retention management, directly satisfying the stem's requirement to manage and monitor data compliance.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Microsoft 365 Message Centre and Change Management
Key term
Microsoft Defender for Office 365
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is a cloud-based email and collaboration security service that protects organizations against malicious threats like phishing, malware, and spam in email messages and Office 365 apps.
Key term
Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based cloud service from Microsoft that combines productivity tools like Office apps with security, device management, and online storage.
About these practice questions
This MS-900 question is part of Courseiva's 794-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
This MS-900 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the MS-900 exam.