The correct answer is entitlement management, specifically by creating an access package with a 30-day expiration. This works because entitlement management in Microsoft Entra ID is designed to govern external partner access through reusable catalogs of resources, and setting an expiration on the access package enforces the time-limited external access requirement, automatically removing the partner’s permissions after the defined period. On the Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to configure time-limited external access with entitlement management, often appearing as a scenario where you must distinguish between access packages, terms of use, and conditional access policies. A common trap is choosing a conditional access policy with a session timeout, but that controls session duration, not the overall access grant. Memory tip: think of an access package as a “guest pass” with an expiry date—once it expires, the pass is invalid, and the partner loses access to the specific applications.
SC-100 Practice Question: Design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities
This SC-100 practice question tests your understanding of design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Your organization uses Microsoft Entra ID and needs to ensure that external partners can access only specific applications for 30 days. What should you configure?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Entitlement management and create an access package with an expiration of 30 days
Option A is correct because entitlement management in Microsoft Entra ID allows you to create access packages that govern external partner access to specific applications. By configuring an access package with a 30-day expiration, you enforce time-limited access, ensuring partners can only access the designated applications for the required duration. This directly meets the requirement of restricting access to specific apps with a defined expiry.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Entitlement management and create an access package with an expiration of 30 days
Why this is correct
Access packages in entitlement management allow you to grant time-limited access to applications for external users.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
B2B direct connect
Why it's wrong here
B2B direct connect is for sharing resources without managing guest accounts.
✗
Self-service group management
Why it's wrong here
Self-service group management allows users to create groups but does not provide time-bound access to applications.
✗
Conditional Access policy with session control
Why it's wrong here
Conditional Access policies can control access but do not manage guest lifecycle or expiration.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Conditional Access session controls (which manage sign-in frequency or app restrictions) with the ability to grant and expire access to specific applications, overlooking that entitlement management is the correct identity governance solution for time-limited external access.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Entitlement management uses access packages that bundle resources (like apps, groups, and SharePoint sites) and assign them to external users via a catalog. The expiration setting leverages Azure AD's lifecycle management, which automatically removes the user's assignments after 30 days, revoking access without manual intervention. This is backed by the Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM) and Entra ID governance features, ensuring compliance with time-bound access policies.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-100 question in full detail.
Design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities — This question tests Design security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Entitlement management and create an access package with an expiration of 30 days — Option A is correct because entitlement management in Microsoft Entra ID allows you to create access packages that govern external partner access to specific applications. By configuring an access package with a 30-day expiration, you enforce time-limited access, ensuring partners can only access the designated applications for the required duration. This directly meets the requirement of restricting access to specific apps with a defined expiry.
What should I do if I get this SC-100 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Your organization uses Microsoft Entra ID with external identities. You need to design a solution that allows partners to self-service sign up using their existing Azure AD or Microsoft account credentials, while preventing them from accessing other resources. What should you use?
hard
A.Microsoft Entra B2C
B.Microsoft Entra Identity Protection
✓ C.Microsoft Entra B2B collaboration
D.Direct federation with partner's IdP
Why C: Option A is correct because Entra ID B2B collaboration allows external users to use their own credentials and you can control access via conditional access or directory roles. Option B is wrong because B2C is for customer-facing apps. Option C is wrong because guest users are already part of B2B. Option D is wrong because identity protection is for risk detection.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
Question Discussion
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