- A
Assign the Azure Policy initiative 'Configure Azure Defender to be enabled on subscriptions' to the management group with appropriate policy parameters.
Correct. Azure Policy can be assigned at the management group scope to enforce Defender for Cloud plans across all subscriptions, including those created in the future. This ensures automatic compliance.
- B
Enable all Microsoft Defender plans at the management group level in the Microsoft Defender for Cloud portal.
Why wrong: Enabling plans at the management group level only applies to current subscriptions under it. New subscriptions do not automatically inherit these settings; they would need to be manually enabled.
- C
Manually enable the Defender plans on each new subscription as they are created.
Why wrong: Manual enablement does not scale and does not guarantee compliance. The requirement is for automatic enablement, which Azure Policy provides.
- D
Use an Azure Blueprint to assign the Defender plans to the subscription.
Why wrong: Azure Blueprints can deploy resources and policies, but for simple enforcement of Defender plans, a policy assignment at the management group is more direct and easier to maintain. Blueprints add unnecessary complexity.
SC-200 Practice Question: Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of mitigate threats using microsoft defender for cloud. 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.
A large organization manages multiple Azure subscriptions under a single management group. The security team wants to ensure that when new subscriptions are added to the management group, the Microsoft Defender for Cloud plans (e.g., Defender for Servers) are automatically enabled. What is the most efficient way to achieve this?
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
Assign the Azure Policy initiative 'Configure Azure Defender to be enabled on subscriptions' to the management group with appropriate policy parameters.
Option A is correct because assigning the built-in Azure Policy initiative 'Configure Azure Defender to be enabled on subscriptions' to the management group ensures that any new subscription added under that management group automatically inherits the policy. This initiative uses DeployIfNotExists effect to enable the specified Defender plans (e.g., Defender for Servers) on subscriptions that do not already have them enabled, providing a fully automated, scalable solution without manual intervention.
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.
- ✓
Assign the Azure Policy initiative 'Configure Azure Defender to be enabled on subscriptions' to the management group with appropriate policy parameters.
Why this is correct
Correct. Azure Policy can be assigned at the management group scope to enforce Defender for Cloud plans across all subscriptions, including those created in the future. This ensures automatic compliance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable all Microsoft Defender plans at the management group level in the Microsoft Defender for Cloud portal.
Why it's wrong here
Enabling plans at the management group level only applies to current subscriptions under it. New subscriptions do not automatically inherit these settings; they would need to be manually enabled.
- ✗
Manually enable the Defender plans on each new subscription as they are created.
Why it's wrong here
Manual enablement does not scale and does not guarantee compliance. The requirement is for automatic enablement, which Azure Policy provides.
- ✗
Use an Azure Blueprint to assign the Defender plans to the subscription.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Blueprints can deploy resources and policies, but for simple enforcement of Defender plans, a policy assignment at the management group is more direct and easier to maintain. Blueprints add unnecessary complexity.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the 'Enable at management group level' portal setting (which only applies to existing subscriptions) with the automatic inheritance behavior of Azure Policy, leading them to choose Option B.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The Azure Policy initiative 'Configure Azure Defender to be enabled on subscriptions' leverages the DeployIfNotExists policy effect, which triggers a remediation task when a subscription is created or updated. Under the hood, the policy evaluates the subscription's compliance state and, if non-compliant, deploys the required Defender plan configurations via ARM templates. In a real-world scenario, if an organization uses a landing zone with multiple management groups, assigning this initiative at the root management group ensures consistent security posture across all child subscriptions, including those created by DevOps pipelines.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SC-200 question test?
Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud — This question tests Mitigate threats using Microsoft Defender for Cloud — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Assign the Azure Policy initiative 'Configure Azure Defender to be enabled on subscriptions' to the management group with appropriate policy parameters. — Option A is correct because assigning the built-in Azure Policy initiative 'Configure Azure Defender to be enabled on subscriptions' to the management group ensures that any new subscription added under that management group automatically inherits the policy. This initiative uses DeployIfNotExists effect to enable the specified Defender plans (e.g., Defender for Servers) on subscriptions that do not already have them enabled, providing a fully automated, scalable solution without manual intervention.
What should I do if I get this SC-200 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
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This SC-200 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 SC-200 exam.
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