- A
Assign the Azure Security Benchmark initiative to each subscription individually and use the secure score dashboard.
Why wrong: Assigning individually does not aggregate scores at management group level, and secure score is not the same as regulatory compliance.
- B
Assign the Azure Security Benchmark initiative to the management group.
When assigned to a management group, the initiative applies to all subscriptions under it, and the Regulatory Compliance dashboard shows aggregated compliance.
- C
Enable the Regulatory Compliance dashboard and select the Azure Security Benchmark from the built-in standards list.
Why wrong: The dashboard only displays results from initiatives that have been assigned; it does not assign them.
- D
Configure Secure Score policies at the management group and enable Azure Security Benchmark.
Why wrong: Secure Score does not use regulatory compliance standards in this manner.
Quick Answer
The answer is to assign the Azure Security Benchmark initiative to the management group. This is correct because the Azure Security Benchmark initiative, when assigned at the management group scope, propagates its policy definitions and continuous assessment down to all child subscriptions, enabling Defender for Cloud to aggregate compliance data from every subscription into a single, unified compliance score visible in the Regulatory Compliance dashboard. On the SC-200 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of policy inheritance and scope-based compliance aggregation, often appearing as a distractor where candidates mistakenly assign the initiative to individual subscriptions or enable a single Defender plan instead. A common trap is thinking you need to configure each subscription separately, but the management group assignment handles the entire hierarchy at once. Memory tip: think of the management group as the root of a tree—water the root, and every branch gets assessed.
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. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 security engineer needs to ensure that all Azure subscriptions under a management group are continuously assessed against the Azure Security Benchmark. They want to see the aggregated compliance score at the management group level. What should the engineer do in Microsoft Defender for Cloud?
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 Security Benchmark initiative to the management group.
Assigning the Azure Security Benchmark initiative to the management group ensures that all subscriptions under that management group are continuously assessed against the benchmark. The aggregated compliance score is then visible at the management group level in the Regulatory Compliance dashboard, providing a single view of compliance across the entire hierarchy.
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 Security Benchmark initiative to each subscription individually and use the secure score dashboard.
Why it's wrong here
Assigning individually does not aggregate scores at management group level, and secure score is not the same as regulatory compliance.
- ✓
Assign the Azure Security Benchmark initiative to the management group.
Why this is correct
When assigned to a management group, the initiative applies to all subscriptions under it, and the Regulatory Compliance dashboard shows aggregated compliance.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Enable the Regulatory Compliance dashboard and select the Azure Security Benchmark from the built-in standards list.
Why it's wrong here
The dashboard only displays results from initiatives that have been assigned; it does not assign them.
- ✗
Configure Secure Score policies at the management group and enable Azure Security Benchmark.
Why it's wrong here
Secure Score does not use regulatory compliance standards in this manner.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often think they need to enable the Regulatory Compliance dashboard (Option C) or configure Secure Score policies (Option D) to see aggregated scores, but the critical step is assigning the initiative at the correct scope—the management group—to enable both continuous assessment and aggregation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Azure Policy assigns the Azure Security Benchmark initiative (which is a collection of policies) to a scope such as a management group. When assigned at the management group level, policy evaluation is inherited by all child subscriptions, and the compliance state is aggregated upward. The Regulatory Compliance dashboard in Defender for Cloud then displays the aggregated score for that management group, allowing centralized monitoring without per-subscription assignments.
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.
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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 Security Benchmark initiative to the management group. — Assigning the Azure Security Benchmark initiative to the management group ensures that all subscriptions under that management group are continuously assessed against the benchmark. The aggregated compliance score is then visible at the management group level in the Regulatory Compliance dashboard, providing a single view of compliance across the entire hierarchy.
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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Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on SC-200
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. A global organization has Azure subscriptions organized under a single management group. The security team wants to ensure that the Azure Security Benchmark initiative is assigned once to cover all current and future subscriptions within that management group, without needing to assign it individually. They also want to see compliance results aggregated at the management group level. In Microsoft Defender for Cloud, what is the correct approach to achieve this?
hard- ✓ A.Assign the Azure Security Benchmark initiative directly to the management group via Azure Policy, and use the Defender for Cloud's Regulatory Compliance dashboard.
- B.Enable Defender for Cloud's enhanced security features on each subscription, and the benchmark will be automatically applied.
- C.Create a custom assessment in Defender for Cloud that queries the management group scope.
- D.Assign the initiative to the root management group using Azure Policy, then configure Defender for Cloud to ignore individual subscription assignments.
Why A: Assigning the Azure Security Benchmark initiative directly to the management group via Azure Policy ensures that the policy initiative is inherited by all current and future subscriptions under that management group. Defender for Cloud's Regulatory Compliance dashboard then aggregates compliance results at the management group level, providing a single view of compliance across the entire hierarchy without requiring individual assignments.
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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