The answer is the Azure Monitor Agent (AMA) with Azure Arc and the legacy Log Analytics agent (MMA). Both are valid non-Azure VM log ingestion methods into Microsoft Sentinel because they can collect logs from virtual machines running outside of Azure, with AMA requiring Azure Arc for management and MMA operating as a standalone agent. On the SC-200 exam, this question tests your understanding of the current and deprecated agent options for hybrid environments, often appearing as a trap where candidates confuse “Sentinel agent” with a separate tool or assume AMA cannot work on non-Azure VMs. Remember that AMA is the modern, recommended agent for both Windows and Linux via Arc, while MMA is the legacy but still accepted choice. A useful memory tip: “AMA needs Arc, MMA is old-school but valid.”
SC-200 Manage a security operations environment Practice Question
This SC-200 practice question tests your understanding of manage a security operations environment. 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.
Which TWO are valid methods to ingest logs into Microsoft Sentinel from a non-Azure virtual machine? (Select TWO.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Azure Monitor Agent (AMA) with Azure Arc
Options A and C are correct because AMA and legacy MMA are valid agents. Option B is wrong because the Sentinel agent is not a separate agent; MMA is used. Option D is wrong because Azure Monitor Agent is not yet available for Linux? Actually AMA is available for both Windows and Linux. But D says 'Azure Monitor Agent' but we already have AMA. However, the question says 'non-Azure VM', and AMA works on non-Azure VMs via Azure Arc. So both A and C are correct. Option E is wrong because Log Analytics agent is the same as MMA, but it's deprecated.
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.
✓
Azure Monitor Agent (AMA) with Azure Arc
Why this is correct
AMA can be installed on non-Azure VMs via Azure Arc.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Log Analytics agent (MMA) – legacy
Why this is correct
MMA is still supported for on-premises VMs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Microsoft Sentinel agent (standalone)
Why it's wrong here
There is no standalone Sentinel agent; ingestion is via Log Analytics agents.
✗
Azure Monitor Agent (AMA) without Azure Arc
Why it's wrong here
AMA requires Azure Arc for non-Azure VMs to manage the agent.
✗
Log Analytics agent (OMS) – deprecated
Why it's wrong here
OMS agent is deprecated and replaced by MMA.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-200 question in full detail.
Identify which SC-200 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Manage a security operations environment — This question tests Manage a security operations environment — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Azure Monitor Agent (AMA) with Azure Arc — Options A and C are correct because AMA and legacy MMA are valid agents. Option B is wrong because the Sentinel agent is not a separate agent; MMA is used. Option D is wrong because Azure Monitor Agent is not yet available for Linux? Actually AMA is available for both Windows and Linux. But D says 'Azure Monitor Agent' but we already have AMA. However, the question says 'non-Azure VM', and AMA works on non-Azure VMs via Azure Arc. So both A and C are correct. Option E is wrong because Log Analytics agent is the same as MMA, but it's deprecated.
What should I do if I get this SC-200 question wrong?
Identify which SC-200 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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