SC-900 Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra Practice Question
A company uses Microsoft 365 and requires that users access corporate email and SharePoint from managed devices that meet security policy requirements, such as having encryption enabled and antivirus software running. The security team wants to enforce this access control within Microsoft Entra ID so that unmanaged devices are blocked. Which Microsoft Entra ID feature should they configure?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse Identity Protection (which handles risk-based signals like leaked credentials) with Conditional Access (which enforces broader policies including device compliance), leading them to select A instead of B.
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
✓
Conditional Access
Conditional Access is the Microsoft Entra ID feature that enforces access control policies based on conditions such as device compliance, location, and user risk. By configuring a policy that requires devices to be marked as compliant (e.g., with encryption enabled and antivirus running) and blocking access from unmanaged devices, the security team can meet the stated requirement. This is the correct choice because Conditional Access directly integrates with Microsoft Intune device compliance policies to evaluate device health before granting access to corporate email and SharePoint.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Identity Protection
Why it's wrong here
Azure AD Identity Protection is a security feature that helps organizations detect, investigate, and remediate identity-based risks by identifying vulnerabilities affecting identities and detecting suspicious actions related to user and sign-in risk. It can automate remediation actions like requiring multi-factor authentication or password resets based on detected risk levels. While it assesses and responds to risk, Identity Protection does not directly enforce device compliance requirements as a condition for accessing Microsoft 365 applications.
When this WOULD be correct
An organization wants to automatically detect and block sign-ins from compromised accounts or risky sessions, such as when a user's credentials appear on the dark web or when sign-ins originate from anonymous IP addresses.
- ✓
Conditional Access
Why this is correct
Conditional Access policies in Azure AD evaluate various signals, including user, location, application, and device state, at the time of a sign-in attempt. These policies can specifically enforce requirements such as a device being marked as compliant by Microsoft Intune or being hybrid Azure AD joined, before granting access to Microsoft 365 cloud applications like Exchange Online or SharePoint Online. This directly addresses the need to control access based on specific device compliance criteria.
- ✗
Access Reviews
Why it's wrong here
Access Reviews in Azure AD are a governance tool used for managing and auditing access to resources by enabling administrators to periodically review who has access to specific applications, groups, or roles. They help ensure that only authorized users maintain appropriate access over time by facilitating recertification or removal of permissions. Crucially, Access Reviews do not provide real-time enforcement of device compliance during a sign-in attempt to control access to Microsoft 365 services.
When this WOULD be correct
A company needs to periodically verify that users still require access to sensitive SharePoint sites and remove stale accounts. The security team wants to automate this recertification process within Microsoft Entra ID.
- ✗
Privileged Identity Management
Why it's wrong here
Privileged Identity Management (PIM) is a service in Azure AD designed to manage, control, and monitor access to important resources by providing just-in-time (JIT) and time-bound access to administrative roles. Its primary function is to reduce the window of exposure for privileged accounts by requiring activation for elevated permissions. PIM does not, however, enforce device compliance requirements for general user access to productivity applications within Microsoft 365.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The SC-900 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Conditional AccessCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Conditional Access policies in Azure AD evaluate various signals, including user, location, application, and device state, at the time of a sign-in attempt. These policies can specifically enforce requirements such as a device being marked as compliant by Microsoft Intune or being hybrid Azure AD joined, before granting access to Microsoft 365 cloud applications like Exchange Online or SharePoint Online. This directly addresses the need to control access based on specific device compliance criteria.
✗Identity ProtectionWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Identity Protection is used to detect and respond to identity-based risks (e.g., leaked credentials, sign-in anomalies), not to enforce device compliance or block unmanaged devices from accessing resources.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
An organization wants to automatically detect and block sign-ins from compromised accounts or risky sessions, such as when a user's credentials appear on the dark web or when sign-ins originate from anonymous IP addresses.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'protecting identities' with 'controlling access based on device health,' assuming Identity Protection handles all security policies for user access.
✗Access ReviewsWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Access Reviews are used to audit and recertify user access rights, not to enforce real-time device compliance policies. The question requires blocking unmanaged devices at sign-in, which is a Conditional Access policy action.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A company needs to periodically verify that users still require access to sensitive SharePoint sites and remove stale accounts. The security team wants to automate this recertification process within Microsoft Entra ID.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'access control' with 'access reviews' because both involve managing permissions, but they serve different purposes: enforcement vs. attestation.
Analysis generated from the official SC-900blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SC-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 SC-900 exam.