SC-900 Practice Question: Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity
An organization wants to use a cloud-based SIEM to collect security data from multiple sources, including on-premises servers and cloud applications. Which Microsoft solution should they choose?
⚠ Common exam trap
SC-900 often tests the SIEM vs. XDR vs. CSPM distinction — candidates pick Microsoft 365 Defender or Defender for Cloud for SIEM scenarios because the names sound security-related, missing that Sentinel is the dedicated SIEM/SOAR product.
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
✓
Microsoft Sentinel
Microsoft Sentinel is Microsoft's cloud-native SIEM and SOAR solution, built on Azure and designed to ingest security data from multiple sources — including on-premises servers via agents, cloud applications via connectors, and Microsoft 365/Azure services. It provides analytics rules, incident management, workbooks, and automation playbooks, making it the correct choice for a cloud-based SIEM.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Microsoft Sentinel
Why this is correct
Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) solution. It excels at collecting security data from diverse sources across an organization's entire digital estate, including Azure, on-premises, and other clouds, through built-in data connectors. Sentinel then uses AI and machine learning to detect, investigate, and respond to threats efficiently, making it ideal for comprehensive security event collection and analysis.
- ✗
Microsoft Intune
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) solution primarily focused on managing and securing devices and applications. Its core function involves deploying applications, enforcing device compliance policies, and protecting corporate data on mobile devices and PCs. Intune does not function as a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system for collecting and analyzing security logs from various infrastructure components.
- ✗
Microsoft 365 Defender
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft 365 Defender is an Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solution that provides unified pre- and post-breach enterprise defense across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. It correlates alerts from endpoints, identities, email, and applications (like Microsoft Teams and SharePoint) to automatically investigate and remediate threats within that specific environment. Unlike a broad SIEM, it is not designed to ingest and analyze security logs from non-Microsoft 365 sources or diverse infrastructure components.
- ✗
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Defender for Cloud offers Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) and Cloud Workload Protection (CWP) across multi-cloud and hybrid environments. It continuously assesses the security posture of cloud resources, identifies vulnerabilities, and provides threat protection for servers, containers, databases, and other workloads. While it generates security alerts, its primary role is not to act as a centralized SIEM for collecting and correlating security events from an organization's entire IT landscape.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Azure Private Link Basics
Key term
SOAR
SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) is a technology stack that helps security teams automate responses to threats by integrating various security tools and standardizing workflows.
Key term
Microsoft Sentinel
Microsoft Sentinel is a cloud-native security information and event management (SIEM) and security orchestration automation and response (SOAR) service that helps organizations detect, investigate, and respond to cyber threats across their entire digital estate.
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This SC-900 question is part of Courseiva's 1,279-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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.