The answer is authorization. While authentication verifies identity—in this case, confirming the user is who they claim to be via a smart card—authorization is the subsequent process that determines what an authenticated user is allowed to do. Here, the system checks device compliance with security policies before granting network access, which is a classic authorization decision: it evaluates conditions and permissions to allow or deny access to a resource. On the Microsoft SC-900 exam, this distinction is frequently tested to ensure you understand that authentication is about proving identity, while authorization is about enforcing access rights. A common trap is confusing device compliance checks with authentication factors; remember that any policy-based access decision after identity is confirmed falls under authorization. Memory tip: think "AuthN = Who you are, AuthZ = What you're allowed to do."
SC-900 Practice Question: Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity
This SC-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 user successfully authenticates to a system using a smart card. After authentication, the system checks whether the user's device is compliant with security policies before granting access to the network. This additional check is an example of which security concept?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Authorization
Authorization is the correct answer because after the user is authenticated via smart card, the system evaluates whether the user's device meets security compliance policies before granting network access. This decision—allowing or denying access based on conditions—is the core function of authorization, which determines what resources or actions an authenticated identity is permitted to perform.
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.
✓
Authorization
Why this is correct
Checking device compliance is a condition that must be met before access is granted; this is part of the authorization process.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Authentication
Why it's wrong here
Authentication was completed when the user provided the smart card credentials; the subsequent check is not about verifying identity.
✗
Accounting
Why it's wrong here
Accounting refers to tracking user activities and resource usage, not enforcing access conditions.
✗
Non-repudiation
Why it's wrong here
Non-repudiation ensures that a user cannot deny an action, typically through digital signatures; it is not about access checks.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing the initial identity verification (authentication) with the subsequent policy-based access decision (authorization), especially when both steps occur sequentially in a single login flow.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This scenario often involves Network Access Control (NAC) solutions like Cisco ISE or Microsoft NPS, which use RADIUS or 802.1X to enforce authorization policies. The device compliance check may evaluate criteria such as antivirus status, patch level, or encryption settings via posture assessment (e.g., using Microsoft Intune or System Center Configuration Manager). Under the hood, the system compares the device's health attributes against a defined policy and returns an Access-Accept or Access-Reject RADIUS attribute, effectively authorizing network access only when conditions are met.
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 company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SC-900 question in full detail.
Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity — This question tests Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Authorization — Authorization is the correct answer because after the user is authenticated via smart card, the system evaluates whether the user's device meets security compliance policies before granting network access. This decision—allowing or denying access based on conditions—is the core function of authorization, which determines what resources or actions an authenticated identity is permitted to perform.
What should I do if I get this SC-900 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
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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 user scans their fingerprint to unlock a corporate laptop. After unlocking, the user attempts to open a confidential database. The system checks the user's role and grants access because the user is a member of the 'Data Analyst' group. Which two security concepts are demonstrated in this scenario?
easy
✓ A.Authentication and authorization
✓ B.Confidentiality and integrity
C.Identification and non-repudiation
D.Availability and accountability
Why A: The fingerprint scan is a form of authentication, verifying the user's identity through a biometric factor. The subsequent check of the user's group membership ('Data Analyst') to grant access to the database is authorization, determining what resources the authenticated user can access. This scenario directly maps to the identity and access management (IAM) concepts of authentication (proving who you are) and authorization (what you are allowed to do).
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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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.
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