- A
Use a single vault access policy with the Contributor role
Why wrong: Vault access policies are not RBAC-integrated and cannot be audited via Azure Policy for data plane operations. Contributor role only grants management plane access.
- B
Enable the Azure RBAC permission model for Key Vault
Azure Key Vault supports an RBAC-based authorization model where permissions for data plane operations (get, list, set secrets/keys) can be assigned via Azure RBAC roles. This allows centralized management and Azure Policy auditing.
- C
Assign a managed identity to the Key Vault
Why wrong: Managed identity is an identity for Azure resources to authenticate to services, not a permission model for access control.
- D
Use a service principal and configure vault access policies per application
Why wrong: This is the older approach, not RBAC-based, and lacks centralized RBAC management.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to enable the Azure RBAC permission model for Key Vault. This is the right choice because it replaces the older vault access policy model with Azure’s native role-based access control, offering granular, scalable permissions that integrate directly with Azure Policy for auditing and compliance. On the Microsoft SC-900 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how Azure RBAC provides centralized permission management across multiple vaults, whereas vault access policies are limited to per-vault configuration. A common trap is assuming both models can run simultaneously for the same vault, but you must explicitly enable the RBAC model to switch. Remember the memory tip: "RBAC for the stack, policies for the pack"—use RBAC when you need stack-wide, policy-compliant control, and vault access policies only for isolated, legacy setups.
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. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 company stores application secrets and encryption keys in Azure Key Vault. They want to move from the older vault access policy model to a more scalable and granular permission model that integrates with Azure's role-based access control (RBAC). They also need to audit permissions using Azure Policy. Which access configuration should they choose for Azure Key Vault?
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
Enable the Azure RBAC permission model for Key Vault
Option B is correct because enabling the Azure RBAC permission model for Key Vault replaces the older vault access policy model with Azure's native role-based access control, providing granular, scalable permissions that integrate directly with Azure Policy for auditing. This model allows you to assign roles like Key Vault Secrets User or Key Vault Crypto Officer at the management plane, enabling centralized permission management across multiple vaults and supporting Azure Policy compliance checks.
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.
- ✗
Use a single vault access policy with the Contributor role
Why it's wrong here
Vault access policies are not RBAC-integrated and cannot be audited via Azure Policy for data plane operations. Contributor role only grants management plane access.
- ✓
Enable the Azure RBAC permission model for Key Vault
Why this is correct
Azure Key Vault supports an RBAC-based authorization model where permissions for data plane operations (get, list, set secrets/keys) can be assigned via Azure RBAC roles. This allows centralized management and Azure Policy auditing.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Assign a managed identity to the Key Vault
Why it's wrong here
Managed identity is an identity for Azure resources to authenticate to services, not a permission model for access control.
- ✗
Use a service principal and configure vault access policies per application
Why it's wrong here
This is the older approach, not RBAC-based, and lacks centralized RBAC management.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'managed identity' (an authentication mechanism for resources) with the permission model itself, or assume that vault access policies are still the recommended approach for scalability, when in fact Azure RBAC is the modern, policy-auditable solution.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the Azure RBAC permission model for Key Vault uses Azure Resource Manager (ARM) role definitions that map to data-plane operations, such as 'Microsoft.KeyVault/vaults/secrets/read' for reading secrets, allowing Azure Policy to evaluate role assignments via the 'Policy' resource provider. A subtle behavior is that when you switch from vault access policies to RBAC, existing policies are not automatically migrated—you must explicitly assign roles and can optionally disable the old model via the 'enableRbacAuthorization' property in the vault's ARM template. In a real-world scenario, a multi-tenant application requiring separate secret access for different teams benefits from RBAC because you can assign the 'Key Vault Secrets User' role to a security group, and Azure Policy can audit if any user has excessive permissions like 'Key Vault Administrator'.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SC-900 question test?
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: Enable the Azure RBAC permission model for Key Vault — Option B is correct because enabling the Azure RBAC permission model for Key Vault replaces the older vault access policy model with Azure's native role-based access control, providing granular, scalable permissions that integrate directly with Azure Policy for auditing. This model allows you to assign roles like Key Vault Secrets User or Key Vault Crypto Officer at the management plane, enabling centralized permission management across multiple vaults and supporting Azure Policy compliance checks.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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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