- A
Activity policies
Why wrong: Activity policies monitor specific activities but require known apps; they do not discover unknown apps.
- B
Cloud Discovery
Cloud Discovery analyzes traffic logs to identify shadow IT and unsanctioned cloud apps.
- C
File policies
Why wrong: File policies are used to enforce governance actions on files, not to discover cloud apps.
- D
App permissions
Why wrong: App permissions review OAuth apps that have been granted access, not personal accounts.
Question 730 of 1,411
SC-900 Practice Question: Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions
This SC-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe the capabilities of microsoft security solutions. 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.
Your organization recently deployed Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps. You need to identify which users are using a personal Dropbox account to access corporate files. Which feature should you use?
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
✓
Cloud Discovery
B is correct because Cloud Discovery in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps analyzes traffic logs from your network to identify shadow IT usage, including users accessing personal Dropbox accounts from corporate devices. It uses anonymized data from Microsoft Intelligent Security Graph to detect unsanctioned cloud apps and map user activity, enabling you to pinpoint which users are bypassing corporate storage policies.
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.
- ✗
Activity policies
Why it's wrong here
Activity policies monitor specific activities but require known apps; they do not discover unknown apps.
- ✓
Cloud Discovery
Why this is correct
Cloud Discovery analyzes traffic logs to identify shadow IT and unsanctioned cloud apps.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
File policies
Why it's wrong here
File policies are used to enforce governance actions on files, not to discover cloud apps.
- ✗
App permissions
Why it's wrong here
App permissions review OAuth apps that have been granted access, not personal accounts.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse Cloud Discovery (which identifies unsanctioned app usage) with Activity policies (which monitor actions within already-sanctioned apps), leading them to choose A because they think monitoring user actions is sufficient to detect personal account use.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cloud Discovery works by ingesting firewall and proxy logs via log collectors or by using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint’s network detection capabilities to identify traffic to cloud apps. It categorizes apps using the Cloud App Catalog (over 31,000 apps) and assigns a risk score based on factors like encryption standards (e.g., TLS 1.2) and compliance certifications. In a real-world scenario, an admin can drill down to see specific users, IP addresses, and data volumes for Dropbox, even if the user is accessing it via a web browser rather than a dedicated client.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SC-900 question test?
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions — This question tests Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Cloud Discovery — B is correct because Cloud Discovery in Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps analyzes traffic logs from your network to identify shadow IT usage, including users accessing personal Dropbox accounts from corporate devices. It uses anonymized data from Microsoft Intelligent Security Graph to detect unsanctioned cloud apps and map user activity, enabling you to pinpoint which users are bypassing corporate storage policies.
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: Jul 4, 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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