- A
Managing user access to the applications
Why wrong: This is a customer responsibility, not Microsoft's. The customer controls which users have access to Microsoft 365 applications through identity management.
- B
Securing the underlying application code and platform
As a SaaS provider, Microsoft is responsible for the security of the application code, runtime environment, and underlying infrastructure. The customer does not manage the platform.
- C
Configuring multi-factor authentication for users
Why wrong: Configuring authentication methods like MFA is the customer's administrative responsibility within the tenant. Microsoft provides the feature, but the customer decides policy.
- D
Protecting data from unauthorized access by other tenants
Why wrong: While Microsoft ensures logical isolation between tenants, the customer is responsible for their own data governance, including classifying and protecting their data from external threats.
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 company subscribes to Microsoft 365 E5, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering. The IT department is responsible for configuring user accounts and managing data in Exchange Online and SharePoint Online. According to the shared responsibility model, which security responsibility is retained by Microsoft for this SaaS deployment?
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
Securing the underlying application code and platform
In a SaaS model like Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft retains responsibility for securing the underlying application code, platform, and physical infrastructure. This includes patching the operating system, hardening the application stack, and ensuring the runtime environment is secure. The customer is responsible for managing user identities, configuring access controls, and protecting their own data.
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.
- ✗
Managing user access to the applications
Why it's wrong here
This is a customer responsibility, not Microsoft's. The customer controls which users have access to Microsoft 365 applications through identity management.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct in a question about an on-premises or IaaS deployment where the customer is responsible for managing the operating system and applications, including user access to those applications.
- ✓
Securing the underlying application code and platform
Why this is correct
As a SaaS provider, Microsoft is responsible for the security of the application code, runtime environment, and underlying infrastructure. The customer does not manage the platform.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Configuring multi-factor authentication for users
Why it's wrong here
Configuring authentication methods like MFA is the customer's administrative responsibility within the tenant. Microsoft provides the feature, but the customer decides policy.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct in a question about the shared responsibility model for an IaaS deployment, where the customer manages the operating system and applications, and the cloud provider is responsible for physical security and network controls, but MFA configuration would still be a customer task. Alternatively, if the question asked which security control is NOT the customer's responsibility in a SaaS model, MFA configuration would be a customer responsibility, making it a wrong answer in that context.
- ✗
Protecting data from unauthorized access by other tenants
Why it's wrong here
While Microsoft ensures logical isolation between tenants, the customer is responsible for their own data governance, including classifying and protecting their data from external threats.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct in a question about the shared responsibility model for an IaaS deployment, where the customer manages the operating system and applications, and the cloud provider is responsible for physical security and isolation of the underlying infrastructure, including protecting customer data from other tenants.
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.
✓Securing the underlying application code and platformCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
As a SaaS provider, Microsoft is responsible for the security of the application code, runtime environment, and underlying infrastructure. The customer does not manage the platform.
✗Managing user access to the applicationsWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
In a SaaS model like Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft manages the application code and platform, while the customer manages user access. Therefore, managing user access is the customer's responsibility, not Microsoft's.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct in a question about an on-premises or IaaS deployment where the customer is responsible for managing the operating system and applications, including user access to those applications.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse the shared responsibility model and think that because Microsoft provides the service, they also manage user access, not realizing that access management is typically a customer responsibility even in SaaS.
✗Configuring multi-factor authentication for usersWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
In a SaaS model like Microsoft 365 E5, configuring multi-factor authentication is a customer responsibility, not Microsoft's. Microsoft secures the underlying infrastructure, but user-level security settings like MFA are managed by the customer.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct in a question about the shared responsibility model for an IaaS deployment, where the customer manages the operating system and applications, and the cloud provider is responsible for physical security and network controls, but MFA configuration would still be a customer task. Alternatively, if the question asked which security control is NOT the customer's responsibility in a SaaS model, MFA configuration would be a customer responsibility, making it a wrong answer in that context.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse the shared responsibility model and assume that because Microsoft provides the service, they also handle user authentication settings. They might think MFA is part of the platform security rather than a customer-configurable feature.
✗Protecting data from unauthorized access by other tenantsWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
In a SaaS model like Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft is responsible for securing the underlying infrastructure and application code, but data protection from other tenants is a shared responsibility where Microsoft ensures logical isolation, and the customer is responsible for configuring access controls and data classification.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct in a question about the shared responsibility model for an IaaS deployment, where the customer manages the operating system and applications, and the cloud provider is responsible for physical security and isolation of the underlying infrastructure, including protecting customer data from other tenants.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may mistakenly believe that tenant isolation is entirely the customer's responsibility, or they may confuse SaaS with IaaS where data protection from other tenants is indeed a provider responsibility.
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?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse customer-managed security controls (like MFA and user access) with Microsoft's inherent platform responsibilities, leading them to select options that are actually customer obligations under the SaaS model.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the shared responsibility model for SaaS, Microsoft is responsible for 'security of the cloud,' which includes the physical hosts, network infrastructure, and the application code itself (e.g., Exchange Online and SharePoint Online binaries). The customer is responsible for 'security in the cloud,' such as identity management, data classification, and endpoint protection. For example, Microsoft applies patches to the Exchange Online server code without customer intervention, but the customer must configure mailbox permissions and retention policies.
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
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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: Securing the underlying application code and platform — In a SaaS model like Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft retains responsibility for securing the underlying application code, platform, and physical infrastructure. This includes patching the operating system, hardening the application stack, and ensuring the runtime environment is secure. The customer is responsible for managing user identities, configuring access controls, and protecting their own data.
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
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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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