The answer is the cloud provider. This is correct because under the shared responsibility model for SaaS, the provider retains full ownership and control over the physical infrastructure—including data center buildings, servers, cooling systems, and physical access controls—while the customer is only responsible for securing their own data, user accounts, and device compliance within the application. On the Microsoft SC-900 exam, this distinction frequently appears in questions about the shared responsibility model SaaS physical security, testing whether you understand that the customer’s boundary stops at the logical layer. A common trap is assuming the customer must secure the hardware because they manage the data, but the provider always handles physical security in SaaS. Remember the memory tip: “SaaS means the provider handles the steel and glass; you handle the passwords and access.”
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 a cloud-based email service that is delivered as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). According to the shared responsibility model, who is primarily responsible for the physical security of the data centers where the email data is stored?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The cloud provider
In the shared responsibility model for SaaS, the cloud provider is responsible for the physical security of the data centers, including hardware, network infrastructure, and physical access controls. The customer is responsible for securing their own data, user access, and compliance within the service, but not the underlying physical infrastructure.
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.
✗
The customer
Why it's wrong here
The customer is not responsible for physical security in SaaS; the cloud provider manages the physical data centers.
✓
The cloud provider
Why this is correct
In SaaS, the cloud provider is responsible for physical security, including data center infrastructure, networking, and hardware.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Both the customer and the cloud provider equally
Why it's wrong here
While both share responsibilities, physical security is solely the provider's responsibility in SaaS.
✗
Neither the customer nor the cloud provider
Why it's wrong here
The cloud provider is responsible for physical security; it is not an unassigned responsibility.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the shared responsibility model for IaaS or PaaS with SaaS, incorrectly assuming the customer has some physical security duties, when in fact for SaaS the provider handles all physical and infrastructure security.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the shared responsibility model for SaaS (e.g., Microsoft 365), the provider manages the physical hosts, storage, and network infrastructure, including compliance with standards like SOC 2 and ISO 27001 for physical security controls. The customer, however, must configure tenant-level security settings such as Conditional Access policies and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) rules, as the provider cannot enforce customer-specific compliance requirements.
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: The cloud provider — In the shared responsibility model for SaaS, the cloud provider is responsible for the physical security of the data centers, including hardware, network infrastructure, and physical access controls. The customer is responsible for securing their own data, user access, and compliance within the service, but not the underlying physical infrastructure.
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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Question Discussion
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