The answer is cross-tenant access settings for the partner tenant. This configuration allows you to trust and enforce multifactor authentication (MFA) requirements from an external Microsoft Entra ID tenant, so when you set inbound access settings, you can mandate that external users provide phone verification before accessing your internal application. On the SC-900 exam, this concept tests your understanding of how cross-tenant access settings bridge identity verification between organizations, often appearing in scenarios where you need to enforce MFA on guest users without directly applying Conditional Access policies to their home tenant. A common trap is confusing these settings with B2B collaboration settings, which only manage invitations and user lifecycle, not authentication enforcement. Remember the key distinction: cross-tenant access settings control trust and authentication requirements, while B2B settings control access and invitation flow. A helpful memory tip is “Trust before access”—configure cross-tenant trust first, then enforce MFA.
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. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 uses Microsoft Entra ID. You need to allow external users from a specific partner tenant to access a single internal application, but only after they provide a phone number for verification. What should you configure?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Cross-tenant access settings for the partner tenant
Cross-tenant access settings allow you to trust MFA and device compliance from external tenants. By configuring inbound access settings, you can require that the partner tenant's users meet your MFA requirements (phone verification). Option B is incorrect because B2B collaboration settings control invitation, not authentication requirements. Option C is incorrect because Conditional Access policies apply to your tenant but cannot directly enforce MFA on external users without cross-tenant trust. Option D is incorrect because identity protection is for risk detection, not MFA enforcement.
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.
✓
Cross-tenant access settings for the partner tenant
Why this is correct
Cross-tenant access settings allow you to trust MFA from the partner tenant and enforce requirements.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
B2B collaboration invitation settings
Why it's wrong here
Invitation settings control who can invite, not authentication requirements.
✗
Conditional Access policy for the application
Why it's wrong here
Conditional Access can require MFA, but for external users, cross-tenant settings are needed to trust their MFA.
✗
Identity Protection policy
Why it's wrong here
Identity Protection focuses on risk, not explicit MFA requirement.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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.
Identify which SC-900 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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: Cross-tenant access settings for the partner tenant — Cross-tenant access settings allow you to trust MFA and device compliance from external tenants. By configuring inbound access settings, you can require that the partner tenant's users meet your MFA requirements (phone verification). Option B is incorrect because B2B collaboration settings control invitation, not authentication requirements. Option C is incorrect because Conditional Access policies apply to your tenant but cannot directly enforce MFA on external users without cross-tenant trust. Option D is incorrect because identity protection is for risk detection, not MFA enforcement.
What should I do if I get this SC-900 question wrong?
Identify which SC-900 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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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