SC-900 Practice Question: Describe the capabilities of Microsoft compliance solutions
Your organization wants to audit all activities related to accessing sensitive files in Microsoft SharePoint. Which Microsoft Purview solution should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse Data Loss Prevention (DLP) with auditing, because DLP also monitors sensitive files, but DLP focuses on preventing data exfiltration rather than providing a retrospective audit trail of all access activities.
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
✓
Audit (Premium)
Audit (Premium) in Microsoft Purview provides detailed logging of user and admin activities, including granular events like file access, modification, and permission changes in SharePoint. This solution enables organizations to investigate and audit all activities related to sensitive files by capturing and retaining audit records with high-volume event support and custom alerting.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Audit (Premium)
Why this is correct
Microsoft Purview Audit (Premium) provides advanced auditing capabilities, including extended retention of audit logs (up to 10 years), intelligent insights, and access to high-value audit events crucial for forensic investigations. It captures a comprehensive record of user and admin activities across Microsoft 365 services, enabling organizations to track who accessed what, when, and from where, which is essential for security and compliance audits.
- ✗
Data lifecycle management
Why it's wrong here
Data lifecycle management governs retention and deletion policies for content, not access activity auditing. It is tempting because it manages SharePoint files, but the requirement is to audit *who accessed* sensitive files, which demands the audit log and alerting capabilities of Microsoft Purview Audit (Standard or Premium). Data lifecycle management would be correct if the scenario required automatically deleting sensitive files after a compliance period.
- ✗
Information barriers
Why it's wrong here
Information barriers are a compliance solution in Microsoft 365 designed to prevent specific groups of users from communicating or collaborating with each other, such as segregating traders from research analysts. While crucial for preventing conflicts of interest and regulatory compliance, information barriers do not provide any logging or auditing of user activities or access to files; their function is purely preventative.
- ✗
Data loss prevention
Why it's wrong here
Data loss prevention (DLP) policies are designed to identify, monitor, and protect sensitive information across Microsoft 365 services by preventing its unauthorized sharing or transmission. DLP can detect sensitive data in emails, documents, and chats, then block or warn users based on policy rules. However, DLP's primary function is data protection and prevention, not comprehensive auditing of all user activities or access patterns, although it can generate alerts when a policy is matched.
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Microsoft Entra ID
Key term
User
A user is any person, system, or device that interacts with an IT service, resource, or identity system, typically authenticated through credentials and authorized to perform specific actions.
Key term
Microsoft Purview
Microsoft Purview is a unified data governance and compliance service that helps organizations discover, manage, and protect their data across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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