Are you planning to take the SC-100: Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect certification exam? If it is yes, then this will be the right guide to begin your career as a Microsoft Cyber Security Architect. Taking SC-100 certification helps the candidate to enhance their skills in designing and evolving innovative cybersecurity strategies to secure the organization’s mission and business process.
In this guide, we have detailed the objectives of the SC-100 exam, how to prepare for SC-100, and the prerequisites needed for taking SC-100. And provide detailed data on SC-100 domains and their weightage.
And also added some key study tips to get well-prepared for the exam.
Let’s dive in!
All about SC-100 Exam: Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect Certification
The SC-100:Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect is an advanced-level certificate exam by Microsoft Azure. The SC-100 exam focuses on enterprise architecture & your ability to design and implement Microsoft security solutions. This SC-100 exam will test your knowledge of Azure security, identity and access management, data protection, and more.
As a Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect, you will be responsible for:
- Plan and implement a cybersecurity strategy
- Designing zero trust strategy
- Evaluation of security strategies
- Recommending security solutions and practices
In addition, you can work with the other IT staffs to ensure IT security by monitoring the activities and applying some of the security strategies.
What are the skills you will gain from the SC-100 Certification?
By taking the SC-100 certification exam, the candidate can be able to acquire the following skills and knowledge and they are:
- Designing solutions that align with security best practices and priorities
- Designing security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities
- Designing security solutions for infrastructure
- Designing security solutions for applications and data
Who should take the SC-100:Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect exam?
The SC-100 is mainly designed for architect who wants to validate their skills to design and create security strategies to protect the process and infrastructure of an organization. It also includes designing zero trust strategy, assessment of Governance Risk Compliance and so on.
If you are in a role to control information security, or if you are seeking to move into such a role, then this exam will be a perfect fit for you. Even if you do not have any prior experience with the Cybersecurity areas, if you have a strong understanding of the security architectures and concepts, then you will be able to succeed in completing the SC-100 exam.
If you are not sure whether the SC-100 exam is right for you, you can try out the SC-100 practice tests available, to get a better sense of the exam format and syllabus. Or else, you can also check out the official page of the Microsoft SC-100 Cybersecurity Architect Job description to see if this role will suit you and deliver better results.
Some of the common roles you can get by taking the SC-100 exam such as:
- IT Practitioners – They can take the SC-100 exam to get familiar with the IT security activities such as access management, management of the security operations and so on.
- IT Security Officers – The security officers can take this SC-100 exam and can be familiar with the fundamentals of IT security. And also they can get the clear knowledge on how to manage the cybersecurity issues.
- Cybersecurity Professionals – The cybersecurity professionals can get to know the information on cybersecurity basics, zero trust model and so on.
- IT Enterprise Architects – The architect can take the SC-100 exam and get familiar with the designing and evolving cybersecurity solution.
- IT Auditors – They can know how to manage the security by applying the security strategies by taking SC-100 exam. The assessment of the security risks can be done in the right time and application of the right security solution will be made.
- Administrator – They can be responsible for managing the infrastructure security and thus they can know the clear details on how to administer the security solutions. And they can improvise their career level by up-skilling their security skills.
Why to take the SC-100 certification exam on Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect
Taking the SC-100 exam is a great way to show your organization or potential employer that you have skills and knowledge required to become a successful Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect. SC-100 also assists you to stand out from the other candidates while applying for the jobs.
By taking the SC-100 certification, you can get to know how to design and evolve cybersecurity strategy, design zero trust strategy, access management and so on.
Here are the top reasons to take the SC-100 exam:
- Helps in designing cybersecurity architecture elements
- Helps to validate the skills and knowledge in Governance Risk Compliance (GRC) technological strategies
- Helps to validate the skills in creation of Zero trust strategy
Prerequisites of SC-100 Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect certification exam
To help you prepare for the SC-100 exam, Microsoft provided some list of prerequisites that you need to consider before taking the exam, and they are:
- The candidate must have advanced experience and knowledge in a wide range of security engineering areas such as identity and access, platform protection, security operations, securing the data and applications
- The candidate must have experience with hybrid and cloud implementations
- They need to Complete SC-200, SC-300, AZ-500 or MS-500 certifications prior to approach for SC-100 exam.
Exam Format for SC-100: Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect
Exam Domain for Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect Certification (SC-100)
The SC-100 certification exam covers five domains and each carries a specific weightage. Below are the details about SC-100 domains and its weightage.
| Domains | Weightage |
| Designing solutions that align with best security practices and priorities | 20-25% |
| Designing security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities | 30-35% |
| Designing security for infrastructure | 20-25% |
| Designing a strategy for data and applications | 20-25% |
Designing solutions that align with best security practices and priorities (20–25%)
- Build an overall security strategy as well as architecture
- Designing a security operations strategy
- Designing an identity security strategy
Designing security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities (30–35%)
- Designing a regulatory compliance strategy
- Evaluation of security posture and suggesting technical strategies to manage risk
Designing security for infrastructure (20–25%)
- Designing a strategy for securing endpoints of server and client
- Designing a strategy for securing SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS services
Designing a strategy for data and applications (20–25%)
- Specifying security requirements for the applications
- Designing a strategy for data security
Study materials to refer for Cybersecurity Architect Certification (SC-100 exam)
In order to help you in the preparation for the SC1-100 exam, Microsoft created a learning path and covers the topics that you need to know in passing the SC-100 exam. If you are a beginner then Microsoft learning path must be prior focus to get reliable and authentic SC-100 study guide and it includes:
- Designing a solutions that align with best security practices and priorities
- Designing security operations, identity, and compliance capabilities
- Designing security for infrastructure
- Designing a strategy for data and applications
Second, Microsoft instructor-led video training course SC-100:Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect can help you to sharpen their skills in the development of cybersecurity strategy. It is a three-day long video course that helps in outlining the existing cybersecurity strategies. And also the candidate can be able to learn on how to design as well as architect the solution with usage of zero trust principles and specifying security requirements for the cloud platform.
Next, you can try out GitHub SC-100 lab and learn on how to leverage the solution to defend against real-world challenges.
Fourth, you can go through the Microsoft Documentation and get updated information on the products, services and solutions.
Fifth, books are effective study resources if you get in-depth knowledge about the SC-100 exam and to strengthen in theoretical areas.
You can also check out with the Microsoft learning community, you can interact with the Microsoft certified professionals and experts and you can clarify the doubts.
Finally, you can try out Microsoft SC-100 free sample questions and sandbox to get real-time exam experience before appearing in the main exam.
Is SC-100 exam is hard?
Passing the Microsoft SC-100 exam can be challenging or easy, depending on your level of preparation, relevant experience, and the study materials you use. To succeed, you need to have a high level of expertise in security engineering, covering various disciplines such as identity and access management, platform protection, security operations, data and application security, and governance risk compliance (GRC) initiatives. Additionally, you should be able to develop a zero-trust strategy and have experience implementing cloud and hybrid systems.
To qualify for the SC-100 exam, you must have already completed one of the following certifications: SC-200, SC-300, AZ-500, or MS-500. If you possess the necessary knowledge and skills, passing the exam should not be a challenge. However, for those who are new to the concept, there are various resources available to help you develop your expertise and increase your chances of earning the certification.
Salary after completing the SC-100 exam
After the completion of Microsoft cybersecurity architect certification, Cybersecurity architects can earn an average salary of $163,237 per year according to Glassdoor.com. After some years of fruitful experience and promotion, you can earn the highest salary up to $1,90,000 US dollars per year.
| Country | Expected Salary Range |
|---|---|
| United States | $60,000 – $120,000 per year |
| United Kingdom | £25,000 – £70,000 per year |
| Canada | CAD 60,000 – CAD 120,000 per year |
| Australia | AUD 70,000 – AUD 130,000 per year |
| India | INR 400,000 – INR 1,500,000 per year |
Top Companies hiring Cybersecurity Architect
Some of the companies hire Cybsersecurity Architect such as:
- IBM
- Verizon
- Akamai
- Cisco
- Microsoft
- Honeywell
- Amazon
- Cerner
Preparation tips for SC-100 certification exam
Here are some of the tips that are provided to break the complexity persist in SC-100 exam and they are:
- Download study guide and required resources from the Microsoft Official website and clearly understand the objective of the exam. Clearly revise the domains and its weightage and plan in accordance to it.
- Prepare a calendar and spend some time going through all the subtopics present. Try to finish the topics as planned and do not skip the topics.
- Sit and Undergo various mockup tests to test your status of learning and it can help to assist to pass the exam by enhancing time management. Try various practice tests and clear those exams by sticking to the timings.
- Always keep on going through various Youtube webinars and webinars related to cybersecurity and its module. And try to revise it continuously to gain more knowledge.
- Identify weak areas and try to concentrate on those areas and it can be attained by attempting various sample papers repeatedly. One can readily identify their weakest and stronger areas by doing self-evaluation through practice exams.
- Finishing the entire topic before taking the mock tests is the best approach to prepare for tests. It is not advisable to not to skip any subtopics and it will help to score high marks.
- Try to watch more videos since they can help you get better grades by helping you comprehend the ideas better. And finally once you get confident, attempt the exam and you will definitely pass the exam.
FAQs
Q: What is the cost of the SC-100 exam?
A: The cost of this Microsoft SC-100 exam is of $165.
Q: Can I take this exam in some other languages other than English?
A: Yes, the exam was available in multilingual and it is available in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Italian & Indonesian .
Q: Is there any retirement data for the SC-100 exam?
A: No, there is no retirement data for this exam. Anyone can attend this exam on the basis of their convenience.
Q:What is the duration of the SC-100 exam?
A: You need to finish the exam within a time period of 120 minutes.
Q: What is the minimum scoring mark for passing the SC-100 exam?
A: The minimum score you require to pass the SC-100 exam will be 700.
Q: How many questions will be asked in the SC-100 exam?
A: It will be around 40 to 60 questions
Q: What is the validation period of this SC-100 certification?
A: Once candidates pass the exam, the digital badge will be provided and it is valid only for one year and later on recertification occurs. The updating of certification is also made on the basis of performance level.
Q: How is SC-100 exam structured?
A: The SC-100 exam typically features questions in various formats, including single-answer questions based on scenarios, multiple-choice questions, sequences that require arranging answers in the correct order, drag-and-drop questions, and review-and-drag-and-drop questions. The entire test is allotted a time frame of 120 minutes.
Q: Is SC-100 exam hard?
A: The SC-100 exam is generally considered to be challenging, even though it doesn’t delve into technical details. To perform well on the exam, a solid understanding of how Azure solutions integrate with security is essential.
Sample SC-100 Exam Practice Questions
Domain : Design a Zero Trust strategy and architecture
Question 1 : You work for an organization as an Azure security Specialist,
The chief information officer has requested you to build a plan to secure SharePoint Online and Microsoft Teams, and they’re on-promise applications the security requirements are listed below.
- Provide real-time monitoring for your on-premise app applications and SaaS.
- Review high-risk users when signing on to applications, and then record their actions from inside the session.
A. Azure AD Conditional Access
B. Access reviews in Azure AD
C. Microsoft Defender for Cloud
D. Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps and Azure Active Directory
Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
Option A is incorrect because Azure Active Directory (AD) Conditional Access provides security by allowing access to your applications across the cloud and on-premises from trusted devices. It is a policy-based strategy. When you configure a Conditional Access policy with the required conditions to use the access controls, conditions can include device type, users’ attributes, operating systems, client applications accessed over web or cloud apps, network login location, sign-in risks, etc. this will not meet your objective.
Option B is incorrect because Azure Active Directory access reviews help organizations to efficiently control group members, access to enterprise applications, and role tasks. User access can be examined routinely to ensure the right users have continued access.
Option C is incorrect because Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a Cloud Security Posture Management and Cloud Workload Protection Platform (CWPP) for your Azure, on-premises. This includes multi cloud (Amazon AWS and Google GCP) resources. Defender for Cloud meets three critical demands as you deal with the security of your assets and workloads in the Cloud and on-premises, this will not meet your objective.
Option D is correct because the Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps is used as Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) this will provide the Provide real-time monitoring for your on-premise app applications and SaaS.
Azure Active Directory can provide the identity management that is required in this scenario.
Domain : Design security for infrastructure
Question 2 : Your Chief Information Officer, Has asked you to develop interactive dashboards that gather information from these different Azure data sources; he would also like the ability to interact with these dashboards.
What tool in Microsoft Defender for Cloud can facilitate this request and can also provide templates to build and modify to your needs?
A. Security Posture Dashboard
B. Security solutions
C. workbooks
D. workflow automation
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
Option A is incorrect because the Security Posture Dashboard in Microsoft Defender for Cloud’s Dashboard is a collaborative dashboard that delivers a cohesive view of the security posture of your multi-cloud and hybrid cloud workloads. It will not allow you to create custom dashboards; therefore, this will not meet the objective.
Option B is incorrect because Security Solution in Microsoft Defender for Cloud provides you with the ability to integrate with external security solutions a (SIEM) security information event management system, this will not meet your objective in this scenario.
Option C is correct because Workbooks in Microsoft Defender for Cloud deliver the ability to create dashboards with data collected from different Azure resources; it also comes with templates you can build upon or customize for your needs. This solution meets the objective in this scenario.
Option D is incorrect because Workflow automation in Microsoft Azure Defender for Cloud enables organizations to trigger workflows to respond to incidents and events in their environment.
This assists with security personnel overhead as minor events and happenings can be handled by automation; this solution will not meet your objective in this scenario.
Reference: Workbooks gallery in Microsoft Defender for Cloud | Microsoft Learn
Summary
Hope this blog will assist you in understanding SC-100:Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect Certification preparation guides and helps to enrich your career as a Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect. In order to shine in this kind of certification, it is essential to get updated in organized resources.
We at Whizlabs provide you with unique SC-100 practice questions with video lectures prepared by subject matter experts to gain more knowledge about the SC-100 exam. It is also applicable to Microsoft cybersecurity certification for beginners.
If you have any doubts or queries on this blog, please feel free to comment us!
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