The Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate accreditation focuses on validating the candidates’ skills in securing a hybrid and Microsoft 365 enterprise environment. The candidates who manage to obtain it will also consolidate their ability to manage compliance and security solutions, enforce data governance, and respond to threats.

Target Audience

The Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate certification targets administrators that are interested in verifying their competency in managing and implementing access and identity. Also, it is a good choice for those professionals who want to improve their skills in administering and implementing threat protection solutions as well as working with information protection elements. When they decide to enroll in the certification process, the applicants can be sure that they will become highly skilled in managing compliance features and governance elements while working with Microsoft 365 components.

Certification Path

The individuals can obtain the Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate certification if they get a passing score in MS-500 exam. This test can be taken either in English or in Japanese. Also, the candidates can take this exam whenever they want and then benefit from the acquired perks forever as it doesn’t have any retirement date. The registration fee that they need to pay to enroll in this test is $165. Note that the price might differ based on your location.

The registration process should be done on the Pearson VUE platform for any non-student who is interested in technology. When scheduling the exam, the applicants should follow the instructions prompted on the screen. Once all steps are completed, the exam-takers should confirm that they paid the registration fee. The final phase would be to schedule the exam in the available testing centers.

Skills Tested in MS-500 Exam

The process of preparing for the Microsoft MS-500 certification exam requires candidates to validate certain sets of skills. It covers the following areas:

• Implementing and managing access and identity features
• Managing and implementing threat protection strategies
• Managing and implementing information protection tactics
• Managing compliance and governance features when working with Microsoft 365 products and services

Training Materials for Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate Certification

Mastering the topics mentioned in the official test blueprint can be achieved by following different paths. One can choose between instructor-led training, a self-paced learning program provided by Microsoft, or reading relevant books from trusted resources like Amazon. However, the variety of available books is vast, so searching for the best ones can be stressful. No worries, because below you’ll find some of the most credible and helpful materials for your exam success, including study guides and training courses.

• Exam Ref MS-500 Microsoft 365 Security Administration by Ed Fisher and Nate Chamberlain

  This book is available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback formats. It is officially prepared by Microsoft experts. So, it follows the certification exam’s blueprint and helps the candidates to develop their skills on the tested topics quickly and with fewer efforts. The readers have the opportunity to learn how to implement and administer Microsoft 365 components, they will also become knowledgeable of accessing information and threat protection techniques as well as following compliance and governance standards. Apart from offering extended information on the topics tested in MS-500, this self-study material provides the candidates with different challenges. Therefore, they will learn how they can implement the theoretical information in a business scenario. Besides, it helps the test-takers to improve their skills in managing Microsoft 365 environment features and implement security standards while working with it. Students are offered various what-if cases to enhance their decision-making and problem-solving skills and thus become ready to perform well in the workplace.

• Microsoft 365 Security Administration: MS-500 Exam Guide: Plan and Implement Security and Compliance Strategies for Microsoft 365 and Hybrid Environments by Peter Rising

  This is a self-study material that focuses on helping the candidates consolidate their skills in the topics included in MS-500 blueprint. It is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. The exam-takers who choose to refer to this material will get the correct guidance on the concepts covered by the test’s syllabus and will have an effective studying process. Besides, they will gain knowledge of how to implement the principles they have studied for the Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate certification exam in a real business environment. The professionals who read this book will learn how to manage and implement information protection. They will also benefit from exploring the most efficient techniques for deploying and configuring Microsoft 365 features and services. The guide is divided into 22 chapters, including comprehensive coverage of all the exam objectives, a mock exam necessary for prior self-assessment, and detailed answers for that practice exam.

• Defend Against threats with Microsoft Threat Protection

  This is an official video training material offered by Microsoft for the candidates who want to obtain the Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate certificate. It includes 4 modules that have a total duration of 3,5 hours. The examinees can refer to this training to get an introduction to threat protection while using the Microsoft 365 infrastructure. Therefore, the candidates will learn more about how to identify the most common threats and understand which are the fundamental threat protection techniques. Also, the attendees will have the opportunity to improve their knowledge of using the Microsoft Defender for Endpoint techniques to protect the enterprise systems against potential threats. Another module included in this self-study training helps the professionals become experts in remediating risks with the help of Microsoft Defender infrastructure components suitable for Office 365 architecture. Finally, the test-takers will improve their skills in using the Microsoft Defender for Identity components to succeed in safeguarding their business environment.

Conclusion

You can easily acquire the Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate certification if you dedicate time to training. The first step you should take is checking the certification exam’s blueprint to understand the key objective and its structure. The next step would be to use the self-study materials dedicated to the required exam MS-500. For example, you can use the books available on Amazon or watch the videos provided by Microsoft on their learning platform.