Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate (SC-200)

Security teams often inherit Microsoft Defender XDR and Microsoft Sentinel without consistent runbooks for alert tuning, investigation, response, and threat hunting. This SC-200 course gives IT Directors a structured way to align SOC analysts, security engineers, and Microsoft 365 security practitioners around the same Microsoft security operations workflow.

The course is intermediate and works best for teams already supporting Microsoft 365, endpoint security, or SIEM operations. Plan for about 14 hours, 45 minutes per learner across 17 course sections, making it practical for phased enablement rather than a one-time training event. Training Managers can sequence topics from Defender XDR foundations into Sentinel workspace design, data ingestion, KQL, detections, investigations, Security Copilot, and threat hunting.

For change management, Team Leads can assign this course before standardizing detection rules, alert response processes, or Sentinel adoption. CBT Nuggets capabilities such as Playlists and Team Reporting help leaders guide completion and track progress; Practice Exams can support SC-200 certification readiness where exam preparation is part of the team goal.

IT teams complete this training to make Microsoft security operations more consistent across Defender XDR and Microsoft Sentinel. The course maps to scenarios SOC teams face when configuring tools, reducing alert noise, investigating incidents, and improving response quality.

• Standardize Defender XDR operations: Teams learn how device groups, email notifications, endpoint settings, alert tuning, and automated investigation and response fit into day-to-day security operations.
• Improve Sentinel readiness: Security teams learn how to design a Sentinel workspace, ingest data sources, configure detections, and use workbooks for visibility.
• Strengthen investigation workflows: Analysts practice the concepts behind responding to alerts, investigating Defender alerts and incidents, and reviewing Microsoft 365 activities with Sentinel tools.
• Build proactive threat-hunting capability: Teams learn to use KQL, custom detections, Sentinel hunting, Defender hunting, and Microsoft Security Copilot as part of a more mature SOC workflow.

Knowledge

• How Microsoft Defender XDR supports security operations across alerts, incidents, assets, endpoint settings, and automated investigation and response.
• How device groups, email notifications, alert tuning, protections, and detections affect operational consistency.
• How Microsoft Sentinel workspaces are designed and connected to ingested data sources.
• How KQL, custom detections, Sentinel detections, workbooks, and hunting tools support investigation and threat discovery.
• Where Microsoft Security Copilot fits into Microsoft security operations workflows.

Ability

• Configure core Defender XDR settings that support endpoint security, alert handling, and automated response.
• Manage security assets and environments in a way that supports SOC visibility.
• Design and configure a Microsoft Sentinel workspace and connect data sources for analysis.
• Create and tune detections in Defender XDR and Sentinel using KQL-driven workflows.
• Respond to and investigate alerts, incidents, Microsoft 365 activities, and threat-hunting findings across Defender and Sentinel.