SC-200: Microsoft Security Operations Analyst Exam Prep

In a world where cyberattacks continue to rise in complexity and scale, organizations need robust tools and skilled professionals to defend their environments. One such essential tool is Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, a comprehensive platform for endpoint threat detection, investigation, and response. As part of preparing for the SC-200 exam, learning to configure and utilize this platform effectively is crucial for anyone in a security operations role.

This article explores the capabilities of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, focusing on how it helps mitigate threats, manage security alerts, and perform device investigations. Through practical use of these tools, security operations professionals gain the skills to protect their organization’s digital infrastructure.

Deploying Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

Before using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to manage security threats, it’s necessary to properly deploy and configure it. Deployment begins with ensuring that devices in your organization, particularly those running Windows 10, are onboarded to the platform. This involves connecting endpoints to the Microsoft 365 Defender portal, where security configurations, analytics, and alerts can be managed centrally.

Once deployed, analysts can begin implementing security controls such as Attack Surface Reduction rules. These rules are crucial for minimizing potential attack vectors by restricting the types of actions that applications or users can perform on endpoints. For example, they can block executable content in emails or scripts running from Office files.

Configuration also includes enabling automated investigation and remediation. This feature helps security teams scale their response by allowing Defender for Endpoint to analyze and resolve alerts without human intervention when confidence in the verdict is high.

Managing Alerts and Incidents

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint excels in detecting and correlating suspicious activity. When unusual behavior is detected, such as unexpected network connections, suspicious script execution, or known malware signatures, the system generates alerts.

These alerts are automatically grouped into incidents, which provide a holistic view of a potential attack campaign. Security analysts can drill into each incident to view associated alerts, devices, user accounts, and timelines of related activities. This helps build a comprehensive understanding of how an attack unfolded and where it might spread.

Incident management in Defender for Endpoint supports collaboration and prioritization. Analysts can assign incidents to team members, update statuses, add comments, and escalate when needed. This structured workflow ensures that nothing is overlooked during a high-pressure response.

Investigating Devices and Taking Action

When a device is suspected of being compromised, detailed investigation tools become vital. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint offers a timeline of system activity for every onboarded device, including process launches, network connections, file modifications, and registry changes.

This level of visibility allows analysts to trace an attack from initial entry through lateral movement and data exfiltration attempts. If a device is confirmed to be at risk, immediate action can be taken from within the platform. These actions include isolating the device from the network to prevent further spread, running antivirus scans, or collecting a package of forensic data for offline review.

Remote investigation capabilities are a game-changer for modern security operations, especially when dealing with distributed workforces or bring-your-own-device policies.

Investigating Users, Files, and Network Connections

Security incidents often involve more than just devices. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint provides tools to investigate users, files, domains, and IP addresses associated with alerts. For example, analysts can examine whether a particular user account has been involved in multiple alerts across different devices or geographies, suggesting possible credential compromise.

Defender for Endpoint integrates with threat intelligence feeds to provide context for files and domains. If a file hash is associated with known malware or if a domain has a reputation for hosting phishing attacks, this information is displayed directly within the investigation view.

Being able to cross-reference alerts, users, files, and network artifacts is essential for understanding the full scope of an attack and taking meaningful remediation steps.

Automation and Orchestration

Manual response to every alert is not feasible in large environments. That’s why automation plays a central role in modern security operations. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint supports automation through investigation playbooks and auto-remediation capabilities.

When an alert is triggered, Defender can initiate a background investigation to gather additional data and apply remediation actions based on preset rules. For example, if a suspicious PowerShell script is detected, the system might automatically terminate the process, quarantine related files, and isolate the device if needed.

These automated processes reduce the burden on security teams and ensure faster responses to known threats. Analysts can also configure the system to send notifications, create ServiceNow tickets, or trigger custom workflows via Microsoft Sentinel for more advanced orchestration.

Proactive Defense with Threat and Vulnerability Management

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is not only a reactive tool; it also provides capabilities for proactive defense. The Threat and Vulnerability Management dashboard offers real-time visibility into software vulnerabilities, configuration issues, and insecure behaviors across the organization.

By continuously scanning devices and analyzing their state, Defender helps security teams identify weaknesses before they are exploited. The dashboard prioritizes findings based on risk level and exposure, enabling teams to focus on the most critical issues.

For example, if a widely exploited vulnerability is found in an outdated browser version on multiple devices, Defender will flag it and suggest remediation steps. Security teams can then push updates, adjust configurations, or block the application entirely using group policies.

Integration with Broader Security Ecosystem

While powerful on its own, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint becomes even more effective when integrated with other Microsoft security products. It shares data and context with Microsoft 365 Defender, enabling cross-platform correlation between identity, email, application, and endpoint threats.

This integration allows analysts to track threats as they move across the kill chain—from phishing emails to endpoint compromise to lateral movement. Alerts and incidents from Defender for Office 365, Microsoft Defender for Identity, and Microsoft Cloud App Security can all be viewed in the same portal, providing a unified view of enterprise risk.

These integrations also improve the accuracy of detections by combining signals from multiple sources, helping analysts detect stealthy attacks that might go unnoticed in isolated systems.

Continuous Learning and Operational Insight

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint supports threat simulation exercises and detailed analytics dashboards that allow organizations to assess their security effectiveness. Simulated attacks can help validate detection rules, while dashboards track metrics such as time to detect, time to respond, and coverage of attack techniques.

Security teams can use these insights to fine-tune their defenses and ensure that every step of the incident response workflow is optimized. Over time, this leads to greater maturity in security operations and a reduced risk of significant breaches.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a vital part of the toolkit for any Security Operations Analyst. From deployment and configuration to alert investigation and automated response, it empowers analysts to protect their environments with precision and agility. The knowledge and skills gained through using this platform are not only key to passing the SC-200 exam but also foundational for a career in cybersecurity operations.

In the article, we will explore Microsoft 365 Defender and how it extends threat protection beyond the endpoint to cover identities, email, and cloud applications.

Threat Protection with Microsoft 365 Defender

As modern cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated, organizations need to extend their defenses beyond endpoints. While endpoint security remains crucial, the vast majority of attacks begin with compromised identities, phishing emails, or misused cloud applications. Microsoft 365 Defender provides a unified platform to address these threats by correlating data across multiple Microsoft security solutions. It offers security teams the ability to detect, investigate, and respond to incidents spanning users, devices, emails, and applications.

This article explores how Microsoft 365 Defender helps security analysts mitigate threats through its tightly integrated components, including Microsoft Defender for Office 365, Microsoft Defender for Identity, and Microsoft Cloud App Security. These services work together to deliver end-to-end protection within the Microsoft ecosystem, making them essential tools for any security operations analyst.

Unified Threat Protection Across Domains

Microsoft 365 Defender is not a single product, but a suite of technologies designed to work in tandem to protect users and their data. It unifies threat signals from email, identity, endpoints, and cloud applications to give analysts a comprehensive view of their organization’s security posture.

When an attack occurs, it rarely stays confined to one domain. A phishing email might steal user credentials, leading to account compromise, followed by lateral movement across systems, and finally, data exfiltration using cloud services. With Microsoft 365 Defender, each phase of this attack is detected, investigated, and mitigated in a single security incident. This cross-domain correlation allows for faster and more effective responses.

Identity Protection with Azure AD Identity Protection

Identity is a prime target for attackers. Compromised credentials can lead to unauthorized access, data leakage, and elevated privileges. Microsoft 365 Defender integrates Azure AD Identity Protection, which monitors sign-in behavior to detect unusual patterns that might indicate an attack.

For example, if a user who typically logs in from New York suddenly signs in from Eastern Europe within a short timeframe, this triggers a risk detection event. Analysts can investigate these events to determine whether multi-factor authentication was used, whether the device is managed, and whether the user has a history of suspicious activity.

Security analysts can use Microsoft 365 Defender to view all risky sign-ins and take appropriate action, such as requiring a password reset or blocking access entirely. Policies can also be configured to automatically respond to these risks, reducing the time between detection and remediation.

Defending Against Email-Based Threats

Email remains one of the most common attack vectors. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is designed to stop threats like phishing, spoofing, and malware-laden attachments before they reach end users. It does this by scanning incoming messages for known indicators of compromise and suspicious content using machine learning and behavioral analysis.

When a malicious message is detected, it is either quarantined or removed from inboxes using zero-hour auto-purge. Analysts can investigate how the message entered the system, whether it was clicked, and which users received it. This is especially important when dealing with widespread phishing campaigns that target multiple employees simultaneously.

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 also provides attack simulation training, allowing security teams to test users’ responses to phishing attempts and improve awareness through customized training. These simulations are useful for identifying high-risk users who may need additional education.

Advanced hunting capabilities within Microsoft 365 Defender let analysts perform detailed queries across mail flow, URLs, attachments, and user actions. By understanding how a phishing attack unfolded and who was affected, analysts can ensure that similar threats are prevented in the future.

Protecting Cloud Applications and Data

As more organizations move to the cloud, securing applications and data becomes a top priority. Microsoft Cloud App Security plays a key role in Microsoft 365 Defender by providing visibility into cloud usage and detecting risky behaviors.

This service allows security analysts to monitor user activities in sanctioned and unsanctioned apps. For example, if an employee uploads sensitive files to a personal Dropbox account, Cloud App Security can generate an alert. Analysts can investigate further by viewing the user’s activities, the type of data involved, and whether similar behavior has occurred before.

Data loss prevention (DLP) policies in Microsoft 365 Defender help protect sensitive information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, and intellectual property. These policies can trigger alerts or automatic actions when such data is shared inappropriately via email, SharePoint, or other channels.

Microsoft Cloud App Security also integrates with Microsoft Information Protection, allowing labels to be applied to files based on sensitivity. Analysts can then track the movement of labeled data and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

Insider Risk Management

Not all threats come from external actors. Insider threats—whether malicious or accidental—can be just as damaging. Microsoft 365 Defender includes insider risk management tools that analyze user behavior for signs of policy violations, data leaks, or security breaches.

Security analysts can define policies that flag specific behaviors, such as downloading large volumes of sensitive data, accessing files during off-hours, or emailing attachments to personal addresses. When such activities are detected, cases are created for investigation.

Each case includes a timeline of the user’s actions, providing insight into whether the behavior was intentional or accidental. Analysts can take appropriate actions, including issuing warnings, requesting training, or initiating HR investigations.

This capability is critical for organizations in regulated industries or those handling high-value intellectual property. It enables security operations teams to detect and respond to subtle, slow-moving threats that might otherwise evade traditional security tools.

Incident Management and Investigation

One of the major advantages of Microsoft 365 Defender is its unified incident management system. Alerts from email, identity, endpoint, and application domains are automatically grouped into a single incident. This saves time and reduces noise by preventing analysts from having to chase individual alerts across multiple consoles.

Each incident includes comprehensive data, such as user accounts, devices involved, related emails, URLs, and file hashes. Analysts can view timelines, correlate events, and understand the full scope of an attack. This holistic view is essential for determining the root cause and preventing recurrence.

The incident portal provides tools to assign cases, track progress, and escalate issues as needed. It integrates with Microsoft Sentinel and external ticketing systems to streamline workflows and ensure accountability.

Security teams can also benefit from the “Automated Investigation and Response” engine. This system runs in the background and performs investigation tasks like scanning mailboxes, analyzing user behavior, and checking for known IOCs. If the confidence level is high, the system can take predefined actions to remediate the threat without waiting for analyst intervention.

Advanced Hunting and Custom Detection

Microsoft 365 Defender includes a powerful query tool for advanced hunting, using a syntax similar to Kusto Query Language. Security analysts can write custom queries to search across emails, devices, users, and cloud activity logs.

This capability is especially useful for identifying new or emerging threats that haven’t yet triggered default alerts. Analysts can also use hunting queries to validate the impact of recent threats or incidents, perform retrospective analysis, and fine-tune detection rules.

Custom detection rules can be built using the same query language, allowing organizations to tailor their threat detection capabilities to specific needs. For example, a rule can be created to flag when a user logs in from a new country while accessing sensitive SharePoint documents.

These custom detections help fill gaps in default coverage and align security monitoring with organizational risk profiles.

Benefits of Integration with Defender for Endpoint

When Microsoft 365 Defender is used alongside Defender for Endpoint, the combined capabilities provide unparalleled visibility across the attack surface. A phishing email detected in Defender for Office 365 can be traced to a malware drop on a user’s endpoint. That same endpoint might show evidence of credential theft or lateral movement.

This cross-domain investigation is made seamless through the shared incident management system and centralized data lake. Analysts can move from email to endpoint to identity in a single workflow, reducing the time to understand and contain a threat.

Moreover, actions taken in one product are reflected in the others. Isolating a device in Defender for Endpoint will be shown in the related incident in Microsoft 365 Defender. Similarly, blocking a user based on risky sign-ins in Azure AD Identity Protection will affect their access to cloud apps, which can be monitored through Cloud App Security.

Real-World Use Case: Business Email Compromise

Consider a scenario where an attacker compromises a user’s credentials through a phishing campaign. Microsoft Defender for Office 365 identifies the initial phishing email and removes it from other users’ inboxes. Simultaneously, Azure AD Identity Protection detects risky sign-ins from an unusual location.

The attacker begins using the compromised account to send internal emails requesting payments. Microsoft 365 Defender correlates this activity into a single incident, showing the initial compromise, lateral activity, and data exfiltration attempts.

Analysts use advanced hunting queries to verify the attack scope and then initiate remediation—resetting the user’s password, revoking tokens, and notifying affected teams. The entire response is documented in the incident timeline, demonstrating how the platform enables coordinated, effective defense.

Microsoft 365 Defender offers a powerful, integrated approach to security operations. By combining insights from identity, email, endpoints, and cloud apps, it gives analysts the tools they need to detect, investigate, and respond to complex attacks. The platform’s automation, advanced hunting, and unified incident management capabilities streamline operations and improve organizational resilience.

As threats continue to evolve, the ability to see the full picture and act quickly is what sets modern security teams apart. Microsoft 365 Defender enables that level of insight and agility, making it a core focus for anyone preparing for the SC-200 exam or working in a security operations role.

In this series, we will explore Azure Defender and its role in securing cloud workloads and hybrid environments.

Securing Cloud Workloads with Azure Defender

With organizations rapidly adopting cloud services, traditional security approaches that focus solely on on-premises environments are no longer sufficient. Azure Defender plays a critical role in cloud-native threat protection, helping security teams detect and respond to threats across Azure, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments. Integrated into Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Azure Defender offers workload-specific protections for virtual machines, containers, databases, and more.

As part of preparing for the SC-200 exam and excelling in a security operations role, understanding how to plan, configure, and use Azure Defender is essential. This article explores how Azure Defender enhances security posture, helps analysts investigate alerts, and integrates with broader Microsoft security tools.

Understanding Azure Defender’s Role in Cloud Security

Azure Defender provides extended detection and response capabilities for a wide range of cloud resources. It continuously assesses security posture, provides recommendations to improve defenses, and actively monitors workloads for potential threats. Unlike traditional security tools, Azure Defender is designed to understand the context and nuances of cloud environments.

It supports a wide variety of resources, including:

Virtual machines
Containers and Kubernetes clusters
SQL databases and Azure Storage
App services and key vaults
DNS zones and more

When activated, Azure Defender applies tailored analytics to each resource type, generating high-fidelity alerts that are mapped to known attack tactics and techniques.

Planning for Workload Protection

Before enabling Azure Defender, security teams must understand which workloads need protection and how those workloads are configured. Planning involves identifying the resource types in use, evaluating compliance requirements, and understanding data sensitivity levels.

Security administrators can enable Azure Defender selectively—either across all subscriptions or on specific resource groups. Each Defender plan is associated with a particular resource type and provides specialized monitoring and analytics. For example:

Defender for Servers offers threat detection, vulnerability assessment, and EDR capabilities
Defender for SQL includes advanced threat protection for Azure SQL databases and on-premises instances.
Defender for Containers helps secure AKS (Azure Kubernetes Service) clusters with runtime protection and hardening recommendations.

This modular approach allows organizations to tailor protection based on risk, budget, and architectural priorities.

Enabling Azure Defender and Connecting Assets

Once the planning phase is complete, enabling Azure Defender is straightforward through the Microsoft Defender for Cloud portal. Security teams can enable plans individually or through Azure Policy for automation across large environments.

For Azure-native resources, enabling Azure Defender is seamless. However, for non-Azure environments such as on-premises servers or other cloud platforms like AWS and Google Cloud, additional steps are required. These systems need to be onboarded using Azure Arc—a management service that brings Azure security and monitoring capabilities to any infrastructure.

Once onboarded, these resources can be protected in the same way as Azure-hosted resources. This unified view is particularly valuable for hybrid cloud deployments, where consistency and visibility are often difficult to achieve.

Monitoring and Responding to Security Alerts

After onboarding resources and enabling Defender plans, security teams begin to receive alerts. These alerts are based on built-in analytics that detect suspicious or malicious activity. Each alert includes a severity level, affected resource, description, and recommended remediation steps.

Alerts may indicate behaviors such as:

Suspicious PowerShell activity on a virtual machine
SQL injection attempts on a database
Access from an unusual location to Azure Storage accounts
Brute-force login attempts on SSH or RDP services

Each alert also provides a map of related activity, helping analysts understand the sequence of events and determine if an attack is underway. This context reduces the likelihood of false positives and helps teams respond with greater precision.

For example, if a virtual machine shows signs of privilege escalation, Azure Defender may correlate that alert with prior events like failed logins or malware installation attempts. This correlation provides valuable insight into how the attack is progressing and what mitigation steps are required.

Investigating Threats Using the Azure Portal

Security analysts can investigate alerts directly in the Microsoft Defender for Cloud interface. From the security alerts dashboard, they can filter by resource type, severity, region, and status. Clicking into an alert reveals details such as:

The nature of the threat (e.g., outbound traffic to a known command-and-control server)
When the threat was detected
The affected subscription and resource group
Suggested remediation steps
A link to threat intelligence, if applicable

The portal also provides tools to suppress false positives and tune alert sensitivity. This ensures that alerts are aligned with the organization’s risk tolerance and operational priorities.

For deeper investigations, analysts can correlate Defender for Cloud alerts with log data stored in Azure Log Analytics or forward alerts to Microsoft Sentinel for broader SIEM use cases.

Remediating Security Issues

In addition to generating alerts, Azure Defender provides security recommendations that help organizations reduce their exposure to threats. These recommendations are surfaced in the secure score—a centralized metric that reflects the overall health of your environment’s security posture.

Secure score is based on best practices and regulatory standards. Recommendations might include:

Enabling just-in-time VM access to reduce brute-force attack risk
Applying system updates and patching known vulnerabilities.
Enforcing multi-factor authentication for privileged accounts
Configuring storage accounts to require secure transfer

Security teams can use the recommendation list to assign remediation tasks to appropriate teams, track progress, and verify that issues have been resolved.

Automated remediation options are also available through Azure Logic Apps, which can trigger workflows such as disabling accounts, notifying teams, or isolating resources.

Using Azure Defender with Non-Azure Resources

Many organizations operate in hybrid environments, with assets spread across on-premises data centers, Azure, and other cloud platforms. Azure Defender supports the protection of non-Azure workloads using Azure Arc and the Log Analytics agent.

Once these agents are installed and configured, the same threat detection and security analytics available for Azure-native resources are extended to on-premises and multi-cloud systems.

For example, a Windows Server running on-premises can be enrolled in Defender for Servers. It will then be subject to the same vulnerability assessments, malware detection, and configuration checks as a server in Azure.

This capability allows security teams to manage security from a single pane of glass and apply consistent policies across all workloads, regardless of location.

Defender for Containers and Kubernetes Security

Securing containerized workloads is a top priority for modern cloud environments. Azure Defender provides rich protection for AKS clusters, including:

Image vulnerability scanning using integrated tools
Runtime protection against suspicious processes and file access
Role-based access analysis for Kubernetes resources
Alerts on misconfigurations, such as exposed dashboards or excessive privileges

These features help ensure that containers are built securely, deployed with appropriate guardrails, and monitored continuously for anomalous behavior.

Security teams can also integrate Defender with CI/CD pipelines, ensuring that images are scanned before they are deployed to production. This proactive security model helps catch risks early in the development lifecycle.

Threat Detection for Databases and Storage

Data is often the most valuable asset in an organization and a primary target for attackers. Azure Defender extends protection to both SQL databases and storage accounts.

For SQL, Defender detects suspicious activities such as:

SQL injection attempts
Access from unfamiliar IP addresses
Queries targeting sensitive columns.
Changes to critical database roles

It also integrates with auditing and compliance tools to ensure that access patterns align with internal policies and regulatory frameworks.

For Azure Storage, Defender identifies:

Access attempts using anonymous or expired credentials
Data exfiltration attempts
Changes in storage account configurations

These alerts help prevent unauthorized access and reduce the risk of data leaks or compliance violations.

Integration with Other Microsoft Security Solutions

Azure Defender is not a standalone solution—it integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft tools like Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, and Microsoft 365 Defender. This integration allows for broader detection and more cohesive response strategies.

Alerts from Azure Defender can be sent to Sentinel for centralized logging, correlation, and automation. For example, an alert about suspicious network traffic on a VM can be used to trigger an incident response playbook that isolates the VM and notifies the security team.

Similarly, when a threat is detected in Azure Defender, that context is available in Microsoft 365 Defender’s incident queue, allowing analysts to see how the threat ties into activity across endpoints, users, and email.

These integrations reduce silos and provide a more complete picture of an attack, enabling faster and more informed responses.

Real-World Example: Defending a Hybrid Environment

Imagine an organization with a hybrid cloud setup that includes on-premises servers, Azure VMs, and containers running in AKS. Azure Defender provides consistent protection across all these workloads.

One day, Azure Defender detects that an Azure VM has initiated outbound connections to a suspicious domain. The alert is correlated with a recent configuration change and a failed login attempt from an unusual IP. At the same time, Defender for Containers reports that a pod in AKS is running a process not listed in the container image.

These alerts are sent to Sentinel and grouped into a single incident. Analysts investigate and discover that an attacker gained access via a compromised SSH key and is attempting lateral movement across containers and VMs.

Using Azure Defender, they isolate the affected resources, investigate the user account involved, and block the suspicious domain. The automated playbook also notifies compliance officers and updates the incident in the ticketing system.

This kind of fast, coordinated response is only possible through a deeply integrated security stack like Azure Defender within Microsoft’s security ecosystem.

Azure Defender provides comprehensive threat protection for cloud and hybrid workloads. Its ability to detect, investigate, and remediate threats across virtual machines, databases, containers, and more makes it an indispensable tool for any security operations analyst.

For those preparing for the SC-200 exam or working in real-world SOC roles, mastering Azure Defender’s capabilities is key to securing today’s diverse and dynamic IT environments. From planning and deployment to advanced threat investigation, Azure Defender equips analysts with the insights and tools they need to stay ahead of evolving threats.

In this series, we will dive into Azure Sentinel and how to use Kusto Query Language to detect, investigate, and hunt threats at scale.

Using Microsoft Sentinel and KQL for Threat Detection and Hunting

As organizations expand their IT environments across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid infrastructures, security operations must scale accordingly. Microsoft Sentinel, a cloud-native Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Security Orchestration Automated Response (SOAR) platform, provides the tools needed to detect threats, investigate incidents, and respond swiftly.

For security operations analysts preparing for the SC-200 exam, mastering Sentinel is essential. Its ability to centralize logs, correlate signals, and automate responses makes it a core part of Microsoft’s security ecosystem. In this article, we explore how Sentinel works, how to use KQL for powerful analytics, and how it ties together your entire security architecture.

Introduction to Microsoft Sentinel

Microsoft Sentinel provides a centralized platform to collect security data, analyze it in real time, and coordinate responses to threats. It integrates with Azure Monitor and Azure Log Analytics to store and query vast amounts of telemetry, making it possible to monitor all resources—cloud, on-premises, or third-party—in one place.

Sentinel supports integration with:

Microsoft 365 Defender, Azure Defender, and Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Third-party firewalls, proxies, and antivirus platforms
Data sources through Syslog, Common Event Format (CEF), and REST APIs

Once data is ingested, Sentinel uses built-in analytics, machine learning models, and customizable KQL queries to identify threats and trigger alerts. Analysts can then investigate incidents through visual tools and automate responses using playbooks built with Logic Apps.

Configuring Your Sentinel Environment

To start using Sentinel, you must first create a Log Analytics workspace, which is the central location where all data is ingested, stored, and queried. Then, Sentinel is enabled on that workspace.

Each workspace is associated with:

Resource groups and subscriptions
Data retention policies
Access controls through Azure role-based access control (RBAC)

After enabling Sentinel, you can connect data sources using data connectors. These connectors simplify the process of ingesting logs from Microsoft products and external platforms. Examples include:

Microsoft 365 Defender
Azure Activity Logs
Windows Security Events
AWS CloudTrail
Cisco ASA or Palo Alto firewalls

You can connect and manage multiple workspaces if you need to separate data for regulatory, billing, or administrative purposes.

Writing KQL Queries in Sentinel

At the heart of Sentinel’s analytical power is Kusto Query Language (KQL), a read-only query language used to retrieve and analyze large datasets. It is similar to SQL but optimized for telemetry.

KQL is used to build:

Custom detection rules
Threat hunting queries
Dashboards and visualizations
Incident investigations

This query looks at SigninLogs, filters for failed login attempts, summarizes them by user and IP, and sorts the results. It’s a useful way to identify brute-force login attempts or misconfigured systems.

Analysts must become familiar with filtering, summarizing, joining tables, parsing strings, and creating time-based queries. These skills are critical not just for hunting threats but also for building rules that automatically generate alerts when suspicious patterns emerge.

Constructing Multi-Table Queries and Joins

Sentinel ingests data from multiple tables, each representing different data sources. Sometimes analysts need to combine these tables to get context.

Other common tables include:

Heartbeat for monitoring agent health
DeviceNetworkEvents for Defender for Endpoint data
AzureDiagnostics for Azure service logs
OfficeActivity for Microsoft 365 actions

Knowing how to combine and analyze these tables provides a deep level of visibility into the attack surface.

Creating Analytics Rules for Detection

Sentinel enables security analysts to create custom detection rules that generate alerts when certain conditions are met. These analytics rules are powered by KQL and can be scheduled to run at regular intervals.

To create a rule:

Write a query that identifies suspicious behavior
Set the frequency (e.g., every 5 minutes)
Define the alert threshold.
Map entities (user, IP, device) to make alerts more actionable
Attach an automated response using a playbook if needed

For example, a rule could detect repeated failed sign-ins from the same IP within a short time window, indicating a brute-force attack. Another could flag unusual file access patterns or privilege escalation attempts.

These rules are highly customizable and allow organizations to tailor threat detection to their specific environment.

Automating Incident Response with Playbooks

When an alert is triggered, Sentinel can launch automated responses using playbooks created in Azure Logic Apps. Playbooks can perform tasks like:

Sending emails or Teams messages
Disabling user accounts
Isolating infected devices
Creating tickets in ServiceNow

For example, a playbook can be linked to an alert rule that triggers when ransomware indicators are detected. The playbook could then disable the user’s account, isolate the device using Defender for Endpoint, and notify the SOC.

Playbooks reduce response time and eliminate manual tasks, allowing analysts to focus on more complex investigations.

Visualizing Data and Creating Dashboards

Sentinel allows users to build dashboards that visualize key metrics, such as failed login attempts, active threats, or data exfiltration patterns. Using KQL queries, these dashboards can include charts, time graphs, and summary tables.

Some common visualizations include:

Brute force login heatmaps
Alerts by severity and source
User activity over time
Threat type distribution

These dashboards help SOC teams monitor their environment in real time and identify trends that may indicate larger threats.

Threat Hunting with Notebooks

Sentinel integrates with Jupyter Notebooks, which combine text, code, and visualization for advanced analysis. Notebooks allow threat hunters to:

Run KQL queries
Use Python or PowerShell to manipulate data.
Visualize relationships between entities.s
Document hypotheses and findings

For example, a hunter could load data on suspicious IPs, enrich it with WHOIS lookups, visualize the network graph of related users and devices, and export the results—all in one interface.

This kind of flexibility supports deep investigations and documentation for future reference.

Tracking Threats Over Time with Livestream

The Livestream feature lets analysts monitor real-time events based on KQL queries. It’s useful for tracking threats during an active investigation or when responding to a known incident.

For example, you can create a livestream that watches for:

New logins from an IP address known to be used in recent phishing campaigns
Changes to high-value Azure resources
Process launches that match malware signatures.

This enables proactive monitoring and faster identification of lateral movement or escalation.

Managing Incidents and Investigations

Sentinel aggregates alerts into incidents, which group related activity for easier triage and investigation. Incidents can be assigned to analysts, tagged, and updated throughout the response process.

Each incident includes:

Alerts and their source rules
Related entities like users and IPs
Timeline of activity
Investigation graph showing relationships.

Analysts can use the investigation graph to pivot from alert to user to device and uncover the full scope of an attack. They can also annotate incidents and track resolution steps.

This centralizes investigation and enables collaboration across the SOC.

Integrating Sentinel with Microsoft Security Ecosystem

Sentinel is not isolated—it integrates tightly with Microsoft’s broader security tools:

Defender for Endpoint provides telemetry on devices, alerts, and EDR
Microsoft 365 Defender contributes identity, email, and collaboration alerts.
Defender for Cloud provides insight into Azure and hybrid resources

These integrations allow Sentinel to correlate signals from across the environment, enhancing detection and incident enrichment.

For example, an alert from Defender for Endpoint about unusual process activity can be correlated with a failed login in Azure AD, forming a more complete picture of the attack.

Real-World Use Case: Detecting and Stopping Credential Theft

Consider a scenario where an attacker uses a phishing email to harvest a user’s credentials. Sentinel receives an alert from Microsoft Defender for Office 365 about a suspicious email. Moments later, Azure AD logs show a login from an unusual IP in a different country.

A custom analytics rule in Sentinel flags the login and triggers a playbook that disables the user account. Analysts open the incident and use the investigation graph to trace the IP’s activity across multiple systems.

They uncover lateral movement attempts and isolate the affected virtual machines. A dashboard shows other similar login patterns, indicating a broader campaign. Using this data, the team updates its detection rules and informs stakeholders.

This quick, coordinated response helps contain the attack before it causes damage.

Microsoft Sentinel is an indispensable tool for modern security operations analysts. Its ability to ingest, analyze, and respond to massive volumes of security data enables organizations to defend against sophisticated attacks at scale.

From building KQL queries and configuring detection rules to hunting threats and automating responses, Sentinel empowers analysts with the visibility and control they need. Mastering Sentinel is critical for success in the SC-200 exam and, more importantly, for safeguarding real-world environments against ever-evolving threats.

With this article, our series is complete. You now have a comprehensive understanding of Microsoft’s security operations stack—from Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and 365 Defender to Azure Defender and Sentinel. Equipped with this knowledge, you’re well on your way to becoming a skilled Microsoft Security Operations Analyst.

Final Thoughts

Completing this journey through Microsoft’s security operations technologies—from Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to Microsoft Sentinel—has revealed the depth and power of the integrated security tools Microsoft offers. Each platform plays a strategic role in enabling proactive, coordinated defense against modern cyberthreats. For professionals preparing for the SC-200: Microsoft Security Operations Analyst certification, this isn’t just an academic exercise—it’s a vital set of skills for securing organizations in a dynamic threat landscape.

One of the biggest takeaways is the power of centralization. Security analysts are often overwhelmed by tool sprawl, disconnected signals, and alert fatigue. Microsoft consolidates telemetry from endpoints, users, identities, applications, emails, and infrastructure into a single ecosystem. With Microsoft 365 Defender, Azure Defender, and Microsoft Sentinel all integrated, analysts can view threats holistically, rather than chasing fragmented indicators across multiple platforms.

What elevates Microsoft Sentinel above many other SIEM solutions is its cloud-native architecture. It’s designed for scale, enabling organizations to ingest billions of events daily without managing infrastructure. This flexibility allows both small security teams and large SOCs to deploy Sentinel quickly and cost-effectively. The integration with Logic Apps for automation further enables teams to scale their response capabilities without dramatically increasing headcount.

Another critical component covered in this series is the use of Kusto Query Language (KQL). Mastery of KQL isn’t optional for anyone serious about working in Microsoft Sentinel or performing advanced threat hunting across Microsoft’s security stack. With KQL, analysts can build custom detections, perform forensic investigations, and visualize data to make better decisions. While initially unfamiliar, KQL becomes a powerful ally once understood, unlocking visibility into activity that might otherwise go unnoticed.

The automation capabilities in Microsoft Sentinel also stand out. By creating playbooks that respond to alerts in real time—disabling accounts, notifying stakeholders, isolating devices—organizations can reduce their mean time to response (MTTR) significantly. This shift from reactive to proactive security is one of the most effective ways to contain threats before they escalate into breaches.

Beyond technical skills, the SC-200 course also reinforces a critical mindset: continuous threat hunting and learning. Security is not static. Threat actors adapt, develop new techniques, and exploit evolving attack surfaces. Microsoft equips analysts not just with tools, but with the intelligence and processes to pursue active hunting, rather than waiting for an alert to ring. By leveraging built-in analytics, entity behavior modeling, and integration with MITRE ATT&CK tactics, defenders can stay a step ahead.

The exam itself—SC-200—is much more than a test. It’s an endorsement of your ability to detect, investigate, and respond to cyber incidents in a real-world Microsoft environment. It validates that you can work across products, connect dots using KQL, and operationalize alerts through Sentinel. Moreover, earning the Security Operations Analyst Associate badge puts you on a direct path toward the Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert certification, allowing you to evolve from an analyst role into a leadership one over time.

There’s also an important career implication here. As more organizations adopt Microsoft 365 and Azure, demand for professionals who understand Microsoft’s security tools is rapidly growing. Roles such as Security Operations Analyst, Incident Responder, Threat Hunter, and SOC Lead now often list skills in Microsoft Sentinel, Defender, and KQL as core requirements. Passing the SC-200 gives you a strong competitive advantage in this evolving job market.

Looking ahead, it’s important not to treat this certification as the end of the journey. Microsoft’s security tools continue to evolve with new features, integrations, and enhancements. Staying current through Microsoft Learn, hands-on labs, and community forums will keep your skills sharp and your organization secure.

In conclusion, mastering the Microsoft security stack isn’t just about passing an exam. It’s about building the muscle memory and analytical mindset needed to defend against real threats, in real time, across complex digital environments. By completing this series, you’ve built a foundation that empowers you to become not just a user of Microsoft’s security tools but a strategist capable of leading security operations.