Microsoft 365 Core Services and Value
Microsoft 365 (M365) bundles productivity, security, and device management into subscription plans. Core services: Microsoft 365 Apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook — install on up to five devices per user), Exchange Online (cloud-hosted email and calendar — 50 GB or 100 GB mailbox), SharePoint Online (team sites, document libraries, intranet portals), OneDrive for Business (personal cloud storage — 1 TB per user in most plans), Microsoft Teams (chat, video meetings, file collaboration hub — integrated with all other M365 services). Plans: M365 Business Basic (web-only apps, Teams, Exchange, SharePoint), Business Standard (full desktop apps + services), Business Premium (adds security: Intune, Entra ID P1, Defender for Business — recommended for most small businesses), Enterprise E3 and E5 (advanced compliance and security, E5 adds Defender products, Purview, and Sentinel). Licensing is per-user per-month subscription — move from CapEx (server hardware) to OpEx.
Security, Compliance, and Identity in M365
MS-900 covers the security services bundled with M365. Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD): identity foundation for M365 — all M365 users sign in with Entra ID. Entra ID P1 (included in Business Premium and E3): Conditional Access, self-service password reset, group-based licensing. Entra ID P2 (included in E5): adds PIM, Identity Protection, and access reviews. Intune: mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM) — enrol corporate and BYOD devices, push apps and policies, remote wipe. Microsoft Purview: compliance centre — data classification, retention policies (keep or delete content per legal requirements), eDiscovery (search and export email and Teams content for legal cases), audit logs, communication compliance (detect inappropriate content in messages). Microsoft Defender for Business (included in Business Premium): endpoint protection for SMB — vulnerability management, EDR, automated investigation. Microsoft 365 Defender (E5): XDR across email, endpoint, identity, and cloud apps.
Microsoft 365 Pricing, Support, and Service Health
MS-900 tests business and licensing knowledge. Subscription management: Microsoft 365 Admin Center (central management console — user management, license assignment, service health, billing), Azure AD Admin Center (identity and access management), Teams Admin Center (Teams policies and configuration), Exchange Admin Center (email flow rules, quarantine). SLA: Microsoft commits to 99.9% uptime for M365 services — service credits apply if SLA is breached. Service health dashboard: view real-time status of all M365 services, past incidents, and planned maintenance — accessible in the Admin Center or via Microsoft Service Health API. Support options: self-service (admin centre troubleshooting), Microsoft support tickets (included with paid subscriptions), FastTrack (free onboarding assistance for eligible customers with 150+ seats — deployment guidance, migration support). Volume licensing and Microsoft Customer Agreement: direct subscriptions through Microsoft.com or CSP partners (Cloud Solution Providers who add value-added services and support).