Validate critical information security skills with our new Certification
The cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving, and organizations of all sizes must stay ahead of the curve to protect their networks and keep their data, systems, and digital assets safe. With the growth of AI and cloud computing, defenders and cyberattackers alike can change this landscape. As a result, business leaders are reassessing their digital defenses, especially around data governance. And while the technology is critical, it’s even more important to have a workforce with the skills and experience to maximize its potential, protect against cyberthreats, and detect and respond to any security incidents. In short, security skills in the era of AI are crucial. To support these needs, we regularly review and update our training and credentials portfolio to make sure that it encompasses the latest technologies and in-demand, real-world skills. As these skills are becoming more defined for specific roles, we’re making some changes to our Security offerings. Introducing a new Certification for information security Created specifically for those in the data security and information protection profession, we’re glad to introduce the new Microsoft Certified: Information Security Administrator Certification that will be available in April 2025. You can earn this new Certification by passing Exam SC-401: Administering Information Security in Microsoft 365,available in beta on February 11, 2025. This new Certification validates the skills needed to plan and implement information security for sensitive data by using Microsoft Purview and related services. It also validates the skills needed to mitigate risks from internal and external threats by protecting data inside collaboration environments that are managed by Microsoft 365. Plus, it verifies subject matter expertise needed to participate in information security incident responses. As an information security administrator who earns this Certification, you demonstrate your expertise in: Implementing information protection. Implementing data loss prevention and retention. Managing risks, alerts, and activities. Get ready to take Exam SC-401 and earn the new Certification: Check out the Exam SC-401 study guide, and explore potential exam topics. Stay tuned for Exam SC-401 self-paced training. We’re retiring the Information Protection and Compliance Administrator Associate Certification In addition to introducing the new Certification, we’re announcing the upcoming retirement of the Microsoft Certified: Information Protection and Compliance Administrator Associate Certification and its related Exam SC-400: Administering Information Protection and Compliance in Microsoft 365. The Certification, related exam, and renewal assessments will all be retired on May 31, 2025. We’ve received consistent feedback regarding the fact that this Certification includes two separate roles—data security/information protection professionals and compliance professionals—and that each role should have its own validation solution. Although we aren’t creating a new Certification for compliance-related roles, we offer Microsoft Applied Skills that can validate these skills. Find more details in the next section. The following questions and answers can help you determine how these retirements could impact your learning goals: Q: What if I’m studying for Exam SC-400? A: If you’re currently preparing for Exam SC-400, you should take and pass the exam before May 31, 2025. If you’re just starting your preparation process, we recommend that you explore the new Information Security Administrator Certification and its related Exam SC-401: Administering Information Security in Microsoft 365. Q: I’ve already earned the Information Protection and Compliance Administrator Associate Certification. What happens now? A: If you’ve already earned the Information Protection and Compliance Administrator Associate Certification, it will stay on the transcript in your profile on Microsoft Learn. If you’re eligible to renew your Certification before May 31, 2025, we recommend that you consider doing so, because it won’t be possible to renew the Certification after this date. Validate your compliance administrator skills with Microsoft Applied Skills Microsoft Applied Skills help you demonstrate your capabilities in specific scenarios or workloads, complementing the broader job role competencies validated by Microsoft Certifications. By combining these credentials, you validate a comprehensive skill set across projects and roles. To prove your skills in security and compliance, consider earning the following Applied Skills: Implement retention, eDiscovery, and Communication Compliance in Microsoft Purview. Validate your ability to: create, configure, and apply retention labels; create and manage retention policies; create and configure eDiscovery (Premium) cases; implement Communication Compliance; and monitor and investigate data and activities by using Content search. Implement information protection and data loss prevention by using Microsoft Purview. Validate your ability to: create a custom sensitive information type; create and publish a sensitivity label; create and assign an auto-labeling policy; and create a data loss prevention (DLP) policy. Be part of the cybersecurity solution Your validated, in-demand skills can help make a positive impact in your organization and in your career. As business leaders aim to modernize systems, integrate new technologies, and fortify their cybersecurity in the era of AI, this new Certification is a great opportunity for you to become part of the solution—now and in the future.Get help preparing for your Microsoft Certification exam with Course videos
According to the LinkedIn Learning Workplace Learning Report 2024, “Tomorrow’s success requires skills agility—harnessing the right skills at the right time for the right work.” And if you’re aiming to earn a Microsoft Certification, you’re building and validating just that—your skills agility. Earning a Microsoft Certification not only helps you stay current with the latest technology but can also equip you with the skills and best practices to effectively tackle real-world challenges in your chosen role. Certifications align to the job roles that organizations rely on most, enabling them to identify talent like yours and helping them to remain competitive. These Certifications can serve as a powerful testament to your dedication and proficiency and can help open doors to begin or advance your rewarding career in technology. How can you prepare to pass a Microsoft Certification exam? Start with Microsoft Learn for Organizations, where you can find Microsoft Learn training opportunities and resources curated for team members who want to skill up to earn Microsoft Credentials—including Microsoft Certifications. From skill-building playbooks and kits to thought leadership articles, Official Plans on Microsoft Learn, e-books, learning hubs, and more, Microsoft Learn for Organizations provides what you and your colleagues need to train and build your skills to earn a Certification. As you prepare for a Certification exam, you can especially benefit from Course Videos on Microsoft Learn. What do Course Videos offer? Although they don’t replace the need for training, the free, on-demand videos in this growing library can help elevate your learning as you deepen and reinforce your knowledge, regardless of your experience level, before you take a Certification exam. Recently refreshed with a new look and easier navigation, this collection of video sessions thoroughly covers Microsoft Official Course content. Microsoft Certified Trainers provide expert guidance and insights, offer in-depth explanations, and establish key concepts. Each video maps to specific modules, in manageable segments (typically ranging from 15 to 60 minutes), so you can absorb the information at your own pace, when it fits into your schedule. Which technology and roles do Course Videos cover? If you’re new to Microsoft technology, choose from beginner-friendly videos that cover exam content and offer the foundational knowledge you need to get up to speed. Explore the basics, and build fundamental skills on Azure, data and AI, Dynamics 365, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Power Platform, and Microsoft Security. After you've watched the videos, reinforced your skills, and become familiar with the technology, you can take the associated fundamentals exam. When you pass the exam, you earn a Fundamentals Certification that never expires. Then dive into more advanced content to deepen your expertise and take your skills to the next level. You can even find Course Videos by product and role. Select your role to discover a series of relevant videos, including: Azure infrastructure. Learn how to build and manage applications in the cloud, on-premises, and at the edge, whether as an Azure administrator, network engineer, or solutions architect. Azure data and AI. Find out how to build large-scale analytics solutions or manage your organization’s data and AI as an AI engineer, data analyst, database administrator, data engineer, data scientist, or developer. Azure digital apps and innovation. Discover how to migrate your organization’s applications to the cloud, build cloud-native applications that use cutting-edge technologies, such as AI and IoT, gain insights from data analytics, and quickly develop and deploy new applications as an AI engineer, developer, or DevOps engineer. Microsoft 365 Copilot. Find out how Copilot can help you efficiently draft documents, analyze data, manage communications, and automate routine tasks as an administrator, business user, or user enablement specialist. Microsoft Security. Learn how to plan and implement modern cybersecurity strategies, architecture, processes, and technology as a cybersecurity architect, identity and access administrator, or security engineer. What else does Microsoft Learn offer? In addition to the Certification exam prep, flexibility, and expert guidance offered by the video sessions, Microsoft Learn points you to supplementary opportunities and resources to support and reinforce your learning. These include popular learning hubs, training, community, and more—all aimed at helping you to deepen your knowledge and build confidence in your skills as you prepare to earn a Certification. You can even take Practice Assessments on Microsoft Learn to help gauge your exam readiness and identify further areas of study. Find more exam prep resources in the Exam Readiness Zone, where experts share tips, tricks, and strategies for your Certification exams. In each episode, trainers help you identify the key knowledge and skills measured on a given exam, explain how to allocate your study time, and point out objectives that test takers might find difficult. Explore the updated Course videos resources This collection of expert-led video content and supporting materials can help you solidify your knowledge and build your skills agility. Discover them at your own pace, and make the most of these curated resources as you gear up to take and pass an exam to earn a Microsoft Certification. Be sure to check out Course Videos on Microsoft Learn. After you’ve worked through the resources in this post and are prepared to take an exam, find specific exam and Certification information, including exam scheduling, on Microsoft Certifications. When you’ve passed the exam and earned your Certification, be sure to stay current on the latest technology and keep your Certification up to date by renewing within six months of the Certification expiration date.
Build skills that matter—faster—with AI-assisted learning and Applied Skills
Jeana Jorgensen: Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Learning Curtis Lee: Vice President, Azure Experiences & Ecosystems Microsoft Learn is committed to empowering individuals and organizations with the skills needed to innovate, adapt, and thrive in the AI economy. We’re excited to share how we’re evolving the way you learn using AI to enable faster skill acquisition personalized to your needs. We’re also announcing the availability of new Microsoft Applied Skills that range from beginner scenarios to equip aspiring professionals with practical tools to kickstart their careers, to new AI-focused scenarios that help you accelerate app development with GitHub Copilot. And, we’re sharing how you can enter to win a free certification exam as part of the AI Skills Fest Challenge! Grow your skills faster with AI-assisted learning Microsoft Learn uses AI to help you build your skills with features that adapt to your learning needs and preferences. At this year’s Microsoft Build, May 19–22, 2025, we’re sharing four more ways that you can benefit from the power of AI on Microsoft Learn. Here’s an introduction to these features. 1. Get personalized assistance with Ask Learn, now expanding across Microsoft Learn Last November at Ignite, we announced Ask Learn, our AI assistant. Initially available to support your training on Microsoft Learn, Ask Learn is now expanding to all documentation to help you find answers and troubleshoot faster. Available in Microsoft Azure documentation now, and expanding further in the coming weeks, Ask Learn will also factor in your interactions as you move through the site to refine your experience. So whether you are looking to understand the potential use cases for Agentic AI, which model to use in Azure AI Foundry for your latest project, or the steps to follow to complete tasks with Microsoft products, Ask Learn provides personalized assistance. To get real-time advice and support while you learn—right from within any training topic and in Azure documentation—just click the “Ask Learn” button and write your prompt. Try it now on the Azure App Service documentation page or explore your favorite training topic on Microsoft Learn. 2. Learn where you code—with Ask Learn in Visual Studio Code (coming soon!) Ask Learn is also coming to Visual Studio Code as an extension and you can request early access. Whether you’re new to development or an experienced developer, you’ll soon be able to seamlessly transition from learning about topics on Microsoft Learn to putting them to work. Within Visual Studio Code, Ask Learn will provide: Coaching on concepts. Want to learn when you should apply one development technique vs another? Get digestible, bite-sized guidance to help you make better decisions and improve the quality of your code. Step-by-step instruction. Trying to accomplish a specific task and want help? Ask Learn connects you to the right information right when and where you need it. A dynamic development experience. Have a question while you’re building your next feature? Dynamically switch between coding in Visual Studio Code and learning with Ask Learn, whenever you need to. To request early access, you can submit your information at aka.ms/AskLearnInVSCode 3. Quickly create learning plans tailored to your specific needs At Microsoft Ignite, we announced AI-generated plans to quickly curate the best training tailored for your individual needs. Over the coming days and weeks, we’ll be rolling out improvements to enhance the experience further, allowing you to: Prepare for specific credentials. Customize your plan with credential study guide content aligned to Certifications and Applied Skills to help you achieve your aspirations. Improve fine-tuning. You’ll be able to generate plans that mix and match modules across learning paths based on your exact scenario, along with enhancements to how you edit, save and share plans. Create group plans. Whether you’re looking to help a team or group keep pace with technology, get project-ready, or develop their professional skills, you’ll be able to generate a plan to meet your team’s needs. You can get started generating plans today, and these additional enhancements will be rolling out over the next few weeks. At aka.ms/LearnAtBuild you can also access pre-made plans on key topics from Microsoft Build with guided learning from Microsoft and GitHub. 4. Improve your focus with AI-powered assessments Microsoft Learn now offers an improved experience to help you gain real-time insights into your competencies as you complete modules. You can test your knowledge more thoroughly with an increased number of questions generated dynamically with AI. As you pass each one of these module assessments, it helps build a more complete picture of your progress through a given topic, which can be seen on a learner transcript you can share with your employer for credit. This feature is rolling out now and will expand to all modules on Microsoft Learn over the next several weeks. Test your knowledge with Microsoft Learn module assessments. Introducing new Microsoft Applied Skills—now featuring beginner level, GitHub Copilot, and AI scenarios As you build skills on Microsoft Learn, consider demonstrating your expertise with Microsoft Applied Skills. These credentials validate your knowledge of Microsoft products and services through practical application to real-world scenarios, enabling you to succeed in your job or advance your career with confidence. According to IDC 1 , scenario- and project-based skills are increasingly used to hire and promote employees, with more than 60% of organizations highlighting that micro-credentials like Applied Skills allow them to test and validate specific technical skills. We have two significant updates to help learners at all stages prove their skills and advance their careers. 1. New beginner-level Applied Skills If you’re a student, just starting out, or changing career, check out our new beginner-level Applied Skills that help you apply and validate foundational skills in cloud and emerging technologies. Gain practical experience to establish a strong foundation for your career. The new beginner-level Applied Skills scenarios include, with more coming soon: Get started with classes, properties, and methods in C# Get started with identities and access using Microsoft Entra 2. Expanded Applied Skills for AI scenarios, including GitHub Copilot GitHub Copilot has been paving the way for worldwide adoption of generative AI, and we are excited to offer a new credential designed to accelerate app development with GitHub Copilot. In addition, there are now more credentials on Copilot to help you demonstrate your ability to build, extend, and automate with AI—skills that are increasingly in demand across industries. The new intermediate-level Applied Skills scenarios include: Accelerate app development by using GitHub Copilot Create agents in Microsoft Copilot Studio Extend Microsoft 365 Copilot with declarative agents by using Visual Studio Code* *Coming soon Explore all Applied Skills on Microsoft Learn. Join the Microsoft AI Skills Fest Challenge for the chance to win a free Microsoft Certification exam As you deepen your AI skills, be sure to participate in the Microsoft AI Skills Fest Challenge through May 28, 2025. It’s your chance to gain in-demand skills in agent creation, AI Security, Azure AI Foundry, GitHub Copilot, Fabric, and more, and you can enter the Challenge Sweepstakes for a chance to win a free Certification exam. Don’t miss out! Unlock your potential AI has the power to unlock your potential, and we can’t think of anything more rewarding than helping you build and prove your abilities—one skill at a time. We’re glad to share the ongoing updates to the Microsoft Learn portfolio of offerings and experiences, and we’re with you all along the way. 1 IDC InfoBrief, Sponsored by Microsoft, Skilling Up! Leveraging Full and Micro-Credentials for Optimal Skilling Solutions, Doc. #US52019124, June, 2024.Microsoft Credentials roundup: In-demand news for in-demand skills May 2025 edition
Welcome to the May 2025 edition of our Microsoft Credentials roundup, where we highlight the latest Microsoft Credentials portfolio news and updates to inspire and support your training and credential journey. In this article What’s new with Microsoft Applied Skills? Exciting updates to the Applied Skills user interface Explore Applied Skills portfolio updates What’s new with Microsoft Certifications? Retiring Certifications Get the chance to win a free Certification exam voucher Have you taken a Microsoft Fundamentals Certification exam? Share your feedback! What’s new with Microsoft Applied Skills? Microsoft Applied Skills are credentials that you can earn by completing practical, interactive assessments which demonstrate real-world proficiency in specific tasks. Exciting updates to the Applied Skills user interface Based on your feedback, we’ve made some key updates to improve the lab experience, including: Full-screen lab view. Maximize the lab environment as a full-screen workspace so you have more space to work. Dark mode. Switch to dark mode to match your visual preferences. Improved time display. Check out your lab progress, with the remaining time more prominently displayed. Explore Applied Skills portfolio updates We keep Applied Skills aligned with the latest product updates and trends. Our commitment to helping you build relevant, in-demand skills means that we periodically update or retire older assessments as we introduce new ones. Assessments now available We’re pleased to announce that the scheduled maintenance for the following assessments has been successfully completed with refreshed labs: Build a natural language processing solution with Azure AI Language Configure secure access to your workloads using Azure networking Create an intelligent document processing solution with Azure AI Document Intelligence Deploy and configure Azure Monitor Develop an ASP.NET Core web app that consumes an API Implement security through a pipeline using Azure DevOps Secure Azure services and workloads with Microsoft Defender for Cloud regulatory compliance controls Secure storage for Azure Files and Azure Blob Storage We’ve scheduled more assessments for maintenance, and they’ll be available for you in the coming months. Browse Applied Skills. Retiring Applied Skills On April 30, 2025, we retired the following Applied Skills: Build distributed apps with .NET Aspire Configure SIEM security operations using Microsoft Sentinel Train and manage a machine learning model with Azure Machine Learning And on May 15, 2025, we’re retiring the following Applied Skill: Deploy and administer Linux virtual machines on Microsoft Azure Watch for new credentials in these areas. To continue building your skills, explore other Applied Skills. What’s new with Microsoft Certifications? Retiring Certifications As a reminder, the following Certifications are now retired or are being retired soon. To plan your learning journey, get more details at these links: Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate Certification (Exam DP-203) was retired on March 31, 2025. Get more information, including a Q&A, in Prove your in-demand data engineering skills and champion AI innovation. Microsoft Certified: Information Protection and Compliance Administrator Associate Certification (Exam SC-400) will be retired on May 31, 2025. Get more information, including a Q&A, in Validate critical information security skills with our new Certification. Track updates to our Certifications portfolio on our Certifications poster. Get the chance to win a free Certification exam voucher Join us for Microsoft AI Skills Fest, a 50-day AI skill-building adventure, which runs through May 28, 2025! Technical professionals can win one of 50,000 free Certification exams as part of the Microsoft AI Skills Fest Challenge by entering the Microsoft AI Skills Fest Challenge Sweepstakes. Be sure to join an AI Skills Fest Challenge! For all the details, check out the Microsoft AI Skills Fest Challenge and sweepstakes official rules. Have you taken a Microsoft Fundamentals Certification exam? Share your feedback! Whether you passed the exam or didn't quite make it, we want to hear from you. Your insights are incredibly valuable and can help shape the future of Microsoft credentialing experiences. 🕒 Just five minutes of your time!🕒 📅 Deadline: May 9, 2025📅 Share your feedback on the Microsoft Fundamentals Certification exam experience. Previous editions of the Microsoft Credentials roundup October 2024 June 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024
