Five real Microsoft 365 Administrator projects mapped to the MS-102 exam objectives. Deploy a tenant, manage identity with Entra ID, run security operations with Defender XDR, and enforce compliance with Purview. Every step auto-commits the evidence to your own GitHub repo — the expert-level portfolio employers actually click into.
$79 one-time · Project 1 free · Microsoft 365 E5 trial or Developer Program · No cloud charges
Every project maps to an official MS-102 exam domain — weighted toward the heaviest domain, Defender XDR security. Each one ends with evidence committed to your GitHub repo automatically.
Configure tenant and organizational settings, add and verify a custom domain with the right DNS records, and monitor Service Health and usage analytics. Commit your tenant and domain configuration.
Deploy and manage a tenant — 25-30% of examCreate and bulk-import users, configure group-based licensing, manage the four Microsoft 365 group types and shared mailboxes, and assign admin roles with least privilege and B2B guest access. Commit your user and licensing evidence.
Users, groups and licensing — 20-25% of examConfigure MFA and passwordless authentication, build Conditional Access policies, enable Identity Protection risk policies, and set up Privileged Identity Management for just-in-time admin access. Commit your identity and access configuration.
Microsoft Entra identity and access — 15-20% of examReview Secure Score, configure Defender for Office 365 policies (Safe Links, Safe Attachments, anti-phishing), investigate correlated incidents in the unified queue, and map the four Defender workloads. The heaviest exam domain. Commit your security configuration.
Defender XDR security — 30-35% of exam (heaviest)Create sensitivity labels with encryption, build a Data Loss Prevention policy across Exchange/SharePoint/Teams, configure retention policies for data lifecycle, and run Audit and eDiscovery. Commit your compliance evidence.
Microsoft Purview compliance — 15-20% of examEvery completed step auto-commits evidence — Conditional Access, Defender XDR incidents, Purview DLP — to your own repo. Real M365 admin work, not screenshots of someone else's.
The heaviest exam domain gets the deepest project — Secure Score, Defender for Office 365 policies, and unified incident investigation across all four Defender workloads.
Labs run in a Microsoft 365 tenant with Entra ID P2, Defender XDR, and Purview — from the Microsoft 365 Developer Program (requires a qualifying Visual Studio Professional/Enterprise subscription, or ISV Success/MAICPP membership) or a time-limited Microsoft 365 E5 trial. No cloud resource charges; plan ~10–12 hours within your tenant’s active window. Reuse your MD-102 tenant if you have one.
Stuck on a Conditional Access policy or a DLP rule? Cert Buddy is trained on MS-102 objectives and helps you understand — not just copy-paste.
MS-102 covers admin end to end; SC-300 goes deeper on identity; MD-102 covers endpoints. Together they're the complete modern-workplace administration skill set.
$79 once for this expert-level path. No subscription, no recurring charges. Or get All-Access to all cert paths for $199.
Are the MS-102 hands-on labs free?
Project 1 (Deploy and Manage a Microsoft 365 Tenant) is completely free, including Cert Buddy access for that project and the GitHub commit workflow. The remaining 4 projects unlock for a one-time payment of $79.
What environment do I need for the MS-102 labs?
MS-102 labs run in a Microsoft 365 tenant with Entra ID P2, Defender XDR, and Purview. You get one via the Microsoft 365 Developer Program (requires a qualifying Visual Studio Professional/Enterprise subscription, or ISV Success/MAICPP membership) or a time-limited Microsoft 365 E5 trial — no cloud resource charges either way. Plan ~10–12 hours of lab time within your tenant’s active window. If you already set up a tenant for MD-102, reuse it.
What certification does MS-102 earn?
MS-102 earns the Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert credential. It's an expert-level certification covering tenant management, Microsoft Entra identity, Microsoft Defender XDR security, and Microsoft Purview compliance — the full scope of administering a Microsoft 365 environment.
How does the GitHub portfolio auto-commit work for MS-102?
When you mark a lab step complete, HandsOnCert commits your screenshot evidence — tenant configuration, Conditional Access policies, Defender XDR incidents, Purview DLP policies — directly to your own GitHub repository. Each project gets its own folder with a unique enrollment code, so your portfolio reflects real Microsoft 365 administration an employer can review.
How long does the MS-102 path take to complete?
The 5 projects take approximately 12 hours total, covering tenant deployment, users and licensing, Entra identity and access, Defender XDR security, and Purview compliance — the same domains tested on the MS-102 exam, weighted toward the heaviest Defender XDR security domain.
Should I take MS-102 with SC-300 or MD-102?
They complement each other. MS-102 covers Microsoft 365 administration end to end (tenant, identity, security, compliance). SC-300 goes deeper on identity and access with Entra ID. MD-102 covers endpoint and device management with Intune. Together, MS-102 + SC-300 + MD-102 cover the complete modern-workplace administration role that many organizations are consolidating into one position.
Start Project 1 free — no credit card required. See exactly how the GitHub auto-commit works before you pay anything.
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