Two hands-on Microsoft 365 certification paths — from managing endpoints with Intune to administering an entire tenant with Entra, Defender XDR, and Purview. Every step auto-commits real configurations to your own GitHub repo. The modern-workplace portfolio employers actually click into.
Two complementary paths covering the modern-workplace administrator role — endpoints, identity, security, and compliance. Project 1 of either cert is free.
Deploy and secure devices with Microsoft Intune — Windows Autopilot, compliance and configuration policies, Conditional Access with Defender for Endpoint, and app deployment.
MS-102ExpertAdminister a full Microsoft 365 tenant — deployment, users and licensing, Entra identity and access, Defender XDR security operations, and Purview compliance.
MD-102 and MS-102 are complementary, not redundant — endpoints versus the whole tenant. Add SC-300 for the deepest identity coverage.
Learn modern device management with Intune: Autopilot deployment, compliance and configuration, and endpoint security with Defender. The natural entry point into modern-workplace administration.
Administer Microsoft 365 end to end: tenant deployment, users and licensing, Entra identity and access, Defender XDR security operations, and Purview compliance — the broad administrator role.
MS-102 covers identity as part of tenant administration; SC-300 goes deeper on Entra identity and access. MS-102 + SC-300 + MD-102 together cover the complete modern-workplace administration role.
Every completed step auto-commits real configurations — Intune policies, Conditional Access, Defender XDR incidents, Purview DLP — to your own repo. Not screenshots of someone else's work.
Both certs run in a Microsoft 365 tenant with Intune, 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 charges; plan ~10–12 hours while your tenant is active. Reuse the same tenant across MD-102 and MS-102.
Stuck on a Conditional Access policy or a DLP rule? Cert Buddy is trained on the MD-102 and MS-102 objectives and helps you understand — not just copy-paste.
Associate to Expert, endpoints to full tenant. MD-102 and MS-102 build on each other, and both pair naturally with SC-300 for identity depth.
Both paths map to the current exam objectives — MD-102's 2026 five-domain structure and MS-102's tenant, Entra, Defender XDR, and Purview domains.
$49 for MD-102, $79 for MS-102. No subscription. Or get All-Access to all 23 cert paths for $199.
What Microsoft 365 certifications does HandsOnCert cover?
HandsOnCert covers two Microsoft 365 certifications: MD-102 (Microsoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate), focused on managing and securing devices with Microsoft Intune, and MS-102 (Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert), covering full tenant administration — identity with Entra, security with Defender XDR, and compliance with Purview.
Should I take MD-102 or MS-102 first?
MD-102 is the associate-level starting point — it focuses on endpoint and device management with Intune, which is a natural entry into modern-workplace administration. MS-102 is the expert-level path covering the whole Microsoft 365 tenant (identity, security, compliance). Many admins do MD-102 first, then MS-102 for the broader administrator role.
What environment do the Microsoft 365 labs use?
Both MD-102 and MS-102 labs run in a Microsoft 365 tenant with Intune, 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 while your tenant is active. Reuse the same tenant across both certifications.
How do the Microsoft 365 certs relate to SC-300 and Azure certs?
MS-102 + SC-300 is the highest-ROI pairing for Microsoft 365 admins: MS-102 covers tenant administration end to end while SC-300 goes deeper on Entra identity and access. MD-102 adds endpoint management. Azure certifications (like AZ-104) cover cloud infrastructure, which is a different role with minimal overlap — the Microsoft 365 track is about the modern workplace, not cloud infrastructure.
Is Microsoft 365 administration a good career path?
Yes. Nearly every organization on Microsoft 365 needs administrators who can deploy devices, manage identity, run security operations with Defender, and enforce compliance with Purview. As organizations consolidate the modern-workplace role, the combination of MD-102 and MS-102 covers exactly the skills employers are hiring for — and a GitHub portfolio of real configurations proves you can do the work, not just pass the exam.
Start Project 1 of either cert free — no credit card required. See exactly how the GitHub auto-commit works before you pay anything.
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