Exam MS-201: Implementing a Hybrid and Secure Messaging Platform
MS-201: Implementing a Hybrid and Secure Messaging Platform is for candidates who are Messaging Administrators with having knowledge of deploying, configuring, managing, troubleshooting, and monitoring recipients, permissions, mail protection, mail flow, and public folders in both on-premises and cloud enterprise environments. Survival of fittest policy has started ruling the job market. In order to survive, you have to keep yourself updated with the latest development. One way of achieving edge over others is through gaining certifications. Certifications also show the dedication you have towards your goals and development. Let us dig deeper into this valuable credential.
What is Exam MS-201: Implementing a Hybrid and Secure Messaging Platform?
MS-201 is for candidates who are Messaging Administrators with having knowledge of deploying, configuring, managing, troubleshooting, and monitoring recipients, permissions, mail protection, mail flow, and public folders in both on-premises and cloud enterprise environments.
Who should take the exam?
This exam is for Messaging Administrator who should have a working knowledge of authentication types, licensing, and integration with Microsoft 365 applications.
Role of Messaging Administrator
- Messaging Administrators are responsible for managing hygiene, messaging infrastructure, hybrid configuration, migration, disaster recovery, high availability, and client access.
- They collaborate with the Security Administrator and Microsoft 365 Enterprise Administrator to implement a secure hybrid topology that meets the business needs of a modern organization.
Exam Details
| Name of the exam | Exam MS-201: Implementing a Hybrid and Secure Messaging Platform |
| Code of the exam | MS-201 |
| No. of questions | 40-60 |
| Format of questions | multiple choice, multiple select, case studies and fill in the blanks |
| Cost of exam | $165 |
| Duration of exam | 120 minutes |
| Languages available | English |
| Scheduling platform | Pearson VUE |
| Passing score | 700 (on a scale of 1-1000) |
How to register for the exam MB-201 exam?
Follow the steps written below to register for the exam:
- Go to the Microsoft site and find your certificate in the list. Then select schedule exam, to register.
- If the certificate will be available for your country then you will be able to select the exam during the registration process.
- You will also select the language of the greeter, proctor, and proctoring software.
Exam Retake Policy
- If you are unable to pass the exam in first attempt, the you must at least wait 24 hours before retaking the exam. You cannot retake the exam if you achieve a passing score.
- If you fail to pass the exam in second attempt too, then you must wait for a period not less than 14 days, in order to retake the exam. This is the same process for the failure in third, fourth or fifth attempt.
- You will not be allowed to give the exam more than 5 times a year. This year, 12-month period starts on your failure on 5th attempt. If you wish to give the exam more than 5 months a year then you have to contact Microsoft.
Academic pricing on the certifications
Academic pricing on Microsoft Certified Professional exams is available in most countries (except India and China). You must verify your student status before scheduling your exam in order to be eligible for academic pricing.
Applying student status through your account profile
- Sign in with your Microsoft account credentials.
- Select Profile settings from the Account menu at the top of the page.
- In the Job function menu, select, or ensure that you have selected, “Student.”
- Look for the academic pricing notice that appears next to the Job function menu. If your student status has not yet been validated, click “Get verified” to verify your status.
Applying student status when registering for an exam
- Sign in with your Microsoft account credentials.
- On the exam for which you want to register, click Schedule exam.
- On the Confirm your exam registration details page, ensure that the Job function field displays “Student – Verified.” If it does not, click “Get verified” to validate your status, or click Edit to change your status.
Verifying your academic status
Select the method you wish to use to verify your status. The methods include:
- School-issued email account
- School network credentials
- International Student Identity Card (ISIC)
- Verification code from a Microsoft representative or your institution’s administrator
- Documentation
Other exam policies
You can refer to the official site of Microsoft for the exam policies and other terms and conditions. Make sure to properly read all the terms and conditions so that you do not miss out on anything important for taking the exam.
To know more, visit: Exam MB-201 Certification FAQs
Exam Syllabus
The MS-201 Exam has the following major basis for evaluation –
Plan and implement a hybrid configuration and migration (35-40%)
Plan a hybrid environment
- evaluate federation in hybrid coexistence (Microsoft Documentation: Exchange Server hybrid deployments)
- evaluate hybrid free/busy access (Microsoft Documentation: Shared free/busy in Exchange hybrid deployments)
- decide between Exchange Classic Hybrid and Exchange Modern Hybrid (Microsoft Documentation: Microsoft Hybrid Agent, Hybrid Configuration Wizard options)
Deploy a hybrid environment
- deploy and verify OAuth for a hybrid deployment (Microsoft Documentation: Configure OAuth authentication between Exchange and Exchange Online organizations)
- install and configure Edge server role (Microsoft Documentation: Install Exchange Edge Transport servers using the Setup wizard)
- configure hybrid mail flow (Microsoft Documentation: Configure mail flow using connectors)
- configure federation in hybrid coexistence
- configure Organization Configuration Transfer (OCT) (Microsoft Documentation: Organization configuration transfer attributes)
- deploy the Exchange Hybrid Agent to one or more Exchange servers (Microsoft Documentation: Microsoft Hybrid Agent)
- implement advanced hybrid functionality, including On-premises, OneDrive access, and Outlook mobile support (Microsoft Documentation: Using hybrid Modern Authentication with Outlook for iOS and Android)
Plan and implement migration
- manage mailbox migration request batches (Microsoft Documentation: Manage migration batches)
- troubleshoot mailbox migration (Microsoft Documentation: Troubleshooting issues with IMAP mailbox migration)
- evaluate migration types
- configure migration endpoints in Microsoft 365 (Microsoft Documentation: Perform a staged migration of email)
Manage public folders
- troubleshoot public folder coexistence (Microsoft Documentation: How to diagnose and fix public folder permission issues)
- move content between public folder mailboxes (Microsoft Documentation: Move a public folder mailbox to a different mailbox database)
- create additional public folder mailboxes (Microsoft Documentation: Create a public folder mailbox)
- implement public folder Top Level Hierarchy (TLH)
- implement mail-enabled public folders (Microsoft Documentation: Mail-enable or mail-disable a public folder)
- plan and configure public folders (Microsoft Documentation: Public folders)
- manage hold and discovery for public folders (Microsoft Documentation: Search and place a hold on public folders using In-Place eDiscovery)
- plan a public folder migration to Microsoft 365 (Microsoft Documentation: Use batch migration to migrate Exchange Server public folders to Exchange Online)
Secure the messaging environment (40-45%)
Manage role-based permissions
- manage role groups (Microsoft Documentation: Manage role groups in Exchange Online)
- assign user accounts to admin roles (Microsoft Documentation: Assign admin roles)
- manage user roles
- manage a delegated Role-based Access Control (RBAC) setup (Microsoft Documentation: Delegated Setup)
- plan RBAC roles for eDiscovery (Microsoft Documentation: Assign eDiscovery permissions in the Security & Compliance Center)
Manage message hygiene
- plan for message hygiene (Microsoft Documentation: Manage message hygiene using Exchange Online and Microsoft 365 Advanced Threat Protection)
- manage connection filters (Microsoft Documentation: Configure connection filtering)
- configure malware filters (Microsoft Documentation: Configure anti-malware policies in EOP)
- configure spam filters (Microsoft Documentation: Configure anti-spam policies in EOP)
- monitor action center
- monitor quarantined items (Microsoft Documentation: Manage quarantined messages and files as an admin in EOP)
- manage protection for phishing (Microsoft Documentation: Anti-phishing policies in Microsoft 365)
- plan and configure Spam Confidence Levels (SCL) (Microsoft Documentation: Spam confidence level (SCL) in EOP)
Manage Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) for messaging
- configure and manage ATP safe attachments (Microsoft Documentation: Set up Safe Attachments policies in Office 365 ATP)
- configure and manage ATP safe links (Microsoft Documentation: Safe Links in Office 365 ATP, Set up Safe Attachments policies in Office 365 ATP)
- configure and manage ATP anti-phishing (Microsoft Documentation: Configure ATP anti-phishing policies)
- manage ATP anti-spam (Microsoft Documentation: Anti-spam protection in EOP)
- monitor Threat Protection Status (Microsoft Documentation: View reports for Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection)
Manage compliance
- configure retention policies (Microsoft Documentation: Learn about retention policies and retention labels)
- configure data loss prevention policies (Microsoft Documentation: Overview of data loss prevention)
- review and analyze audit logs (Microsoft Documentation: Search the audit log in the compliance Center)
- manage journal rules (Microsoft Documentation: Manage journaling)
- manage content search (Microsoft Documentation: Content Search)
- manage litigation hold (Microsoft Documentation: In-Place Hold and Litigation Hold)
Manage organizational settings (15-20%)
Configure organizational settings
- configure sharing (Microsoft Documentation: Manage sharing settings)
- configure workload management
- manage email address policies (Microsoft Documentation: Email address policies in Exchange Server)
Plan address lists
- manage Global Address List (GAL) (Microsoft Documentation: Address lists in Exchange Server, Create a global address list in Exchange Online)
- manage Offline Address Book (OAB) (Microsoft Documentation: Offline address books in Exchange Server)
- manage address book policies (Microsoft Documentation: Address book policies in Exchange Online)
Preparation resources
There are numerous resources that can be used for preparation. But one should be very careful while choosing the resources as they determine your level of preparation and how well will you pass the exam. let us have a look at handful of resources –
Microsoft documentation
Microsoft has its own set of documentation that can be used for preparation. You can access the documentations from the official Microsoft docs site or from the links below. The documentations are the most authentic source in terms of quality and the syllabus authenticity. They can serve as best resource for preparation. Access the Microsoft documentation.
Microsoft learning paths
These are made available absolutely free of cost and can help in preparing by clearing the concepts of the exam topics. Learning paths are the official resources mainly the online classes which are made available by Microsoft for the candidates of Exam MB-201. There are many resources which are made available for preparing for the exam. there are many online sites too that provide with reliable online classes which can serve as a good source. You can access them on the official site.
Instructor led training
The instructor led trainings can be the right choice for you if you are inquisitive person and encounter many doubts. These interactive sessions are prepared by world class experts on the subject matter and help you in gaining the required skills in less time. These trainings are made available by Microsoft and also many educational sites. You can check out the Microsoft resource from the link –
Defining a Hybrid Messaging Strategy
Managing Messaging Security, Hygiene, and Compliance
Books
Books are indeed the best valued resource for preparation. you can refer to multiple books of your choice and can also pick the books from libraries or book stores. You can also go for e-books as per your convenience. Make sure that book has covered all the necessary points of syllabus and is according to your level of understanding. You can also choose the official Microsoft guide for Exam MS-201.
Practice papers and sample papers
Practicing as much as possible will help you to ace the exam in a better way. They help you in identifying your loopholes and weak portions. With every practice session you get to know about the improvement in your performance that are likely to decrease your chances to pass the exam. Try a free practice test now. You can find various reliable sites that can serve you with quality content and good quantity of practice papers too.
Validate your skills and add a really valuable credential to your resume by taking the MS-201: Implementing a Hybrid and Secure Messaging Platform. Start preparing now!
