Microsoft's AZ-500 Azure Security Engineer certification retires 31 August 2026, replaced by the new SC-500 Cloud and AI Security Engineer Associate credential.
Why It Matters
AZ-500 doesn't roll over into SC-500 automatically, partners have to earn the new exam from scratch. SC-500 adds real substance beyond a rebrand: it tests securing Copilot, AI agents, and Entra Agent ID, the identity layer behind autonomous agents now shipping inside Microsoft 365. If your IT provider still leans on AZ-500 as proof of security skill, that credential stops being current in five weeks.
What To Do About It
Ask your Microsoft partner or internal IT lead which security certifications they hold and whether SC-500 is on their 2026 roadmap. If you're evaluating a new MSP for Copilot or agent deployments, SC-500 is now the more relevant signal than AZ-500, since it's the only credential that actually covers AI workload security.
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