Mid-level security engineer trying to pivot into Microsoft ecosystem. Is it possible without direct admin experience?
I’m trying to gauge how realistic it would be more me to transition into the Microsoft ecosystem without any direct experience managing Microsoft tools yet.
Background:
- Prior SOC experience, which gave me exposure to Microsoft security tools but from the user side, not as an admin.
- Currently 2 years as a security engineer managing Tanium, in which I have experience in security operations and endpoint management.
Lately, I’ve been looking at security engineer and endpoint management jobs and most of them ask for Microsoft experience. I think it may be better for me long term to pivot from Tanium to Microsoft, as Tanium is pretty niche and so jobs are really hard to come by.
I feel like a lot of the concepts between the two overlap but I’m unsure how hiring managers would view my Tanium-only experience if I applied for a Microsoft-focused job.
Questions:
- How transferable is my Tanium experience into the Microsoft ecosystem?
- Would certs like MD-102 and SC-200 help me bridge that gap without real world experience?
- Is it realistic to land a mid-level Microsoft-focused security or endpoint management role without direct administration experience, although I have similar experience but with a different platform?