Have you just started discovering Microsoft Azure and want to build technical knowledge? Or do you want to upskill yourself and get Microsoft Azure certification but wondering where or how to begin?
Keeping up with today’s demanding IT world means staying current with Microsoft’s innovative learning paths. It is a great way to uplift your career and boost your professional abilities. This blog aims to keep you up-to-date on Microsoft Azure certification pathways. In the following sections, we’ll outline the role-based certifications offered by Microsoft, as well as the Azure certifications that are currently offered.
Depending on your current employment position and career goals, you can decide on a variety of learning pathways spanning from Azure Data Engineer to Azure DevOps Engineer to Azure Solutions Architect and more. You can schedule a Microsoft test at home or an official test site once you’ve decided what certification you want to get. Before you start preparing for the Azure administrator test, it is recommended for you to familiarize yourself with the Azure certifications so that you can choose the pathways that are more suitable for you.
Microsoft – Role-based certifications
Currently, nine role-based Microsoft Azure certifications are available. As technology and job pathways advance, Microsoft publishes its updated list of courses. The following Azure role-based certifications are offered, ranked in order of their level of difficulties:
- Microsoft Azure Administrator
- Microsoft Azure AI Engineer
- Microsoft Azure Data Engineer
- Microsoft Azure Data Scientist
- Microsoft Azure Database Administrator
- Microsoft Azure Developer
- Microsoft Azure DevOps Engineer
- Microsoft Azure Security Engineer
- Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect
These Azure certifications begin with the introductory level and progress to intermediate to advanced levels of proficiency.
Azure Administrator Certification
The exam code of Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator associate is AZ-104. The AZ-103 test was phased out on August 31, 2020, and was replaced with the AZ-104 exam, which offers more computing, storage, and governance services. Microsoft has begun to explore a broader range of concepts using AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator.
Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) certification candidates are expected to be capable of managing, implementing, and managing a Microsoft Azure environment within an organization.
This person is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and monitoring identity, governing, storing computing, and virtual networking in a cloud environment. It further enables you to provision, size, monitor, and change resources as needed.
It is common for Azure administrators to work in teams that install a company’s cloud infrastructure. As an applicant of the AZ-104: Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator certification, you must have at least 6 months of hands-on Azure administration experience, as well as a solid grasp of basic Azure services and workloads, security, & governance. Furthermore, this person should be familiar with Azure CLI, PowerShell, Azure Resource Manager templates, and Azure portal.
This certification requires passing the Microsoft Azure Administrator AZ-104 test. The registration cost of the Azure administrator exam is USD 165.
How to Become a Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator Associate.
- Step 1: Examine the abilities and information necessary for certification.
- Step 2: Prepare for the certification test by completing the following suggested training:
- AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator
- Step 3: Pass the exam and become certified.
- AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator Certification Exam
Skills measured:
- Azure identity and governance management
- Storage implementation and management
- Azure computing resources may be deployed and managed.
- Set up and manage virtual networking
- Azure resources should be monitored and backed up.
Weightage of the Domains Covered in this Azure Administrator Exam:
- Manage Azure identities and governance covers 15-20%
- Implementation and management of storage covers 10-15%
- Deployment and management of Azure compute resources covers 25-30%
- Configuring and managing virtual networks covers 30-35%
- Monitoring and backup for Azure resources covers 10-15%
Exam Languages:
English, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean
AZ-104 – Exam Pattern
The exam lasts for 3 hours. There will be approximately 60 questions. Test sections will be divided into different parts, and you must pass each part to pass the test.
These parts are often divided into various questions, Yes-No questions, case studies, and/or hands-on exercises. Each sort of part can have multiple sets. Except for the yes-no sort of part, all of the sections enable you to go through the questions.
There are several methods for preparing for the AZ-104 course. Self-learning portals include Microsoft Learn Portal, Microsoft Documentation, and Microsoft Official Courseware (MOC). Otherwise, instructor-led training is an option that may help you systematically master the Azure Administrator course. Cognixia courses are designed to assist you in preparing for your next Azure certification and performing well on exam day. You may study at your speed, anytime you want, and anywhere you want. Examine your knowledge with exam-style questions.
Azure Certification Latest Updates: Microsoft Rectifications
- Microsoft role-based and specialized certifications were formerly valid for 2 years.
- Effective in June 2021, certificates will be valid for 1 year, but they may be renewed for free online at Microsoft Learn.
- The renewal period begins 6 months before the certificate’s expiration date. During this time before the certificate expires, you can take a free online examination and have it extended by 1 year from the present expiration date.
- Certifications obtained before June 20, 2021, will be valid for two years and will be eligible for the new renewal process.
Points to remember:
The goal of Microsoft AZ-104 certification is to evaluate candidates’ configuration knowledge and have them use it in real-world practice settings. As a result, there are sufficient case studies with extensive reading and tabular analysis to reflect on actual Azure instances. The majority of AZ-104 test questions will come from the Virtual Network and Storage categories. There is also a lab component to the tests, and prior experience is required. Check out the GitHub link for hands-on experience and to be better prepared.
Final Words
After AWS, Microsoft is the world’s second most popular cloud platform. Microsoft is constantly increasing cloud capacity to satisfy the rising demand for Azure and Microsoft cloud services. In terms of market share, it has been rapidly closing the gap with AWS. Microsoft Azure is in high demand and rapidly expanding worldwide public cloud business.
This suggests that the global public cloud sector has a bright future ahead of it, with cloud demand rising by the day. This means that now is the best time to learn the skills you’ll need to progress in your career.
Whether you’re setting up a short-term testing workload or transferring production capabilities over time, determining your Cloud budget and utilizing Azure efficiently is critical. With thorough Azure training, you will learn how cloud computing works and how to enhance your career.
Cognixia’s Microsoft Azure training prepares learners for the Microsoft AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator certification exam.
The course offered will prepare you for the Microsoft AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator certification exam.
With this course, IT professionals will learn how to manage Azure subscriptions, secure identities, configure virtual networking, administer the infrastructure, and connect Azure & on-premises sites. That’s not all. They will also be able to implement storage solutions, manage network traffic, create & scale virtual machines, implement web apps & containers, back up and share data, as well as monitor their solution in this course.
In Cognixia’s AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator training, you will learn the following –
- Module 1: Identity
- Module 2: Governance and Compliance
- Module 3: Azure Administration
- Module 4: Virtual Networking
- Module 5: Intersite Connectivity
- Module 6: Network Traffic Management
- Module 7: Azure Storage
- Module 8: Azure Virtual Machines
- Module 9: Serverless Computing
- Module 10: Data Protection
- Module 11: Monitoring
