Do you want to become a Microsoft certified? But, do not know the best certification to go with? You’re in the correct spot now. Microsoft Azure has been dedicated to providing top-notch skills to candidates through its cloud certifications. Additionally, Microsoft Azure has established worldwide benchmarks for its certifications. These Azure certifications can elevate your career to new heights. In this article, we’ll explore the path of Microsoft Azure certifications.
Firstly, let’s understand why Azure certifications are popular globally.
Microsoft Azure: Why is it in demand?
Microsoft Azure certification provides the required skills to the candidate for enhancing knowledge and experience. And, with an increase in demand, there has also been an extreme increase in opportunities for Microsoft Azure certified aspirants in past years. To better know this check the point given below,
- According to a survey from Microsoft, there are more than 1000 new customers that daily sign up to MS Azure. And, this means that around 365,000 companies adopt Azure over a year.
- And, there are more than 57% of the Fortune 500 companies that are using Azure.
- Microsoft’s income from commercial cloud services has surged by 104%.
- Most importantly, the UK government has officially accredited MS Azure and there is also MS Azure Government offering that is sponsored by the US Government.
Reasons to choose Cloud Certification
Before you pursue any Azure certification, it’s crucial to understand the advantages these cloud certifications can bring to your career.
- Firstly, Cloud has shown immense growth in the IT industry.
- Secondly, the businesses of all sizes are mostly being powered by the cloud
- Lastly, Cloud services are becoming important for IT enterprises. As the businesses will have many opportunities if they decide on moving to the cloud. But, there has been a lack of skill that results in the loss of revenue in companies. As a result, hiring is going on hiring in bulk.
Now, let’s know about the factors you need to keep an eye on before choosing the perfect certification.
Important Factors to Consider
There are certain factors that you need to check to get sure about which certification you should consider. The factors are,
- Firstly, technological experience. This implies that your technical experience helps you decide if you should aim for an advanced certification or begin with a basic one. For instance, someone new to this will start with the Azure fundamental certification, which involves the AZ-900 exam.
- Then, present job roles. As it is always advisable to take a certification that suits your present job role. For instance, a .NET developer may attempt Azure developer certification and if you are completely new to the technology you begin with the Fundamentals certification.
- After that, your objective. This means that you have to set a particular goal for the future. That is to say, if you want to become a big data architect, you will take a big data cloud certification.
Microsoft Azure: Certification types
A major part of the organizations globally is adopting cloud computing. Thus, this has shown a high increase in demand for professionals who are skilled in this particular area. And, keeping this in focus Microsoft offers a large variety of Azure certifications exams certifications to help you keep up with your career according to today’s business requirements.
Moreover, there has been an addition of new Azure certifications IT professionals and also new Azure role-based Azure certifications were launched. However, to choose the best certification, first, you must get familiar with all the certifications that Microsoft offers. Below the list of Azure Certifications has been provided,
Firstly, let’s know about the Azure Fundamental certifications.
Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900):
Azure Fundamentals certifications are meant to showcase the basic understanding of cloud services provided by Azure. The well-known Azure Fundamentals certification, AZ-900, is for IT professionals aiming to confirm their grasp of the Microsoft Azure platform.
Now, next are the Azure Associate level Certifications.
Associate Level:
Associate level certifications were created to show how to set up, watch over, and keep up Microsoft Azure solutions. They cover key services tied to computing, storage, networking, and security, aimed at people in administrative and technical positions. The certifications within this category are:
- Azure Administrator Associate
Microsoft AZ-103 is retired. A new replacement exam Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) is available.
To become an Azure Administrator Associate, you need to clear Exam AZ-103. For this test, you should know about Azure apps, the cloud, operating systems, and storage systems. Also, understand how virtualization tools and network parts work. Basic knowledge of Command Line Interface and PowerShell is also needed.
- Azure Developer Associate
Microsoft AZ-203 is retired. A new replacement exam Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure (AZ-204) is available.
To qualify for this position, you need to clear the AZ-203 exam. This test has some requirements. Firstly, you should have strong expertise in creating apps and services using Azure tools and technologies. Additionally, you must have a year of experience in developing solutions, and you should be skilled in at least one programming language suitable for cloud services.
- Azure Security Engineer Associate
For this position, you have to pass the AZ-500 exam that is Microsoft Azure Security Technologies. However, the prerequisites for this exam include that you should have knowledge of implementing security controls on the Azure platform. And, it also includes virtualization, Amazon Kubernetes Service, and clouds N-tier architecture. Moreover, you must have the ability to use security tools for recognizing and protecting applications and data.
Expert Level:
In this level, there will be a demonstration of solutions architect’s knowledge expertise in computing, networking, storage, security, and designing solutions that are running on Azure. The Certifications that come under this level are,
- Azure Solutions Architect Expert
To attain this position, you must clear two exams: AZ-303 and AZ-304. For the AZ-303 exam (Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies), you need one year of experience with Azure. Additionally, you should have a foundational grasp of data management, identity, security, and IT operations.
For the AZ-304 exam (Microsoft Azure Architect Design), the prerequisites are similar to the AZ-303. However, you must pass the AZ-303 exam before being eligible for the AZ-304.
- Azure DevOps Engineer Expert
For the role of Azure DevOps Engineer Expert, you have to pass the AZ-400: Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions exam. And, this exam requires that the candidates should have knowledge of Azure administration and development. Moreover, you must have the ability to design and implementing DevOps practices for configuration management, building, and testing using the Azure technologies.
After getting the basic details about the different certifications of Microsoft Azure, the next step is where to start from!
Which Azure certifications to start with?
When it comes to certifications, there are numerous options tailored to your job role. However, if you’re new to Azure, the ideal starting point is the Azure Fundamentals certification. To obtain this, you need to clear the foundational level exam called AZ-900. This AZ-900 exam serves as a foundation for progressing to higher-level Azure certifications for associates and experts.
Now, let’s understand why it is mostly recommended for entering into the world of Azure Certification.
Getting into the AZ-900 Exam
Microsoft AZ-900 exam is particularly suggested for individuals without a technical background but possessing basic familiarity with cloud concepts. This test encompasses fundamental cloud ideas, key Azure services, Azure’s support and costs, and aspects related to security, trust, compliance, and privacy.
Further, in this, there are four domains included in the AZ-900 exam course that will help you for your exam preparation.
Talking about the preparation part.
Preparing for the Microsoft Azure Certification
This is the important part as you give most of the time in preparation so, there is a need to have a good plan to pass the exam. And, for this, it is required to have the best available study resources and material. As a result, many websites out there are providing solutions for this. That is to say, they provide unique study resources with a bulk of practice test questions to help you crack the exam.
Likewise, Microsoft also provides resources and learning paths for Azure certifications to get clear with the exam. To better understand about this check the information below,
Learning Paths for Microsoft Azure
There are various learning paths by Microsoft to help you during the certifications. This includes,
- Firstly, the Microsoft Learning Platform. It is the leading learning resource to get the right information about the exam. And, you can easily have access to these on Microsoft Azure Certification page and there you can select the certification you want the information about.
- Next is, Microsoft Documentation. This will assist you in clarifying the basics of Azure. Additionally, you’ll become familiar with the various sizes of various Azure services.
- After that, Instructor-Led Training. This is basically online learning and training sessions by certified expert instructors. Moreover, these are on-demand classrooms where you can arrange the classes according to your convenience and then study.
- Lastly, Joining the study groups. This will be beneficial while preparing for the exam. As the study groups will help you stay connected with the people in the same field. Moreover, you can share your doubts and queries in that group.
Most importantly, there are various Microsoft Azure tutorials that are available for providing expert-level knowledge. This will for sure help you get in-depth information about the exam including the important concepts.
Expert’s Tips
Achieving Microsoft certification requires a lot of hard work, determination, and a focused mindset. The Microsoft Azure certification will test your ability to do the technical tasks and many opportunities to apply for. Moreover, try to get hands-on experience according to the certification you are applying for. And, to help you out you can use help from the training providers like Testprep training to get the details with expert assistance.
Learn and enhance your Microsoft Azure skills. Pass the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals exam Now!
