Microsoft Azure is one of the most popular cloud services, with a market share of 21 percent, according to Statista. With this rising popularity, Microsoft is constantly expanding its learning tracks to keep up with the evolving IT needs by adding new Microsoft certifications. The Microsoft Azure Administrator Certification is perfect if you want to make a career as an Azure administrator. An Azure administrator is responsible for implementing, managing, and monitoring the Azure environment of an organization.
Curious about the details of the exam and how you can clear it in the first go? This blog will give you a guideline to prepare for the certification. Read on.
About Microsoft Azure Administrator Certification
The Azure Administrator Certification validates your skills in implementing and maintaining Azure services for your organization. It also validates your expertise in virtual networks, storage, compute, identity, security, and governance in the cloud. You can collaborate and coordinate with other IT experts and stakeholders to develop Azure solutions.
AZ-104 is a continuation of AZ-100, AZ-101, and AZ-103. It is a beginner-level certification. You must have this certification if you also want to go for Azure Administrator Associate Certification. You can also join a good AZ-104 training for clearing this certification.
Who is this exam for?
This certification is perfect for new IT professionals looking to work with Azure. It is also beneficial for experienced administrators looking to validate their skills.
Skills covered by the AZ-104 exam
The AZ-104 exam covers the following skills:
- Manage Azure identities and governance (15-20%)
- Implement and manage storage (15-20%)
- Deploy and manage Azure compute resources (20-25%)
- Construct and manage virtual networking (20-25%)
- Monitor and maintain Azure resources (10-15%)
Exam details
Now let us take a look at the exam details.
Prerequisites
Since AZ-104 is an entry-level certification, there are minimal requisites. It is recommended to have at least six months of hands-on experience in Azure administration. Apart from this, you should be familiar with networking, virtualization, servers, and operating systems. It is also beneficial to know Azure services, security, workloads, and governance.
Course Overview
- Manage Azure identities and governance (15-20%): Includes modules like
- Construct Azure Active Directory
- Construct user and group accounts
- Construct subscriptions
- Construct Azure policy
- Construct role-based access control
- Create Azure users and groups in Azure Active Directory
- Implement and manage storage (15-20%): Includes modules like
- Construct storage accounts
- Construct Azure Blob Storage
- Construct Azure Files and Azure File Sync
- Construct Azure Storage with tools
- Create an Azure storage account
- Control access to Azure Storage with shared access signature
- Deploy and manage Azure compute resources (20-25%): Includes modules like
- Construct virtual machines
- Construct virtual machine availability
- Construct virtual machine extensions
- Construct Azure App Service plans
- Construct Azure Container Instances
- Manage Azure Kubernetes Service
- Host a web application with Azure App Services
- Construct and manage virtual networking (20-25%): Includes modules like
- Construct virtual network
- Construct Azure DNS
- Construct Azure Firewall
- Construct Azure load balancer
- Construct ExpressRoute and Virtual WAN
- Design IP addressing schema for Azure deployment
- Monitor and maintain Azure resources (10-15%): Includes modules like
- Configuring Azure Monitor
- Configuring virtual machine backups
- Configuring Azure alerts
- Configuring Log Analytics
- Using Azure Monitor logs to analyze Azure infrastructure
- Azure alerts to improve incident response
Exam structure
The exam will contain 40-60 questions. The format of the questions can be multiple choice, case studies, or drag and drop. There is no negative marking.
Exam duration
The exam duration is 150 minutes.
Registration fee
The registration fee for AZ-104 is USD 165. In India, it is 4800 INR.
Passing score
The passing score is 700 out of 1000.
Validity
The certification is valid for two years, after which you can recertify.
Preparing for the AZ-104 exam
Microsoft certification training includes a good learning path that you can use to prepare for the exam. While planning a strategy, keep the following points in mind.
- Go through the syllabus before creating a study plan.
- Check the prerequisites and identify the gaps in your knowledge. Get at least six months of hands-on experience with Azure.
- You can also choose instructor-led training provided by Microsoft.
- Read the study material well before the exam.
- Once you are done with preparation, take practice tests to judge your level. According to your performance, redo the topics as necessary.
AZ-104 is an entry-level exam. As such, its difficulty level may be quite high. So, the key lies in your preparation. Do as many practice tests as possible. Getting Microsoft certifications may be challenging, but once done, it will open a world of opportunities for you.
