Tag: Learning

Jun242021June 24, 2021October 13, 20214Commentsby Thomas Maurer
AZ-700 Microsft Azure Networking Solutions Certification Exam Study Guide Azure Network Engineer

AZ-700 Study Guide: Azure Network Engineer

Posted in Certification, Microsoft Azure

Microsoft announced the new beta exam Exam AZ-700 Designing and Implementing Microsoft Azure Networking Solutions. That is why I want to share my new updated AZ-700 Microsft Azure Networking Solutions Certification Exam Study Guide with you.  If you are passing the AZ-700 Designing and Implementing Microsoft Azure Networking Solutions exam, you will earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate certification, which shows that you are an are Azure administrator with subject matter expertise in planning, delivering, and managing virtual desktop experiences and remote apps, for any device, on Azure.

To learn and prepare for the exam, I usually use a couple of online resources, mainly Microsoft Docs and Microsoft Learn, which I am going to share with you. You can find more information about how I prepare for a Microsoft Certification exam on my blog post: How to prepare and pass Microsoft Certification Exam.

Also, check out other Microsoft Azure Certification Exam Study Guides:

Here is my AZ-700 Azure Networking Solutions Certification Exam Study Guide

It is essential to get familiar with the exam objectives and skills measured first. That is why I recommend reading the description of the exam and the skills measured.

Exam AZ-700 Designing and Implementing Microsoft Azure Networking Solutions
Candidates for this exam should have subject matter expertise in planning, implementing, and maintaining Azure networking solutions, including hybrid networking, connectivity, routing, security, and private access to Azure services.
Responsibilities for the Azure Network Engineer include recommending, planning, and implementing Azure networking solutions. Professionals in this role manage the solution for performance, resiliency, scale, and security. They deploy networking solutions by using the Azure Portal and other methods, including PowerShell, Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI), and Azure Resource Manager templates (ARM templates).
The Azure Network Engineer works with solution architects, cloud administrators, security engineers, application developers, and DevOps engineers to deliver Azure solutions.
Candidates for this exam should have expert Azure administration skills, in addition to extensive experience and knowledge of networking, hybrid connections, and network security.

Microsoft Docs – AZ-700 Designing and Implementing Microsoft Azure Networking Solutions

The high-level view of the skills measured in the exam:

  • Design, Implement, and Manage Hybrid Networking (10–15%)
  • Design and Implement Core Networking Infrastructure (20–25%)
  • Design and Implement Routing (25–30%)
  • Secure and Monitor Networks (15–20%)
  • Design and Implement Private Access to Azure Services (10–15%)

You can find more information on the exam website.

With this exam you will earn the following certification:

Azure Network Engineer Associate
Candidates for the Azure Network Engineer Associate certification should have subject matter expertise in planning, implementing, and maintaining Azure networking solutions, including hybrid networking, connectivity, routing, security, and private access to Azure services.
Responsibilities for this role include recommending, planning, and implementing Azure networking solutions. Professionals in this role manage the solution for performance, resiliency, scale, and security. They deploy networking solutions by using the Azure Portal and other methods, including PowerShell, Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI), and Azure Resource Manager templates (ARM templates).
The Azure Network Engineer works with solution architects, cloud administrators, security engineers, application developers, and DevOps engineers to deliver Azure solutions.
Candidates for this certification should have expert Azure administration skills, in addition to extensive experience and knowledge of networking, hybrid connections, and network security.

Microsoft Docs – Azure Network Engineer Associate

Free Online Microsoft Learn AZ-700 Exam Study Guide resources

Microsoft Learn provides you with free online training and learning paths for different Microsoft technologies. They not just offer reading material, but also control questions and free online labs. Here are some relevant Microsoft Learn modules and learning paths for the AZ-700 Designing and Implementing Microsoft Azure Networking Solutions Certification Exam. Microsoft Learn is an important part of my AZ-700 Azure Networking solutions exam study guide.

The team also just made it easier to prepare with the new AZ-700 related learning paths on Microsoft Learn. I highly recommend that you take these for your AZ-700 exam preparation.

Microsoft Docs AZ-700 Azure Networking Solutions study guide resources

One thing I always used to prepare for my Microsoft exams is Microsoft Docs. Here are the relevant Microsoft Docs which I used to prepare and study for the AZ-700 exam.

Read More

Feb022021February 2, 2021February 1, 20210Commentby Thomas Maurer
Microsoft Learn Windows Server Hyper-V and Virtualization

Learn about Windows Server Hyper-V and Virtualization

Posted in Windows Server

As you know, my background is doing a lot of datacenter and virtualization projects using Hyper-V and System Center. I often get asked, how do I start learning about Windows Server Hyper-V, and virtualization, including Windows Server Containers. So if you are a Windows Server Hyper-V admin or want to learn about virtualization, we have a new Microsoft Learn learning path ready. In the new Windows Server Hyper-V and Virtualization learning path you will be able to learn to implement and manage Windows Server virtual machines (VMs) and container workloads using Windows Server Hyper-V.

Windows Server Hyper-V and Virtualization Microsoft Learn Modules

Currently, the learning path consists of 6 modules:

Configure and manage Hyper-V
Learn about virtualization and the Microsoft Hyper-V role with Windows Server. Learn about best practices for preparing Hyper-V hosts, in addition to Hyper-V networking features and implementing nested virtualization.

Configure and manage Hyper-V virtual machines
Learn about configuring and managing Hyper-V virtual machines in Windows Server 2019.

Secure Hyper-V workloads
Learn about securing Hyper-V workloads in Windows Server 2019, installing and configuring the Host Guardian Service (HGS), the attestation modes available with the HGS, and the creation and deployment of shielded virtual machines (VMs).

Run containers on Windows Server
Learn about Windows Server and Hyper-V containers, associated isolation modes, running containers, and preparing the Windows Server host for running containerized workloads. Learn about Docker, preparing Windows Server for running container workloads, and managing containers.

Orchestrate containers on Windows Server using Kubernetes
Learn about Kubernetes, containers, container orchestration, and Kubernetes orchestration in Windows Server 2019. Also learn the process for deploying a Kubernetes cluster on Windows and describe how to use Azure Arc for Kubernetes.

Implement Hyper-V Replica
Learn about Hyper-V Replica, scenarios for its use, and prerequisites to use it. Learn about Azure Site Recovery and the benefits of using it, focusing on implementing Site Recovery in on-premises scenarios.

Conclusion

I hope these links are useful to you and it helps you to learn more. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment, and for more Hyper-V content, check out my blog.


Jan142021January 14, 2021January 14, 20210Commentby Thomas Maurer
Microsoft Learn - Proud to be Certified

Microsoft Learn – Proud to be Certified

Posted in Certification

As you know helping people get certified and help them with their careers is one part of my goals. So I want to share a very interesting initiative by Microsoft Learn. With the “Proud to be Certified” campaign, the Microsoft Learn team is looking for people who have an inspiring story to share about why they got certified and how it impacted their life, career, or personal development. We’ll be featuring select stories starting at the next Microsoft Ignite in early 2021.

“We know that earning a Microsoft Certification can help you build confidence, get recognized as a leader, and unlock new opportunities. But we want to hear it from you. If you’ve achieved a Microsoft Certification (fundamentals, role-based, or specialty), tell us about your experience and how it helped you. What did you do to prepare? How has being certified changed your career? What new insights did you gain after becoming certified? Is English not your native language? No problem! We would love for you to submit your video in your native language.”

Microsoft Learn

If you have an interesting story to share and want to be part of “Microsoft Learn – Proud to be Certified”, you can find more information and share your story here.

Also, if you want to know how you can learn Microsoft Azure and Cloud Computing in 2021, check out my latest blog post: How to learn Microsoft Azure in 2021

If you are looking for some study guides to prepare for a Microsoft certification exam, check out the following links:

Happy Learning and if you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.


Jan042021January 4, 2021October 13, 20213Commentsby Thomas Maurer
AZ-600 Exam Study Guide Microsoft Certified Azure Stack Hub Operator

AZ-600 Study Guide Microsoft Certified Azure Stack Hub Operator

Posted in Certification, Microsoft Azure

Back in 2018, Microsoft released the 70-537 Configuring and Operating a Hybrid Cloud with Azure Stack exam, which was the exam for Azure Stack Hub operators. Last week, the team released an updated version of the Azure Stack Hub exam called AZ-600: Configuring and Operating a Hybrid Cloud with Microsoft Azure Stack Hub (This exam is currently in beta and you can take it with an 80% discount). When you pass the AZ-600 exam you will get the Microsoft Certified Azure Stack Hub Operator Associate certification. As always I try to take the exam early so I started to prepare for this exam, and as always I will share my AZ-600: Configuring and Operating a Hybrid Cloud with Microsoft Azure Stack Hub Exam Study Guide with you.

To learn and prepare for the exam, I usually use a couple of online resources, mainly Microsoft Docs and Microsoft Learn, which I am going to share with you. You can find more information about how I prepare for a Microsoft Certification exam on my blog post: How to prepare and pass Microsoft Certification Exam.

Also, check out other Microsoft Azure Certification Exam Study Guides:

You can also take Microsoft exams online, check out my blog for more details.

The Azure Stack Portfolio

Azure Stack is not a single product anymore, it is a portfolio of solutions, which includes Azure Stack Hub, Azure Stack HCI, and Azure Stack Edge. If you want to learn more about the Azure Stack Portfolio, check out my blog.

Here is my AZ-600 Microsoft Certified Azure Stack Hub Operator Associate Exam Study Guide

It is essential to get familiar with the exam objectives and skills measured first. That is why I recommend reading the description of the exam and the skills measured.

Microsoft Certified: Azure Stack Hub Operator Associate

Candidates for the Azure Stack Hub Operator Associate certification are Azure administrators or Azure Stack Hub operators who provide cloud services to end users or customers from within their own datacenter using Azure Stack Hub.

Their responsibilities are to plan, deploy, package, update, and maintain the Azure Stack Hub infrastructure. They also offer hybrid cloud resources and requested services and manage infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS).

They serve as part of a larger team dedicated to cloud-based management and security or hybrid environments as part of an end-to-end infrastructure.

Candidates for this certification should have significant experience managing and operating Azure Stack Hub environments. They should have a strong understanding of Azure, in addition to some knowledge of virtualization, networking, and identity management. They need to understand how Azure Stack Hub enables DevOps processes and the hybrid development model.

Microsoft

To earn the Microsoft Certified Azure Stack Hub Operator Associate Certification you will need to pass one exam.

Microsoft Certified Azure Stack Hub Operator Associate Exam Certification Path
Microsoft Certified Azure Stack Hub Operator Associate Exam Certification Path

AZ-600 Configuring and Operating a Hybrid Cloud with Microsoft Azure Stack Hub

Candidates for Exam AZ-600 are Azure administrators or Azure Stack Hub operators who provide cloud services to end users or customers from within their own datacenter using Azure Stack Hub.

Candidates for this exam should have significant experience managing and operating Azure Stack Hub environments. They should have a strong understanding of Azure, in addition to some knowledge of virtualization, networking, and identity management. They need to understand how Azure Stack Hub enables DevOps processes and the hybrid development model.

Microsoft

The high-level view of the skills measured in the exam:

  • Provide services (30-35%)
  • Implement data center integration (15-20%)
  • Manage identity and access (10-15%)
  • Manage infrastructure (30-35%)

You can find more information on the exam website.

Read More

Dec302020December 30, 2020February 18, 20217Commentsby Thomas Maurer
Learn Microsoft Azure in 2021

How to learn Microsoft Azure in 2021

Posted in Microsoft Azure

The year 2020 is almost over, and usually, we take the time to look back at the year and find some New Year’s resolutions for the coming year. So I thought, why not take some time to prepare for the cloud computing era and get started with learning Microsoft Azure. In this post, I try to give you a quick look at how you can get started to learn Microsoft Azure in 2021.

Get Azure hands-on experience

There is nothing better than hands-on experience. What many people don’t know, there is a free Azure account offering. Your Azure free account includes a limited quantity of free services for 12 months. Within these limits, you have the flexibility to use free services in various configurations to meet your needs.

Learn with Free Azure services
Learn with Free Azure services

To learn more, see the Azure free account FAQ

Create free Azure Account ☁
Create your Azure free account today and get started with 12 months of free services!

Use Microsoft Learn to learn Microsoft Azure in 2021

Sometimes it is not that easy to get hands-on experience on Microsoft Azure since some of the services cost money or you just can’t find the right project to work on. Microsoft Learn provides you with various learning paths depending on your job role or the skills you are looking for. Most of the learning paths give you a hands-on learning opportunity so that you can develop practical skills through interactive training using free sandboxes.

Microsoft Learn Sandbox
Microsoft Learn Sandbox

Microsoft Learn it is free! You get instant in-browser access to Microsoft tools and modules; no credit card required, and with that is a great way to learn Microsoft Azure in 2021.

Microsoft Learn also offers a learning path for the AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals exam, with the following modules:

Microsoft Learn 🎓
Up your game with a module or learning path tailored to today’s IT Pro, developer, and technology masterminds and designed to prepare you for industry-recognized Microsoft certifications.

Become Microsoft Azure Certified

A great way to learn and verify your skills is to take Microsoft Azure certification exams. A couple of months back, I wrote a series of blog posts on why you should become Microsoft Azure certified, how you prepare for Microsoft Azure exams, and how you take and pass Microsoft certification exams. Taking the new role-based Microsoft certification exams will help you to find the right topics and structure to learn, depending on your current or future job role you are looking for.

AZ-900 Study Guide Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam Study Guide
AZ-900 Study Guide Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam Study Guide

Microsoft Certification
Earn certifications that show you are keeping pace with today’s technical roles and requirements.

If you are just getting started with Azure, look at the AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals exam. You can also have a look at my experience with the different Azure exam certifications:

If you are having difficulties to pick the right certification exam, check out my blog post: How to pick the right Azure Exam Certification path.

Microsoft Exam Study Guides

I also wrote a couple of Microsoft certification exam study guides, which might help you as well.

More resources to learn Microsoft Azure

There are a couple of more resources I want to point you to, to get started and learn Microsoft Azure and cloud computing.

Azure Architecture Center
Azure Architecture Center
  • Azure Architecture Center – The Azure Architecture Center contains guidance for building end-to-end solutions on Microsoft Azure. You will find reference architectures, best practices, design patterns, scenario guides, and reference implementations.
  • Cloud Adoption Framework – The Cloud Adoption Framework is the One Microsoft approach to cloud adoption in Azure, consolidating, and sharing best practices from Microsoft employees, partners, and customers. The framework gives customers a set of tools, guidance, and narratives that help shape technology, business, and people strategies for driving desired business outcomes during their adoption effort. This guidance aligns to the following phases of the cloud adoption lifecycle, like Strategy, Plan, Ready, Migrate, Innovate, Govern, and Manage.
  • Azure Migration Center – Get all the tools and resources you need to migrate your apps, data, and infrastructure at your own pace, with confidence.
  • Azure Architecture Framework – A successful cloud solution requires to focus on these five pillars of architecture excellence: Cost, DevOps, Resiliency, Scalability, and Security. The Azure Architecture Framework helps you to build on these pillars.
  • Application architecture guide – The Azure Application Architecture Guide presents a structured approach for designing applications on Azure that are scalable, resilient, and highly available. It is based on proven practices that we have learned from customer engagements.
  • Azure Cloud Design Patterns – The Azure Cloud Design Patterns are useful for building reliable, scalable, secure applications in the cloud. Each pattern describes the problem that the pattern addresses, considerations for applying the pattern, and an example based on Microsoft Azure. Most of the patterns include code samples or snippets that show how to implement the pattern on Azure.
  • Azure Reference Architectures – The Reference Architectures are a set of recommended architectures for Azure. Each architecture includes best practices, prescriptive steps, and a deployable solution.
  • Architectural decision guides – The architectural decision guides in the Cloud Adoption Framework describe patterns and models that help when creating cloud governance design guidance.
  • Cloud Operating model – Establish an operating model for the cloud.
  • Get started guide for Azure developers – The get started guide helps developers get started with Azure and tools.
  • Azure Quickstart Templates – Deploy Azure resources through the Azure Resource Manager with community contributed templates to get more done. Deploy, learn, fork, and contribute back.
  • Code samples – Get started with Microsoft developer tools and technologies. Explore our samples and discover the things you can build.
  • Azure Hybrid – Learn about Azure Hybrid Cloud with features and services like Azure Stack, Azure Arc, and many more.
  • Azure for AWS Professionals – This article helps Amazon Web Services (AWS) experts understand the basics of Microsoft Azure accounts, platform, and services. It also covers key similarities and differences between the AWS and Azure platforms.
  • Azure Security – Learn about Azure and security
  • Azure compliance – Get an overview of compliance in Microsoft Azure, with more than 90 compliance offerings
  • Azure privacy – Learn more about Azure data privacy and protection.
  • Service Level Agreements (SLA) – Read the SLAs to learn about our uptime guarantees and downtime credit policies.
  • Azure pricing – learn about how Azure pricing works and how you can save costs and get the best value at every stage of your cloud journey.
  • TCO Calculator – Estimate the cost savings you can realize by migrating your workloads to Azure.
  • Azure Support Plans – Explore the range of Azure support options and choose the plan that best fits, whether you’re a developer just starting your cloud journey or a large organization deploying business-critical, strategic applications.

Conclusion

I hope these resources give you a great summary of how you can start learning Microsoft Azure in 2021. If you have any questions, or you feel that some resources are missing, let me know in the comments. Also, subscribe to my blog to learn about the latest updates.


Dec292020December 29, 2020December 29, 20200Commentby Thomas Maurer
Microsoft Certified Trainer MCT

Microsoft Certified Trainer MCT 2021-2022

Posted in Certification

It is almost the end of the year, and I just wanted to share one last update. I just got the confirmation that I am a Microsoft Certified Trainer MCT 2021-2022. After being a Microsoft Certified Trainer in 2017, 2019, and 2020-2021, I am happy to be part of the MCT community for another year. Being a Microsoft Certified Trainer is a great honor and I am happy to be part of this community.

Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCTs) are the premier technical and instructional experts in Microsoft technologies. Join this exclusive group of worldwide Microsoft technical training professionals and reap the benefits of MCT training certification and membership. You will get exclusive benefits as an MCT including access to the complete library of official Microsoft training and certification products, substantial discounts on exams, books, and Microsoft products. In addition, you will be able to use Microsoft readiness resources to help you enhance your training career and engage with other MCT members in an online community forum. You will also receive invitations to exclusive Microsoft and local MCT community events.
As a Microsoft Certified Trainer, you need to earn a Microsoft Certification validating your experience and knowledge in using Microsoft products and solutions for each course you deliver.

Microsoft
Microsoft Certified Trainer MCT 2021-2022
Microsoft Certified Trainer MCT 2021-2022

If you want to know more about the Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) program, you can have a look at the following resources and pages:

If you want to know more about the latest Azure Certification and exams like AZ-104, AZ-204, AZ-303, AZ-900, and many more, check out my blog posts.

I also wrote a couple of Microsoft certification exam study guides, which might help you as well.

You can find a general overview of the new Azure Certifications here. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments.


Dec132020December 13, 2020December 13, 20200Commentby Thomas Maurer
Microsoft Learn Azure Stack HCI foundations

Learn about Azure Stack HCI on Microsoft Learn!

Posted in Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Virtualization, Windows Server

Last week the general availability of the new Azure Stack HCI, our new hybrid cloud hyper-converged platform was announced. With the release of this new platform, the team also released a new Microsoft Learn learning path called Azure Stack HCI foundations. In this learning path, you will be introduced to the Azure Stack portfolio and describes basic architecture, core capabilities, and primary use cases of its products. You’ll also learn about the differences and similarities between Azure Stack HCI, Azure Stack Hub, Azure Stack Edge, and Azure.

If you want to get an overview of the Azure Stack portfolio or the new Azure Stack HCI 20H2 version, check out my blog posts.

The new Azure Stack HCI foundations learning path on Microsoft Learn currently has 4 modules:

Introduction to Azure Stack

This module introduces you to the Azure Stack portfolio and describes basic architecture, core capabilities, and primary use cases of its products. You’ll also learn about the differences and similarities between Azure Stack HCI, Azure Stack Hub, Azure Stack Edge, and Azure. You can check out the module here.

Introduction to Azure Stack HCI core technologies

This module introduces Azure Stack HCI technologies. You’ll learn about the core Azure Stack HCI technologies, including Hyper-V, Windows Server software-defined storage, and Windows Server software-defined networking. You can check out the module here.

Plan and deploy Azure Stack HCI

This module introduces you to planing for and deploying Azure Stack HCI. Content includes identifying suitable workloads, determining the optimal configuration to host these workloads, stepping through the deployment process, validating post-deployment operational status, and evaluating Azure integration options. You can check out the module here.

Integrate Azure Arc and Azure Stack HCI

In this module, you will learn the fundamentals of Azure Arc and how is it used to bring new capabilities to the management and monitoring of your Azure Stack HCI clusters at scale. You can check out the module here.

Conclusion

I hope this provides you with a great opportunity to learn about Azure Stack HCI on Microsoft Learn. You can also follow my blog and you with some posts about this new solution in the pipeline. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a comment.


Nov202020November 20, 2020November 20, 20200Commentby Thomas Maurer
Lisa At The Edge Podcast - Thomas Maurer - Career Development & Azure Arc

Lisa At The Edge Podcast – Thomas Maurer – Career Development & Azure Arc

Posted in Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Speaking, Thomas Maurer, Virtualization

This week I had the honor to be on the Lisa at the Edge podcast, where I had the chance to speak with Lisa Clark, who is an EMEA Microsoft Hybrid Cloud Business Strategist at Dell Technologies. In her podcast, we talked about Azure Arc and Azure Hybrid Cloud, as well as career development. You can watch the full episode on here and on YouTube as well as on Lisa at the Edge – Hybrid Cloud & Careers in Tech.

Episode 21: Lisa At The Edge Podcast – Thomas Maurer – Career Development & Azure Arc

Thomas is a Cloud Advocate at Microsoft for Azure focused on Azure and Hybrid and former MVP. Thomas runs a very successful blog jam-packed with useful content on Azure Certification Guides, Windows Server, Azure IaaS, and more. He is a successful speaker and I was extremely lucky to have him on the podcast. In this episode, we talk about Thomas’s career path from apprentice to landing a dream role at Microsoft. We also discuss Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Cloud terminology and then get stuck into the hot topic of the moment: Azure Arc.

About the Lisa at the Edge Podcast

“On the Lisa at the Edge Podcast, you will find all kinds of interesting topics as I speak to amazing people from across the global tech community.

I started this podcast at the beginning of lockdown here in Scotland as Covid-19 took over and changed our world. Podcasting and blogging are activities I had always wanted to try but for one reason (excuse) or another, I never got started. I decided lockdown was the perfect opportunity to give it a go! It is a way for me to stay connected to the tech community and learn new skills. I haven’t ruled any topics out and I haven’t stuck to the advice of ‘find your niche’ because that’s just not me! However, there will be a heavy focus on two of my favorite topics: Careers in Tech and Microsoft Hybrid Cloud.”

Learn more about Cloud Computing and Microsoft Azure

I hope you enjoyed that episode as much as I did. If you want to learn more about Microsoft Azure and Cloud Computing, check out my blog post, in which I summarized a couple of useful links.


Nov082020November 8, 2020November 8, 20200Commentby Thomas Maurer
CSharp Corner Azure Learning and Azure Certification - AMA ft Thomas Maurer

C# Corner Azure Learning and Microsoft Certification – AMA ft. Thomas Maurer

Posted in Certification, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Speaking, Thomas Maurer

Last week I had the honor to be a guest in the C# Corner Live AMA (Ask Me Anything) about Azure Learning and Microsoft Certification. C# Corner is an online global community of 3 million software developers. They publish the latest news and articles on cutting-edge software development topics. Developers share their knowledge and connect via content, forums, and chapters. Thousands of members benefit from our monthly events, webinars, and conferences. We also provide tools for career growth such as career advice, resume writing, training, certifications, books and whitepapers, and videos. We also connect developers with their potential employers via our Job board.

On their weekly live show, I joined them to answer questions about Azure Learning and Microsoft Certification. I was talking a lot about Microsoft Learn and Microsoft Docs, which can help you a lot when it comes to learning Azure. You can watch the recording of the Microsoft Certification and Azure Learning AMA here:

If you are interested in learning Azure and/or becoming Microsoft Certifed, check out my blogs about how to learn Microsoft Azure and Cloud Computing. If you are preparing for a Microsoft Azure certification exam also make sure you check out my exam study guides:

I hope you enjoyed this Microsoft Certification AMA with C# Corner. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. I wish you all happy learning and a lot of success with your Microsoft certification exams!


Nov022020November 2, 2020December 29, 20200Commentby Thomas Maurer
How to get started learning Microsoft Azure and Cloud Computing

How to get started learning Microsoft Azure and Cloud Computing

Posted in Certification, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Thomas Maurer

In the last couple of months, I often get asked: “Thomas, how should I get started with learning Microsoft Azure and Cloud Computing.” I think the time to learn about Microsoft Azure and Cloud Computing is absolutely right, even if you don’t have much knowledge yet. I got a couple of requests from people on how they can get started with learning Microsoft Azure and cloud computing. Here are some examples:

Im from a networking background so now want to delve into the world of Azure. HOWEVER… I don’t have any experience of any programming language, at all, and I know they we must write scripts for automation and be able to understand them.

So my question is can you please recommend, how should I start to learn ?

or for example:

I am interested in pursuing a career in Microsoft Cloud Azure. I currently have no certifications or cloud experience. Can you give me any advice on how to get started?

To be honest, the answer to these questions isn’t an easy one. It often depends on how much knowledge you already have. People who are already working with IT systems usually already have basics in, for example, networking, storage, scripting or programming languages, and other IT-related topics. But it is absolutely fair that people are switching professions and don’t have these basics or not with all technologies. In my opinion, even these basics are helping a lot; you don’t need to learn all of them before you start learning Microsoft Azure or cloud computing.

What to learn?

For most people, the challenge really is to find out what they should learn and where they should invest their time in. Luckily we have Microsoft certification exams, which are a great summary of resources to learn specific fundamentals or skills for a job role. For people who want to start learning Microsoft Azure and cloud computing, I recommend that they have a look at the AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals exam, which is great to prove the knowledge of cloud concepts, Azure services, Azure workloads, security and privacy in Azure, as well as Azure pricing and support. I also want to highlight that it is not just about just passing the exam, but more about finding the right topics to learn. Passing the certification exam, however, gives you that extra benefit when you are applying for a job or a promotion.

Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

Candidates for this exam should have foundational knowledge of cloud services and how those services are provided with Microsoft Azure. The exam is intended for candidates who are just beginning to work with cloud-based solutions and services or are new to Azure.

Azure Fundamentals exam is an opportunity to prove knowledge of cloud concepts, Azure services, Azure workloads, security and privacy in Azure, as well as Azure pricing and support. Candidates should be familiar with the general technology concepts, including concepts of networking, storage, compute, application support, and application development.

Azure Fundamentals can be used to prepare for other Azure role-based or specialty certifications, but it is not a prerequisite for any of them.

If you look at the skills measured in these exams, we see that these are some great fundamentals to learn:

  • Describe cloud concepts (15-20%)
  • Describe core Azure services (30-35%)
  • Describe security, privacy, compliance, and trust (25-30%)
  • Describe Azure pricing Service Level Agreements, and Lifecycles (20-25%)

Keep in mind there are also other fundamentals exams for different technology focus areas like:

So you can also choose a different direction depending on where you want to go. In general, the AZ-900 exam is great since it covers many different cloud computing basics, and it will be very helpful even if you later move in another direction. Also, keep in mind that these fundamentals are not just for technical people. You can also benefit from learning these fundamentals in other job roles.

How to learn Microsoft Azure and Cloud Computing

Now you know what you should learn to get started with Microsoft Azure. The next question is how you can learn it and where you can find the right learning materials. Here are some great places and resources:

Microsoft Learn

Microsoft Learn

Microsoft Learn

Microsoft Learn was introduced at Ignite 2018 as a free learning platform for many different Microsoft technologies, not just Azure. Microsoft Learn provides you with various learning paths depending on your job role or the skills you are looking for. Most of the learning paths give you a hands-on learning opportunity so that you can develop practical skills through interactive training. And it is free! You get instant in-browser access to Microsoft tools and modules; no credit card required.

Microsoft Learn also offers a learning path for the AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals exam, with the following modules:

Microsoft Learn 🎓
Up your game with a module or learning path tailored to today’s IT Pro, developer, and technology masterminds and designed to prepare you for industry-recognized Microsoft certifications.

Read More


  • About Thomas Maurer

    Thomas Maurer

    My name is Thomas Maurer. I am a Senior Program Manager & Chief Evangelist for Azure Hybrid at Microsoft. I am part of the Azure engineering team (Cloud + AI) and engage with the community and customers around the world. Opinions are my own.

  • Follow Me

  • Subscribe

  • Sponsors



    StarWind Ad

    Scriptrunner PowerShell Ad

    Altaro Ad