How to learn Azure
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This week we talk about the following:
How to learn Azure
Certification Tips & Tricks
How to stay up-to-date with Azure
Azure Cheat Sheet
Azure Global Infrastructure
Tools & Resources
How to learn Azure
For most people, the challenge is finding out what they should learn and where they should invest their time. Microsoft has already prepared certification exams to guide you through a particular skill or learn something.
For people 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 Microsoft Azure, I recommend looking at the AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals exam. It provides an excellent overview of cloud concepts, Azure services, workloads, security, and privacy in Azure, as well as pricing and support. The main goal here is not to pass the certification exam but to learn; (optionally) passing that exam gives you an extra benefit.
So, how do you start? First, go and open a free Azure account. This account includes a limited quantity of free services for 12 months. Within these limits, you can use free services in various configurations to meet your needs.
You can choose which materials you're going to use to learn. Here we have different possibilities:
Microsoft Learn: provides various learning paths depending on a job role or skills needed. 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.
Online tutorials:
1. Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification Course (AZ-900) - Video 3 hours at freeCodeCamp: link.
2. Or this: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) Full Course by Adam Marczak: 40 videos, 7+ hours: link.
3. Also recommended: AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals Study Cram by John Savill - Video, 3+ hours: link.Take online virtual training, free with a real instructor (2 days x 3.5h): link.
Practice Assessments for Azure Certifications is a free way to practice for most Microsoft Azure certifications: link.
Next step, Role-based exams.
Also, there are multiple options here. One possibility is a Guide to Cloud, which breaks down all the topics and makes short videos. Other ones are channels from Adam Marczak or John Savill.
After this training, you could try and prepare for Microsoft Exams and become certified.
Microsoft Azure Certification Tips & Tricks For New Joiners
If you're new in the journey of getting any of Azure certifications, take these steps:
Could you create a certification profile?
Go to any exam page, click the order button, and on the other page, it sends you to a page where you can start filling out the information. If you have a work account, you should connect those here because your employer might be in some Microsoft programs that offer free vouchers.Check your Certifications board.
Go to the certifications board page, where you can download certificates, access your certification profile and see your upcoming appointments.Check the Exam sandbox.
Here you can get familiar with how well the process looks when you go to the real exam: https://aka.ms/examdemo.Open Free Azure Account
For a hands-on experience, you can create a free Azure account which gives you 200$ for 30 days and some free services for a year to test things out.Make an appointment
Here you have two options: online (VUE) or testing center. The online one is recommended as you can do it from work or home. If you have any issues, you can contact Microsoft certification support over here and use Ask the question at the here, and you use Ask the question at the top of the page.
For the testing center, bring two IDs, follow the instructions, and arrive half an hour before the start time.
How to stay up-to-date with Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure is huge and changes fast! At this point in time, there are more than 200 services in Azure, with many features. The rate at which services evolve is fantastic. New services come out constantly and are continually being improved with new features. Microsoft can do this because most services are owned by separate teams that develop functionality.
This high rate of change is great because it provides new ways to solve problems. However, it takes a lot of work to stay up-to-date. In addition, it takes a lot of work to keep track of new services; and their purpose in the world of Azure.
So the question is how to stay up-to-date. Here are some essential information sources:
Also, check my Azure Developers’ Cheat Sheet, with all Azure services in PNG/SVG formats (dark and white backgrounds, 1 or 2 pages).
Azure Global Infrastructure
Azure now has data centers in over 35 countries and more than 160 locations worldwide. In addition, Microsoft manages more than 200 physical data centers worldwide, each with several connected computer servers. Microsoft refers to this collection of data centers as being divided into 78 regions, each connected by fiber-optic networks and installed within a latency-defined boundary.
Microsoft Azure presently offers 59 regions, and another 19 are in the works, giving the corporation access to a total of 78 regions shortly. Each Azure region contains one to three distinct physical locations called availability zones that provide high uptime to safeguard data and applications against data center outages. Currently, 11 availability zones are in use, and another 51 are in the development stage. This means that by the end of the next few years, 164 availability zones will be operational.
What is Azure Region?
An Azure region is a collection of data centers put up inside a perimeter specified by intervals and linked by a specific, low-latency regional network. With individualized pricing and service accessibility, Azure allows clients the freedom to deploy apps wherever needed.
What is Availability Zone?
Physically and logically distinct data centers with their independent power source, network, and cooling makeup Azure availability zones. They serve as a foundation for offering high-availability applications when connected to an incredibly low-latency network.
What is Data Center?
Azure data centers are distinctive physical structures spread across the world that house several connected computer servers. An Azure region is what? A collection of data centers connected by a specialized regional low-latency network and placed within a latency-defined perimeter make up an Azure region.
Tools & Resources
Azure Service icons (SVG format)