Best Azure Certifications For 2019Online EducationUpdated on Apr 29, 2019 View more like this | Visit AUSTIN, TX | Contact Tech Trends |
Azure certifications have undergone a great deal of changes. It is indeed a good time to get into the details of what these revisions are about and what certifications are currently available and are high in demand to get your Azure skill set to the next level.
Microsoft Azure has introduced various certifications that are more role-based and are going to be a great career step for anyone looking for better opportunities in 2019. The basic idea behind offering these new certifications is to map out the job roles that give you a deserving recognition in the field - from an Associate-level to an Expert-level.
The key was to revamp the certifications and the topics it covers. The focus was diverted towards familiarization of concepts instead of memorization. As far as the Azure landscape is concerned, this means that the candidate must be proficient enough in carrying out tasks via Azure CLI, Azure Portal, and Powershell to be able to pass the exam.
The most obvious change was how the questions were presented. Most came with a detailed case study, involving requirements, current configurations, and deliverables. There is usually a series of questions that are associated with the given case study. Once you answer all the questions, you are given the opportunity to review them and/or make any changes if required. However, once you move on to another case study, you cannot go back to the previous one or can make any changes. This is informed beforehand.
Next, not all questions that a candidate will face will be multiple choice questions anymore. Some questions will involve putting tasks in the right order while others will have options with PowerShell or CLI examples that you must complete. A question can even present you with a live Azure Portal, where you are required to complete a few tasks to get you through.
Lastly, there isn't going to be a set number of questions in each exam. They may vary between 40 and 60. Some questions may have more than 1 point. Since Microsoft is all about evolving, the questions are regularly rotated by the portal to ensure they cover latest and fresh features to keep the candidates up-to-date.
Without further ado, let's dig into each of these highly-demanded and well-regarded Microsoft Azure training certifications of this year.
This Azure certification is quite a trend in the industry. One of the hottest on the list, the certification holds great demand and offers great knowledge and skill set to the candidate.
The certification originally comprised of two exams, which after a detailed review, was consolidated into a single exam with imperative learning objectives - AZ - 203 Developing Solution for Microsoft Azure. And even though this certification is a replacement for 70-532, there is no requirement for a transition exam. Therefore, any candidate who wishes to obtain that certification can just take the Azure Developer Associate exam directly.
To gain the certification, you must be able to have a thorough understanding and capability of demonstrating the variety of services that Azure offers. These include building and designing solutions using Azure technologies and tools such as compute, storage, security, and communication.
The exam covers the following topics:
Just like the previous certification, Azure Administrator Associate exam has also been consolidated into just one exam instead of two. This is the AZ-103 Microsoft Azure Administrator certification. Since the certification is a replacement for 70-533 exam, you can simply pass the transition exam if you have already passed the previous exam.
The Azure Administrator training enables the candidate to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the different services of the IT lifecycle. Moreover, they are also able to respond to requests for applications, infrastructure services, and environments. The ideal candidates to obtain this certification are the Azure administrators who are responsible for managing cloud services like security, spanning storage, compute cloud capabilities and networking.
They are the right people to take a recommendation for optimal scale and performance usage based on the monitoring, size, provision, and available resources.
The exam covers the following topics:
The Azure Solution Architect Expert certification still comprises of two exams - AZ-300 Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies and AZ-301 Microsoft Azure Architect Design.
If you are responsible for advising senior management or stakeholders and translate business requirement into scalable, reliable, and secure solutions, then this is the best certification for you to obtain. The expert level certification is aimed at candidates with advanced knowledge and experience across the variety of IT operations including business continuity, security, identity, virtualization, networking, governance, budgeting, data management, and disaster recovery.
As far as the exam focus is concerned, the AZ-300 exam is more about developing and implementing whereas the AZ-301 focuses more on governance and design. The following areas are covered in the exam:
AZ- 300
AZ-301
If you haven't experienced a career advancement in the field lately, you could be missing out on Microsoft Azure training big time. The key is to be aware of the future scope of these certifications, your own area of expertise, and your capabilities before opting for the right one.
Microsoft Azure has introduced various certifications that are more role-based and are going to be a great career step for anyone looking for better opportunities in 2019. The basic idea behind offering these new certifications is to map out the job roles that give you a deserving recognition in the field - from an Associate-level to an Expert-level.
The Basic Changes
The key was to revamp the certifications and the topics it covers. The focus was diverted towards familiarization of concepts instead of memorization. As far as the Azure landscape is concerned, this means that the candidate must be proficient enough in carrying out tasks via Azure CLI, Azure Portal, and Powershell to be able to pass the exam.
The most obvious change was how the questions were presented. Most came with a detailed case study, involving requirements, current configurations, and deliverables. There is usually a series of questions that are associated with the given case study. Once you answer all the questions, you are given the opportunity to review them and/or make any changes if required. However, once you move on to another case study, you cannot go back to the previous one or can make any changes. This is informed beforehand.
Next, not all questions that a candidate will face will be multiple choice questions anymore. Some questions will involve putting tasks in the right order while others will have options with PowerShell or CLI examples that you must complete. A question can even present you with a live Azure Portal, where you are required to complete a few tasks to get you through.
Lastly, there isn't going to be a set number of questions in each exam. They may vary between 40 and 60. Some questions may have more than 1 point. Since Microsoft is all about evolving, the questions are regularly rotated by the portal to ensure they cover latest and fresh features to keep the candidates up-to-date.
Best Azure Certifications You Shouldn't Miss Out On In 2019
Without further ado, let's dig into each of these highly-demanded and well-regarded Microsoft Azure training certifications of this year.
Azure Developer Associate
This Azure certification is quite a trend in the industry. One of the hottest on the list, the certification holds great demand and offers great knowledge and skill set to the candidate.
The certification originally comprised of two exams, which after a detailed review, was consolidated into a single exam with imperative learning objectives - AZ - 203 Developing Solution for Microsoft Azure. And even though this certification is a replacement for 70-532, there is no requirement for a transition exam. Therefore, any candidate who wishes to obtain that certification can just take the Azure Developer Associate exam directly.
To gain the certification, you must be able to have a thorough understanding and capability of demonstrating the variety of services that Azure offers. These include building and designing solutions using Azure technologies and tools such as compute, storage, security, and communication.
The exam covers the following topics:
- Develop for Azure storage
- Develop the Azure Platform as a Service Compute Solutions
- Develop Azure Infrastructure as a Service Compute Solutions
- Implement Azure Security
- Consume and connect Azure Services
- Consume and connect third-party services
- Monitor, optimize, and troubleshoot Azure solutions
Azure Administrator Associate
Just like the previous certification, Azure Administrator Associate exam has also been consolidated into just one exam instead of two. This is the AZ-103 Microsoft Azure Administrator certification. Since the certification is a replacement for 70-533 exam, you can simply pass the transition exam if you have already passed the previous exam.
The Azure Administrator training enables the candidate to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the different services of the IT lifecycle. Moreover, they are also able to respond to requests for applications, infrastructure services, and environments. The ideal candidates to obtain this certification are the Azure administrators who are responsible for managing cloud services like security, spanning storage, compute cloud capabilities and networking.
They are the right people to take a recommendation for optimal scale and performance usage based on the monitoring, size, provision, and available resources.
The exam covers the following topics:
- Manage and deploy virtual machines
- Manage Azure resources and subscription
- Manage and configure virtual networks
- Manage and implement storage
- Manage identities
Azure Solution Architect Expert
The Azure Solution Architect Expert certification still comprises of two exams - AZ-300 Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies and AZ-301 Microsoft Azure Architect Design.
If you are responsible for advising senior management or stakeholders and translate business requirement into scalable, reliable, and secure solutions, then this is the best certification for you to obtain. The expert level certification is aimed at candidates with advanced knowledge and experience across the variety of IT operations including business continuity, security, identity, virtualization, networking, governance, budgeting, data management, and disaster recovery.
As far as the exam focus is concerned, the AZ-300 exam is more about developing and implementing whereas the AZ-301 focuses more on governance and design. The following areas are covered in the exam:
AZ- 300
- Configure and deploy infrastructure
- Cloud development
- Secure data and implement authentication
- Deploy and create apps
- Implement security and workloads
AZ-301
- Design an effective infrastructure strategy
- Design a continuity strategy for business
- Determine workload requirement
- Design for migration, deployment, and integration
- Design for security and identity
- Design a data platform solution
Final Word
If you haven't experienced a career advancement in the field lately, you could be missing out on Microsoft Azure training big time. The key is to be aware of the future scope of these certifications, your own area of expertise, and your capabilities before opting for the right one.
