What is Azure?
Azure is a cloud computing platform and set of services provided by Microsoft. It enables businesses to build, deploy, and manage applications and services in a highly scalable and secure cloud environment. It was created for building, testing, deploying, managing applications services through their data centers. It provides SAAS, PAAS, IAAS & provides support for many different programming languages, tools & frameworks, including both Microsoft-specific & third-party software & systems.
Azure offers a wide range of services, including:
- Compute Services: Azure offers virtual machines, containers, and serverless computing options such as Azure Functions.
- Storage Services: Azure provides various types of storage services, including blob storage, file storage, and table storage.
- Networking Services: Azure offers virtual networking, load balancing, and other networking services to enable secure communication between resources.
- Database Services: Azure provides managed database services for different database technologies, including SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB.
- Analytics Services: Azure offers services for data analytics, including Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Stream Analytics, and Azure Data Lake.
- AI and Machine Learning Services: Azure provides tools and services for developing and deploying machine learning models, such as Azure Machine Learning and Cognitive Services.
- Internet of Things (IoT) Services: Azure offers services for building and managing IoT solutions, including Azure IoT Hub and Azure IoT Central.
Azure also includes various management and security services, including Azure Active Directory, Azure Monitor, and Azure Security Center.
Azure can be used by businesses of any size, from small startups to large enterprises, to run their workloads and applications in the cloud. Azure provides a flexible and scalable platform, allowing businesses to pay only for what they use and scale up or down as needed. Azure also offers a high level of security, compliance, and availability, making it a reliable platform for critical business applications.
When was it announced?
Microsoft Azure was first announced in October 2008, under the name “Windows Azure.” At the time, it was positioned as a platform for building and hosting web applications and services in the cloud.
The initial release of Azure was in February 2010, and it offered a range of services, including virtual machines, web and worker roles, and storage services. Since then, Azure has expanded significantly, adding many new services and features, and becoming one of the leading cloud computing platforms in the industry.
In March 2014, Microsoft announced that Windows Azure would be rebranded as Microsoft Azure, reflecting the platform’s broadened scope beyond just Windows-based services. Today, Azure offers a wide range of cloud services, including infrastructure, platform, and software-as-a-service (IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS) offerings, as well as services for IoT, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
What are the Azure Certifications?
Microsoft offers a range of Azure certifications that validate different levels of expertise in Azure cloud services. These certifications are designed to help professionals demonstrate their skills and knowledge in specific Azure roles and technologies. Here are the different Azure certifications currently available:
- Fundamentals Certifications:
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals
- Associate Certifications:
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate
- Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate
- Expert Certifications:
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
- Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert
- Specialty Certifications:
- Microsoft Certified: Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty
- Microsoft Certified: Azure IoT Developer Specialty
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Specialty
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate
Each certification has its own set of requirements and prerequisites, including passing one or more exams, completing training courses, and demonstrating practical experience with Azure services. Certification exams are typically computer-based and cover a range of topics related to Azure services, such as infrastructure, security, development, and deployment.
Developer: Microsoft developers design, build, test & maintain cloud solution
Administrator: Microsoft administrators implement, monitor, & maintain Microsoft solutions.
Solution Architect: Microsoft solutions architects have expertise in compute, network, storage security.
Functional Consultant: Functional consultants leverage Microsoft Dynamics 365 to anticipate & plan for customer needs.
We have listed all the certifications which are available for Azure in 2020
Developer:
Developer: It has 6 Certifications
Microsoft Certified: Power Platform App Maker Associate (Beta)
Job role: Business Analyst, Business Owner, Business User, Data Analyst, Developer, DevOps Engineer, App Maker, Technology Manager
Required Exam name: PL-100
Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals
Job role: AI Engineer, Data Scientist, Developer, Solutions Architect
Required exams: AI-900
Microsoft Certified: Azure IoT Developer Specialty
Job role: Developer
Required exams: AZ-220
Microsoft 365 Certified: Developer Associate
Job role: Developer
Required exams: MS-600
Microsoft Certified: Power Apps + Dynamics 365 Developer Associate
Job role: Developer
Required exams: MB-200MB-400
Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate
Job role: Developer
Required exams: AZ-204
Administrator
Administrator: It has 4 Certifications
Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate
Job role: Administrator
Required exams: MS-700
Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate
Job role: Administrator
Required exams: MS-203
Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate
Job role: Administrator
Required exams: MS-500
Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate
Job role: Administrator
Required exams: AZ-104
Solutions Architect
Architect: It has 4 Certifications
Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals
Job role: AI Engineer, Data Scientist, Developer, Solutions Architect
Required exams: AI-900
Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 + Power Platform Solution Architect Expert
Job role: Solutions Architect
Prerequisites: 5 certifications
Required exams: MB-600
To become a Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 + Power Platform Solution Architect Expert, you must earn at least one of the following:
Microsoft Certified: Power Apps + Dynamics 365 Developer Associate
Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate
Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate
Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Field Service Functional Consultant Associate
Microsoft Certified: Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty
Job role: Administrator, Solutions Architect
Required exams: AZ-120
Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
Job role: Solutions Architect
Required exams: AZ-300AZ-301
Functional Consultant
Functional: It has 4 Certifications
Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Marketing Functional Consultant Associate
Job role: Functional Consultant
Required exams: MB-200MB-220
Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Field Service Functional Consultant Associate
Job role: Functional Consultant
Required exams: MB-200MB-240
Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate
Job role: Functional Consultant
Required exams: MB-200MB-230
Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate
Job role: Functional Consultant
Required exams: MB-200MB-210
What is the cost of Microsoft Azure Certification?
As of June 2020, the cost for the Microsoft Azure Certification is $165
If you want to certify in any of the above, then you can prepare from Microsoft Tutorials for Azure – Click Here.
How to Open Microsoft Office 365 Azure AD Admin Center?
