Become an Azure Cloud Practitioner: Skills, Training, and Certification

To become an Azure Cloud Practitioner, you'll need to develop a range of skills, including cloud architecture, security, and data management. These skills will help you design, implement, and manage cloud-based systems.

Microsoft offers a variety of training and certification programs to help you achieve this goal. The Azure Cloud Practitioner certification is a great place to start, as it covers the fundamentals of cloud computing and Azure services.

To get started, you'll need to have a good understanding of cloud concepts, such as scalability, reliability, and security. You can learn about these concepts through online courses, tutorials, and Microsoft's official training resources.

So, you're wondering what the point of becoming an Azure Cloud Practitioner is? It's a common starting point for a career in Azure, and it's a great way to demonstrate your foundational knowledge of cloud concepts.

This certification is a stepping stone to more advanced roles, and it's a great way to get your foot in the door. You'll have skills and experience working with areas of IT like infrastructure management, database management, and software development.

You'll be able to describe Azure architectural components and Azure services, such as Compute, Networking, and Storage. That's a valuable skill to have, and it'll serve you well in your future career.

Here are some of the key areas you'll be able to describe:

You'll also be able to describe features and tools to secure, govern, and administer Azure, which is a critical part of any cloud career. And, if you pass the certification exam, you may be eligible for ACE college credit, which can be a big bonus.

You can find Azure courses and trainings online from a variety of providers, including Coursera and Microsoft. Coursera offers training courses on Azure, including the AZ-900 exam prep specialization, covering cloud computing, Azure tools and services, security, cloud governance, and more.

Microsoft offers a collection of self-paced content for all certification levels and specialty exams. These online learning paths contain videos and lessons that help you prepare for the certification exam. They are free to complete, or you can enroll in instructor-led classes for a fee.

Microsoft also hosts free events called Microsoft Azure Virtual Training Days. You can choose which ones to attend based on skill level and topic. After completing corresponding Fundamentals training sessions, you can take the following certification exams for free: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals, Microsoft AI Fundamentals, and Microsoft Data Fundamentals.

To work toward Azure certification, consider the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 Exam Prep Specialization on Coursera. This training is self-paced and contains an applied learning project.

To become an Azure cloud practitioner, you'll need to choose the right certification path. There's no single best path for everyone, so let's break it down.

Start with a Fundamentals exam related to your career, such as Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900) for demonstrating AI skills on the cloud, or Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) for showing knowledge of cloud concepts and services.

The certification path is divided into three levels: Fundamentals, Associate, and Expert. Here are the main certifications at each level:

To become Azure certified, start by meeting the prerequisites for the level of certification you desire, and then sign up for and take the certification exam.

There's no single, best Microsoft Azure certification path for everyone. You need to consider your career goals, experience, and interests.

If you're new to Azure, start with a Fundamentals exam related to your career. This will give you a solid foundation to build on.

You can pursue several Associate and Specialty Azure certifications after completing the Fundamentals exam. These certifications are designed to build on your subject matter expertise and provide more advanced knowledge.

The certification levels are: Fundamentals, Associate, and Expert. The Expert level certifications are designed for those who have already gained significant experience and knowledge in Azure.

Here's a summary of the certification levels and what they're best for:

It's essential to choose a certification path that aligns with your career goals and interests. Consider what you want to achieve in your career and what skills you need to acquire to get there.

Some certifications are designed for specific roles, such as IT pros and administrators (Azure Administrator Associate certification), while others are more general, such as cloud developer experience (Azure Developer Associate certification).

The Data Fundamentals (DP-900) certification is a great starting point for aspiring data-focused cloud practitioners. This certification is a good first-step certification for database engineers and database administrators just getting started working with data in the cloud.

It covers core data concepts, relational and non-relational data on Azure, analytics workloads on Azure, modern data warehousing, data ingestion and processing, and data visualization in Microsoft Power BI. The exam costs $99 USD and is a good stepping stone for those looking to move up to the Azure Database Administrator Associate or Azure Data Engineer Associate certifications.

To prepare for this certification, it's suggested to take a course like the DP-900 Azure Data Fundamentals course. This certification is a fundamental requirement for many other Azure certifications, including the Azure Database Administrator Associate and Azure Data Engineer Associate.

Here's a quick summary of the DP-900 certification:

The AZ-500 certification is a game-changer for security engineers. It's a Microsoft Azure certification that shows you know how to secure networks, data, and applications in the cloud.

This certification is a must-have for security engineers who design, configure, and implement security tools and controls in Azure. It's a highly sought-after skill that's in high demand as more organizations move their critical operations to the cloud.

The exam for this certification is called Exam AZ-500: Microsoft Azure Security Technologies, and it costs $165 USD. You don't need any prerequisites, but strong scripting and automation chops, along with familiarity with networking, virtualization, and cloud, are highly recommended.

To pass the exam, you'll need to demonstrate your skills in areas such as configuring Azure log analytics, managing Azure security alerts, securing cloud-based infrastructure, and Azure privileged identity management.

Here are the key skills you'll need to master:

With this certification, you'll be able to ensure that data in the cloud is locked down and that cloud and hybrid environments are secure. You'll also be able to educate users on security best practices, which is a crucial aspect of cybersecurity.