How to Get Azure Certification in 2024 [Step-by-Step Guide]

Microsoft Azure stands out as a prominent contender in the field of cloud computing.

In 2022, Azure had a market share of 23 percent, making it the market’s second most popular cloud infrastructure merchant. 

As per Gartner, Inc., money spent by end users on cloud services is estimated to grow from $490.3 billion in 2022 to $591.8 billion in 2024. That’s an increase of 20.7%. This is more than the 18.8% growth forecast for 2022. 

With several companies switching to Azure, there is an increase in the number of skilled professionals on the platform. So, how can you enter this rapidly growing field? That’s exactly what we’re going to answer in the blog. By the end of it, you will have answers to how to get azure certification, the steps involved, best certificates, Azure training costs, tips, and more. 

What is Azure and Its Significance in the Tech World?

Azure is a suite of cloud services that Microsoft offers. It helps create and manage digital solutions and services via data centers globally. In the world of tech, scalability is key. And Azure offers just that. It allows businesses to scale their infrastructure or services based on their needs. 

Azure is highly sought-after due to its global data centers. Businesses can set up services closer to their end users. Its hybrid nature makes it possible to integrate on-site data centers with Azure services seamlessly. 

Nevertheless, Azure's scope extends far beyond the cloud, encompassing a wide range of domains, including IoT, AI, SaaS, PaaS, databases, and more. Hence, it’s extremely versatile for the professionals who work with it and businesses that incorporate it. 

Security constitutes another critical facet of every business operation. Azure offers businesses the assurance of safeguarding their data through a multitude of security features and well-established controls.

Evidently, Azure is widely preferred and sought-after. This is why a majority of IT professionals are seeking careers in cloud, data, IoT, SaaS, etc., enroll in some or the other Azure course to upskill. 

Benefits of Getting an Azure Certification

While the essence is to authenticate your Azure expertise, there’s more to the certification than that. Here are the benefits of the Azure Microsoft learning path. 

• Skill Enhancement: One of the most straightforward benefits of an Azure degree is the knowledge and skills you earn. Whether it's a fundamental course or a more specialized one, all certificates offer comprehensive modules. 
• Credibility: Once you earn an Azure certification, you add credibility to your claims. You make your peers and employers aware of your know-how. They’re aware you have what it takes to get the job done. 
• Networking: When you build an extensive network of like-minded people, it helps with your career growth and finding new career opportunities. You can also discuss relevant topics, adding to what you know. Sometimes, you may find a mentor who can guide you. 
• Career advancement: An Azure certificate helps you set yourself apart in a competitive job market. Typically, employers are more likely to consider individuals with certificates. This is because having a certificate shows commitment, expertise, and technical understanding. So, you can get a better job or move to a higher position within your company.
• Flexible career options: With an Azure certificate, you can pursue various careers like solution architect, developer, or cloud architect. Whether it’s finance, healthcare, or entertainment, you can work in your chosen industry. 
• Earning potential: Professionals with an Azure certification can earn anywhere between Rs. 18 lakhs to Rs. 54 lakhs in India. Some roles and some jobs can be on a higher pay scale, too. 
• Global recognition: Azure courses are recognized globally. So, if you ever want to work for a multinational organization or internationally, you’ll have an edge over others.

How to Prepare for Your Azure Certification Exam? 

So how to get certified in Microsoft Azure? Let’s look at the steps to prepare for your certification: 

• Step 1: Identify your career goals and select the right certification: The first step is to outline your career objectives. Are you looking to become an architect, administrator, or developer? Select a certification based on what you want your career to look like. 
• Step 2: Sign up for the course: Once you’ve chosen the certification you want to do, sign up for it. Get your hands on the study material and start studying. Sometimes, additional study resources like videos and practical exams can help make sure you’re truly ready for the exam. You can start by checking out some Cloud Computing courses and certifications.
• Step 3: Allocate sufficient time to study: Whether you’re currently working or not, you must take time out to dedicate to your Azure certificate. Maintaining regularity and consistency is important so you’re not burdened towards the end of the certification. 
• Step 4: Engage in hands-on practice: You can’t rely solely on textbook learning; practical experience is important too. Whenever you can, put yourself in real-life learning exercises and projects. With hands-on experience, you will not only understand the subject better, but you will also know what your future job will look like. 
• Step 5: Take mock exams: Mock exams simulate the experience of the actual certification test. The more you take them, the more you can identify the gaps in your learning and work on those as needed. 
• Step 6: Review and revise: Before the final day, you must keep revising and practising. Go over areas where you’re lacking without giving up. 
• Step 7: Exam day! On the exam day, ensure you’re well-rested and don’t get too nervous when you answer questions. Take a deep breath and mentally go through all that you’ve studied before answering. 

Tips and Tricks for Azure Exam Success

Now you have answers to how to get an Azure certification badge. Let’s review some tips to prepare for the Azure machine learning path. 

• First, you need to understand the objectives of the exam. Carefully read through the exam guide and familiarize yourself with the topics. 
• Create and stick to a study plan. While it sounds doable, it’s easy not to get distracted. With a study plan, you can stay on track and complete your studies on time. 
• Breaks are as important as studying. Take frequent breaks to keep your mind fresh and regain focus once you come back. 
• Practice, practice, practice! Practice makes it easier to understand the exam’s format and pinpoint sections you need to improve. 
• Since Azure is a practical platform, getting hands-on experience is best. Working with databases and other resources will strengthen your learning. 
• Connect with others who are preparing for the same exam. You can contact them via social media groups or online forums. This helps you share what you’ve learnt, provide support, and offer tips and tricks. 
• Flashcards are useful for noting down key concepts or terms. They’re also useful for jogging your memory quickly. 
• Throughout the process, stay positive. Believing in yourself boosts your confidence. 

Continuous Learning for Azure Certifications

Continuous learning is very important with the rapid growth of technology. It helps you maintain as well as gain more knowledge. Staying up-to-date ensures your skills remain relevant. Here’s how you can keep up with continuous learning. 

• The official Microsoft website has frequent updates that you can check for what’s happening. This way, you can learn about any new updates, features, or services. 
• Engaging with social media groups, forums, and communities helps you learn from others. You can also exchange relevant information, so you’re informed about new practices. 
• Join conferences, webinars, and events related to Azure. Here, you can learn from experts, see new features, and ask questions. 
• Some Azure certifications may require periodic renewals. This process is an opportunity to revisit and update your knowledge. 
• Contribute to Azure-related open-source projects on platforms like GitHub. Through this, you can exhibit your expertise. 
• Read books and blogs on different Azure-related topics. These resources offer in-depth knowledge. 

Azure Certification Paths

Let’s investigate the different Azure machine learning paths and other details, like how long to get Azure certification. 

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For starters, there are four levels to a Microsoft Azure certification. 

• Fundamental-level certifications: Perfect for those starting their Azure journey. 
• Associate-level certifications: Suitable for those who have a better understanding of Azure. 
• Expert-level certifications: Perfect for those with strong knowledge in the field and more hands-on experience. 
• Specialty certifications: These certificates focus on specific Azure speciality courses. 

A. Fundamental Azure Certifications

Fundamental Azure certifications are a way to enter the field of Azure. They help beginners to develop and solidify the basics. Here are some of the certifications in this category. 

1. Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) 

AZ-900 certification is a fundamental course designed for professionals in the early days of cloud computing. It’s an excellent starting point for those who want to enter and begin their Azure career. The modules include an outline of Azure and cloud computing principles. Upon completion, you will be able to describe Azure services and architectural components like storage, networking, and compute. Along with describing tools and features to administer, govern, and secure Azure. 

2. Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900)

AI-900 fundamental course entails the basics. The learnings include the potential of AI and building AI solutions. It’s meant for those who want to explore Azure and see if it’s for them. It’s suited for those from both non-technical and technical backgrounds. While it’s not required to come with software engineering or data science experience, it’s good if you’re aware of client-server applications and cloud basics. This course helps you have a better grasp for other Azure certifications. 

B. Associate Azure Certifications

These are the next level of certifications you use to become an Azure professional. It is for those who have some level of understanding of Azure’s concepts but want to add to their knowledge. 

1. Azure Database Administrator Certification (DP-500)

If you have this certificate, you can show you understand how to oversee databases in Azure. Some topics taught under this certification include database management, disaster recovery, automation, performance optimization, and security. Being an associate level course, you must have some prior knowledge in Power BI, Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), and Power Query. Further proficiency in visualizing data, analyzing data by using Transact-SQL (T-SQL), and querying relational databases will come handy.

2. Azure Data Engineer Associate Certification (DP-203)

DP-300 certification focuses on data solutions on Azure. Some modules covered are visualization, transformation, processing, data storage, and more. With this in hand, you will show you understand Azure’s data capabilities well, and you can build data solutions in the cloud. Solid understanding of Scala, Python, SQL, and other data processing languages is needed. You must also know how to use data processing solutions such as Azure Databricks, Azure Data Lake Storage, Azure Event Hubs, Azure Stream Analytics, Azure Synapse Analytics, and Azure Data Factory. 

3. Azure Database Administrator (DP-300)

This certificate shows you can work with databases hosted on the cloud platform. It covers subjects like SQL Server admin, data platform skills, security, performance, automation, and more. For this, it’s good to be familiar with SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines (Windows and Linux), Azure SQL Managed Instance, and Azure SQL Database. 

4. Azure Data Scientist Associate Certification (DP-100)

With this certificate, you learn how to use Azure data and machine learning tools in the data science field. You must know about machine learning and Python to understand the concepts of this certification better. It’s also good to have working knowledge of MLflow, and Azure Machine Learning. This role comes with responsibilities like Implementing pipelines, training machine learning models, exploring data, and more.

5. Microsoft Azure Security Technologies (AZ-500)

AZ-500 certification is for those responsible for cloud, protecting data and Azure platform security. It covers many security subjects like security operations, data and application security, and platform protection. You must be familiar with storage, network, and compute in Azure and Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), part of Microsoft Entra. Further, having some practical experience in administration of Microsoft Azure and hybrid environments comes handy.

6. Microsoft Azure Developer (AZ-204)

The primary focus of AZ-204 certificate is to help with Azure application development. It’s useful if you want to enhance your cloud application development skills. You must have proficiency in debugging, compute and container deployment, APIs, data connections, data storage options, and SDK. Further, you should be able to program in languages supported by Azure and using tools like Azure PowerShell and Azure CLI. Prior professional experience with Azure is recommended.  

C. Microsoft Azure Expert-Level Certifications

These expert-level certifications are for those with extensive Azure knowledge. They’re made for those who have a solid foundation and want to demonstrate mastery in a specific domain. 

1. DevOps Engineer Expert certification (AZ-400)

AZ-400 certificate is for those wanting to explore DevOps practices and principles. It covers topics like infrastructure, security, data management, and application design. You must have strong skills and experience in either developing Azure or administering Azure. It’s good to be familiar with GitHub and Azure DevOps. 

2. Azure Solutions Architect Expert Certification (AZ-305)

With a focus on architecture and design principles, the AZ-305 certificate shows you can create scalable Azure solutions. Some topics covered are infrastructure solutions, business continuity solutions, data storage solutions, and more. Having knowledge of governance, data platforms, disaster recovery, business continuity, security, identity, virtualization, and networking is a bonus. Experience with DevOps processes, Azure development, and Azure administration is recommended. 

Wrapping up

According to Nasdaq, 2021 article, Microsoft announced that they will invest $20 billion to strengthen their security solutions over the next five years. This exhibits Microsoft’s seriousness about its products and services. Companies can confidently adopt Azure as their chosen provider for the cloud. 

For this reason, there’s always a demand for Azure professionals and an expectation for them to use the platform proficiently. With the help of KnowledgeHut Azure courses, professionals can show their capabilities and grasp control over subject matter. And companies can speed up their digital transformation, increase efficiency, and improve overall performance.

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