Microsoft Azure is one of the top cloud platforms and it is important for IT professionals to learn Azure to enhance their job skills. Given so many enterprises are running or Azure, specific certifications can be valuable for cloud experts.

Holding an Azure certification gives people an advantage to land a well-paying job role of their choice, and get recognised as a cloud computing expert. A certification can really add a lot to your career as a cloud computing expert, but it’s also one of the toughest certifications to acquire as well. Azure has a constantly expanding set of certifications for different cloud services. 

There are specific examinations that candidates can take to get the certifications directly from Microsoft. Here is the link to the certifications and the details to get an idea of how people prepare for taking these Azure certifications. These exams have moderate to a very high level of difficulty and require students to prepare thoroughly. 

Many of the certifications are based on specific roles and tasks related to Azure tools and cloud services. Some of the certifications include Azure Fundamentals, Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ:104), Microsoft Certified Azure Developer Associate (AZ:204), Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies (AZ:30), Microsoft Azure Architect Design (AZ-301) and more. Different exams check specific expertise related to cloud management and security for granting the certifications. 

The first step is to look at the basic concepts of the Azure cloud and the various services. One of the most important things is that learners should have a basic understanding of cloud computing, virtual machines, networking storage, and other infrastructure-related topics. 

Apart from cloud-related technical fundamentals, there are other skills that are needed to pass the certifications like deploying Windows and Linux for applications and networking fundamentals. Not just that, aspirants would be assessed for expertise such as monitoring Azure cloud resources, analysing consumption and pricing. 

The Learning Process

Coming to learning material, there are both free and paid resources that students can access to learn about these topics. There are courses available on platforms like Udemy where aspirants can seek expertise on concepts like Powershell, storage, app service, SQL database, etc.

Aspirants can also go through several blogs that are written on various cloud topics, which can help them prepare for the certifications. There are self-learning courses that can be utilised as well for learning, including videos and PowerPoint presentations. Learners can also take mock and practice tests. 

Aspirants can join special training programs provided by many private institutes on Azure training. Specific certifications require special expertise in particular domains related to certain job roles when it comes to using extensive cloud platforms. Understanding the fundamentals is one of the most critical things when it comes to seeking certification concepts like cloud computing. Certification aspirants can also solve previous years questions exam papers to get a thorough understanding. 

A deep dive into specific technology topics can be made using course material, books, documentation blogs. Also, learners can check official resources provided by Microsoft on their website. Besides, you can also join social media communities and different platforms to discuss how candidates can prepare. 

Practical Knowledge 

There’s nothing better than practical knowledge. The exam involves practical tests and therefore hands-on practise related to Azure products is very necessary. This is because the nature of your certifications is to leverage the cloud platform. So, students should acquire practical knowledge not just theoretical know-how. This is why some people say IT experts and cloud admins can leverage their already existing hands-on skills to prepare Azure certifications exams. Learners can acquire a free Azure account to gain Azure cloud services for a specific time to build up some practical knowledge. 

There are also classroom training programs provided by training institutes where candidates can attain proper training with a trustworthy Azure training service provider. At the same time, aspirants can take practice tests to check which areas they have weaknesses. There, learners can learn how to work with Cloud APIs as well as deploy SaaS, PaaS and IaaS cloud services.