AZ-104 -Microsoft Azure Administration Study Guide

Introduction

The Azure Administrator certification is one of the entry level certifications from Microsoft and really focuses on helping students get hands on experience with Azure. Experienced IT administrators who are involved daily with Azure are targets for this certification, but it is also a fantastic place to prove your skills and get a good amount of lab experience if you are trying to land your first Azure job. 

To take and pass these exams, you must be able to prove that you can administer a customer’s Azure environment, configuring Compute, Storage, Network, and other Azure services that are typically handled by engineering and operations teams. 

Responsibilities of Azure Administrator

Responsibilities for this role include implementing, managing, and monitoring identity, governance, storage, compute, and virtual networks in a cloud environment, plus provision, size, monitor, and adjust resources, when needed. An Azure administrator often serves as part of a larger team dedicated to implementing an organization’s cloud infrastructure. A candidate for this exam should have at least six months of hands-on experience administering Azure, along with a strong understanding of core Azure services, Azure workloads, security, and governance. In addition, this role should have experience using PowerShell, Azure CLI, Azure portal, and Azure Resource Manager templates.

Exam Prerequisite

If you are new to Azure Administrator Role, then the below course will be a prerequisite to know about Azure Cloud

• AZ-900 – Azure fundamentals

Exam Details: AZ-104

Exam Name                      Microsoft Azure Administrator

Exam Code                       AZ-104

Exam Duration                 120 minutes

Exam Format                   Multiple Choice and Multi-Response Questions

Exam Type                       Online and Proctored Exam

Number of Questions     40-60

Exam Fee                         $165 USD

Exam Language               English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Korean

Pass Score                       700 (on a scale of 1-1000)

Exam Medium                 Pearson Vue or Certiport

After successfully passing the AZ-104, the candidate will gain the role of Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate

Topics Covered in the Azure AZ-104 Certification

The AZ-104 exam includes four major topics, with each focusing on different concepts in Azure identity. Each domain has a different weightage with a different set of subtopics

Manage Azure identities and governance (15–20%)

Manage Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) objects

• Create users and groups
• Create administrative units
• Manage user and group properties
• Manage device settings
• Perform bulk user updates
• Manage guest accounts
• Configure azure ad join
• Configure self-service password reset

Manage role-based access control (RBAC)

• Create a custom role
• Provide access to azure resources by assigning roles at different scopes
• Interpret access assignments

Manage subscriptions and governance

• Configure Azure policies
• Configure resource locks
• Apply and manage tags on resources
• Manage resource groups
• Manage subscriptions
• Manage costs
• Configure management groups

Implement and manage storage (15–20%)

Secure storage

• Configure network access to storage accounts
• Create and configure storage accounts
• Generate shared access signature (sas) tokens
• Manage access keys
• Configure azure ad authentication for a storage account
• Configure access to azure files

Manage storage

• Export from Azure job
• Import into Azure job
• Install and use Azure Storage Explorer
• Copy data by using azcopy
• Implement Azure Storage replication
• Configure blob object replication

Configure Azure files and Azure Blob Storage

• Create an Azure file share
• Create and configure Azure File Sync service
• Configure Azure Blob Storage
• Configure storage tiers
• Configure blob lifecycle management

Deploy and manage Azure compute resources (20–25%)

Automate deployment of virtual machines (VMs) by using Azure Resource Manager templates

• Modify an Azure Resource Manager template
• Configure a virtual hard disk (VHD) template
• Deploy from a template
• Save a deployment as an Azure Resource Manager template
• Deploy virtual machine extensions

Configure VMs

• Configure Azure Disk Encryption
• Move vms from one resource group to another
• Manage VM sizes
• Add data disks
• Configure networking
• Redeploy vms
• Configure high availability
• Deploy and configure virtual machine scale sets

Create and configure containers

• Configure sizing and scaling for Azure Container Instances
• Configure container groups for Azure Container Instances
• Configure storage for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Configure scaling for AKS
• Configure network connections for AKS
• Upgrade an AKS cluster

Create and configure Azure App Service

• Create an App Service plan
• Configure scaling settings in an App Service plan
• Create an App Service
• Secure an App Service
• Configure custom domain names
• Configure backup for an App Service
• Configure networking settings
• Configure deployment settings

Configure and manage virtual networking (25–30%)

Implement and manage virtual networking

• Create and configure virtual networks, including peering
• Configure private and public ip addresses
• Configure user-defined network routes
• Implement subnets
• Configure endpoints on subnets
• Configure private endpoints
• Configure azure dns, including custom dns settings and private or public dns zones

Secure access to virtual networks

• Create security rules
• Associate a network security group (nsg) to a subnet or network interface
• Evaluate effective security rules
• Implement azure firewall
• Implement azure bastion
• Configure load balancing
• Configure azure application gateway
• Configure an internal or public load balancer
• Troubleshoot load balancing

Monitor and troubleshoot virtual networking

• Monitor on-premises connectivity
• Configure and use azure monitor for networks
• Use azure network watcher
• Troubleshoot external networking
• Troubleshoot virtual network connectivity

Integrate an on-premises network with an Azure virtual network

• Create and configure Azure VPN Gateway
• Create and configure Azure expressroute
• Configure Azure Virtual WAN

Monitor and backup Azure resources (10–15%)

Monitor resources by using Azure Monitor

• Configure and interpret metrics
• Configure azure monitor logs
• Query and analyze logs
• Set up alerts and actions
• Configure application insights

Implement backup and recovery

• Create a Recovery Services vault
• Create a Backup vault
• Create and configure backup policy
• Perform backup and restore operations by using Azure Backup
• Perform site-to-site recovery by using Azure Site Recovery
• Configure and review backup reports

Definitions and Elaborations

Azure Active Directory – you should know how to manage a user, group, guest accounts, joined devices, device settings, and best practices.

Azure App Service – learn how to create an app service plan and what run time can be put in the same app service plan.

Azure Application Gateway – you should know when to use a load balancer and a web traffic load balancer, and how to create a web application firewall.

Azure Blob – you need to learn how to configure storage accounts, import/export of data, storage tiers, replication, and authentication.

Azure Container Instances – understand the concepts of containers and how to use ACI.

Azure DNS – the configuration of custom DNS, private, and public DNS zone.

Azure ExpressRoute – understand the concepts of ExpressRoute and how you would implement it in your environment.

Azure Files – learn how to create a file share, file sync, copy data using AZCopy.

Azure Functions –  understanding the concept Serverless coding

Azure Kubernetes Service – the difference between ACI and AKS, the configuration of AKS.

Azure Load Balancer – the types of load balancing rules, the difference between a public load balancer, and an internal load balancer.

Azure Logic App – Triggering a playbook based on some condition

Azure Monitor – you should know how to interpret metrics, the configuration of log analytics, query and analyze logs, set up alerts and actions, and other service features.

Azure Policy – you need to learn how to read and create a policy.

Azure RBAC – learn how to create and assign a role and the types of built-in roles.

Azure Virtual Network – you should know how to create a VNet peering, security rules, configuration of private/public IP addresses, network interface, subnets, and virtual networks.

Azure Virtual Machines – learn how to deploy and configure a VM, scale sets, highly available solutions, moving and redeploying of VM, creating a backup, backup policy, and recovery services vaults.

Azure VPN Gateway – know how to configure VPN and VPN gateway.

Candidates could not just start reading every book. They get to cover all topics in the SC-900 exam skills outline. You can get started with your preparations for the SC-900 exam without any difficulties by following the tips mentioned below:

Familiarize with the Exam

Candidates should understand all the topics covered in the exam skills outline for the SC-900 exam. As a result, they could identify suitable learning materials for each topic. This can save them a lot of effort in finding out the relevant resources for supporting their preparations.

Use Microsoft Learning

With a clear idea of all the details about the exam, you can look for moving to the next stage of the SC-900 preparation guide. You need credible learning resources for building a clear foundation for success in qualifying for the exam. Microsoft Learning gives official resources that can help in preparing for SC-900 with reflection on different aspects of Azure security, Compliance, and identity.

The official recommended learning paths for the AZ-104 exam on the official certification page give a prolific advantage to all learners. The learning paths are divided into different parts for helping you in flexible learning.

Learning paths recommended for the AZ-104 exam can improve your command over the fundamentals of Azure security, Compliance, and identity. With the help of Microsoft learning paths, candidates could discover the perfect start to their AZ-104 preparations.

Go for Official Documentation Only

If you thought Microsoft only has learning paths, you need to think twice. The official Microsoft documentation about and identity gives the ideal tools for navigating the massive body of knowledge pertaining to the concepts.

The official documentation allows candidates to explore the technical content relevant to their AZ-104 study guide. The official Microsoft documentation also allows the flexibility of selecting resources according to roles, topics, products, job roles, and experience level.

Official Microsoft Study Path Docs

Training Courses are Helpful

Candidates preparing for Microsoft Azure AZ-104 certification could also get the benefit of competitive advantage in their preparations through training courses. There are various professional certification training providers with a wide array of online courses. It is also essential to look for interactive exercises and engaging demo videos with the training courses to ensure a better quality of learning. Most important of all, choose a training course which allows you some room to breathe. It can be difficult to concentrate on your preparation when you must complete the course within a specific time.

Video Training Courses : Scott Duffy, Alan Rodrigues

Practice Tests Can Test You – Important!

It is true that practice is the key factor of success in professional certification exams. So, you need to make the most of practice tests for the AZ-104 exam for evaluating your preparations. Practice tests feature similar formats to the actual exam and encourage the confidence of candidates. Regular practice with practice tests for the AZ-104 exam can help candidates familiarize themselves with the exam format. They can also showcase how the candidates perform in different domains of the exam. Therefore, practice tests are always necessary to add the finishing touch to your preparations.

Practise Tests : Udemy , WhizLabs