Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) Course Overview

Instructor Introduction

• Instructor: Andrew Brown
• Known for teaching cloud certification courses: AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, Terraform, etc.
• Course on Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) to help students achieve Microsoft certification.
• Course includes: lecture videos, Hands-On labs, free practice exams.
• Encourages students to put certification on resumes/LinkedIn to land cloud roles.
• Optional paid materials available for support and increased exam passing odds.

Azure Fundamentals Certification Overview

• AZ-900: Entry-level cloud certification for Microsoft Azure.
• No prerequisites: IT experience helpful but not necessary.
• **Key Topics Covered:
  • Basics of cloud computing
  • Benefits of cloud services
  • Core services: Compute, Networking, Storage, Databases
  • Identity, Security, Governance (e.g., Entra ID, previously Azure AD)
  • Pricing, Subscriptions, Cost Management Tools
  • Managing Azure resources (Azure Portal, SDK, CLI)

Certification Value

• Global Context: Azure is the second leading cloud service provider, behind AWS.
• Comparable to AWS Cloud Practitioner certification.
• Good starting point for Cloud career.
• Suitable for technical/non-technical backgrounds.
• Provides strategic insights for executives, management, or sales roles regarding Azure adoption.
• Establishes a foundational understanding useful for advanced certifications and roles (developer, engineer, architect).

Azure Roadmap for Certifications

• Paths after AZ-900:
  • Common follow-up is Azure Administrator (AZ-104) and Solutions Architect (AZ-305).
  • Multiple specialty certifications based on interest (Security, Data, AI).
• Study Duration:
  • Beginners: ~30 hours (lectures, labs, practice exams).
  • Experienced: ~6 hours.
• Recommended Study Plan: 1-2 hours/day for 14 days.
• Importance of practice exams due to varied Azure question types.

Community and Support

• Options to take exams: In-person at test centers or from home.
• Mention of Pearson VUE as the proctoring system for Azure exams.
• Tips on taking exams in a controlled environment.

Exam Preparation and Content Outline

• Duration of Exams: Approximately 45 minutes.
• Content Breakdown:
  • Cloud Concepts: ~25-30%
  • Azure Architecture and Services: ~35-40%
  • Management and Governance: ~30-35%
• Typical Azure question formats: Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer, Drag and Drop, Yes and No.
• Scoring: 700 points required to pass, adjusted based on scaled scoring.

Certification Longevity and Upkeep

• Azure Fundamental Certifications: Valid forever, do not expire.
• Other levels: Usually renewable every 2-3 years, often with a simpler free recertification test.

Tools and Resources from Azure portal

• Reference to the exam guide and study resources on Microsoft's learning platform.
• Exam Sandbox: Emulates exam experience to familiarize users with question formats.

Cost Considerations

• Exam Pricing: ~$99 USD, region dependent.
• Emphasis on checking current costs based on residency.

Introduction to Cloud Computing Concepts

• Cloud Computing: Using remote servers on the internet to store, manage, and process data.
• Evolution of Cloud Hosting:
  • Dedicated Servers
  • Virtual Private Servers (VPS)
  • Shared Hosting
  • Cloud Hosting (distributed computing, flexible, scalable, secure, cost-effective).

Common Cloud Services Categories

• Compute: Virtual computers (servers).
• Storage: Virtual hard drives.
• Networking: Virtual networks for communication.
• Databases: Cloud-hosted databases.

Microsoft Azure Overview

• Azure: Microsoft's cloud service, formerly known as Microsoft Azure.
• Benefits of Cloud Computing: Cost-effective, global reach, secure, reliable, scalable, elastic, current, fewer interruptions.

Types of Cloud Services

• IAAS (Infrastructure as a Service): Basic building blocks of cloud IT.
• PAAS (Platform as a Service): Focus on running or managing applications.
• SAAS (Software as a Service): End-user applications run and managed by service providers.
• Cloud Responsibilities: Shared model (customer vs. service provider responsibilities).

Azure Deployment Models

• Public Cloud: All resources are in the cloud.
• Private Cloud: Resources maintained on-premise.
• Hybrid Cloud: Combination of on-premise and cloud resources.

Cost Management and Optimization in Azure

• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Cost comparison between on-premise and Azure.
• CapEx vs. OpEx: Understanding when to use capital expenditures and operational expenditures.

Azure Network Components

• V- Net: Virtual Networks for resource communication.
• User and Identity Management: Managed through Azure Active Directory.

Tools and Resources for Managing Azure

• Azure Portal: Unified console for managing services.
• Azure Cloud Shell: Browser-accessible interactive shell (Bash or PowerShell).
• Azure CLI: Command line interface for managing Azure resources.
• Visual Studio Code: Free source code editor for editing Azure resources. See resources within Azure via CLI and SDK.

Migration Tools within Azure

• Azure Migrate: Streamlines migration from on-premise to Azure.
• Azure Data Box: Physical data transfer device for large-scale migrations.

Security Features

• Azure Defender: Advanced threat protection for Azure and hybrid workloads.
• MFA (Multifactor Authentication): Adds an additional layer of security.
• Azure Security Center: Unified infrastructure security management system.
• Key Vault: Safeguard cryptographic keys and secrets.
• DOS Protection: Distributed Denial of Service attack protection.
• Azure Firewall: Managed, cloud-based network security service.

Exam Completion

• Encouragement: Keep practicing, ensure understanding of concepts, aim for certification to boost career prospects.

Contact and Connect

• Always more resources and staff available to assist, open to questions on provided resources and tools.

• Social media mentions for engaging with cloud community and Andrew Brown directly.