Azure Fundamentals Overview

Introduction to Azure Fundamentals

• Instructor: Andrew Brown
• Course: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
• Study Approach: Lecture videos, Hands-On labs, Free practice exam
• Certification Value: Entry-level certification for beginners in Azure

Key Topics Covered

1. Basics of Cloud Computing
2. Benefits of Cloud Services
3. Core Services: Computing, Networking, Storage, Databases
4. Identity, Security, Governance
5. Pricing and Cost Management
6. Azure Tools: Azure Portal, CLI, SDK

Certification Details

• Prerequisites: No formal prerequisites, some IT experience recommended.
• Target Audience: Non-technical backgrounds (executives, sales), technical roles needing a refresher.
• Value of Certification: Provides foundational understanding of Azure and Cloud architecture.

Azure Cloud Landscape

• Top Providers: Azure (Microsoft), AWS, GCP
• Common Starting Point: Azure Fundamentals parallels AWS Cloud Practitioner.

Azure Certification Roadmap

• Common paths after AZ-900 include:
  • Azure Administrator (AZ-104)
  • Azure Solutions Architect
  • Azure Developer (AZ-204)

Study Time Estimates

• Beginners: ~30 hours.
• Experienced Cloud Users: 6 hours.
• Recommended study time: 1-2 hours per day for 14 days.

Exam Structure

• 3 Domains:
  • Describing Cloud Concepts (25-30%)
  • Describing Azure Architecture and Services (35-40%)
  • Describing Azure Management and Governance (30-35%)
• Total Questions: 35-50
• Passing Score: 700 out of 1000 points

Azure Certification Resources

• Official Azure Learning Resources: Microsoft Learn

Azure Cloud Adoption Framework

• Stages of Framework:
  • Define Strategy
  • Plan
  • Ready
  • Adopt
  • Innovate
  • Govern

Azure Migrate

• Purpose: Streamline migration and modernization of workloads to Azure.
  • Unified migration platform with various assessment and migration tools.

Azure Pricing Tools

• TCO Calculator: Estimates cost savings from migrating to Azure.
• Pricing Calculator: Allows configuration and estimation of Azure product costs.
• Cost Management: Monitor Azure spending and budget.

Azure Management Groups and Resource Groups

• Management Groups: Hierarchical organization for managing subscriptions.
• Resource Groups: Logical grouping of related resources.

Azure Security and Compliance

• Security Center: Unified security management and threat protection.
• Azure Defender: Advanced protection for Azure workloads.
• Azure Active Directory: Identity and access management service.

Azure Networking Services

• VNet: Logical isolated section of your Azure network.
• Load Balancer: Distributes network traffic.
• Application Gateway: Load balancer for web traffic with WAF capabilities.

Azure Storage Services

1. Blob Storage: Object storage for unstructured data.
2. File Storage: Managed file shares in the cloud.
3. Queue Storage: Reliable messaging service.
4. Table Storage: NoSQL data storage.
5. Disk Storage: Virtual hard disks for Azure VMs.

Azure DevOps Services

• Tools for managing development projects, CI/CD pipelines, and source control.

Conclusion

• Importance of Azure Fundamentals: A strong foundation for your Azure journey and further specialization.