By: Daniel Calbimonte | Updated: 2023-08-29 | Comments (1) | Related: More > Professional Development Certifications
Problem
There is a fundamentals exam related to Microsoft Azure, AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals. This exam requires studying several books and articles, but where do you start?
Solution
In this article, we will provide material to study for exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals. We will recommend books, courses, practice exams, free links, and videos to prepare.
Below is an FAQ to help you get started.
What is the Microsoft AZ-900 Exam About?
The AI-900 exam is a simple, basic exam about Azure and is a good place to start if you have little experience in Azure.
If I Do Not Speak English, Can I Take the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam?
Yes, the exam is available in the following languages:
- English
- Japanese
- Chinese (Simplified)
- Korean
- German
- French
- Spanish
- Portuguese (Brazil)
- Russian
- Indonesian (Indonesia)
- Arabic (Saudi Arabia)
- Chinese (Traditional)
- Italian
Is the Exam Easy?
Yes. The fundamentals exams are usually easy. It is oriented toward people with little to no experience.
How Much Does this Exam Cost?
The prices depend on the country:
- United States = 99 USD
- England = 69 GPB
- Germany, France, Spain, and Italy = 99 EUR
- Latin America, Africa, and Asia = 55 USD (generally)
- Uruguay, Jamaica, and Costa Rica = 60 USD.
What is the Score to Pass the Exam?
You should get at least 700/1000 points to pass the exam.
How Long Does It Take the Exam AZ-900?
The exam takes approximately 2-3 hours.
Where Can I Get a Study Guide for the AZ-900 Exam?
You can get the study guide here: AI-900 Exam Guide
Could You Recommend Some Books for the Exam?
Yes, these books will help you prepare for the exam:
- Exam Ref AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals, 3rd Edition
- AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals: Study Guide with Practice Questions & Labs: Fifth Edition - 2023
- Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 Study Guide: The Ultimate Step-by-Step AZ-900 Exam Preparation Guide to Mastering Azure Fundamentals
- Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification and Beyond: Simplified cloud concepts and core Azure fundamentals for absolute beginners to pass the AZ-900 exam
- AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamental: Exam Study Guide
- AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals: Study Guide with Practice Questions & Labs: Fifth Edition - 2023 Kindle Edition
- Azure: Microsoft Azure: Learn Microsoft Azure for Beginners
- Azure: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) Practice Tests
Can You Provide Links to Help Pass the AZ-900 Certification Exam?
The following links will be helpful for you:
Cloud Computing in Azure
- Provide the meaning of cloud computing
- Explain the model of shared responsibilities
- Elaborate on the types of cloud models, encompassing public, private, and hybrid
- Enumerate suitable scenarios for the application of each cloud model
- Outline the consumption-oriented approach
- Draw a comparison between various cloud pricing structures
- Detail the concept of serverless computing
Benefits of Cloud Services
- Outline the merits of high availability and scalability offered by cloud platforms
- Highlight the benefits of reliability and predictability that cloud environments provide
- Discuss the advantages of enhanced security and governance achievable through cloud solutions
- Elaborate on the benefits of improved manageability inherent in cloud setups
Types of Cloud Services
- Define the infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and its characteristics
- Explain the platform as a service (PaaS) and its distinctive features
- Describe the software as a service (SaaS) and its attributes
- Identify suitable scenarios for employing each cloud service type (including IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS)
Explain the Fundamental Architectural Elements of Azure
- Elaborate on Azure regions, including region pairs and sovereign regions
- Detail the concept of availability zones in Azure
- Provide insights into Azure datacenters
- Outline Azure assets and groups of resources
- Discuss Azure subscriptions and their role
- Explain the concept of management groups in Azure
- Describe the hierarchy involving resource groups, subscriptions, and management groups
Illustrate Azure's Compute and Networking Services
- Compare different compute types, such as containers, virtual machines, and functions
- Provide an overview of virtual machine choices, encompassing Azure virtual machines, Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets, availability sets, and Azure Virtual Desktop
- Specify the resource prerequisites for virtual machines
- Discuss options for application hosting, including web apps, containers, and virtual machines
- Explain virtual networking, including Azure virtual networks, Azure virtual subnets, peering, Azure DNS, Azure VPN Gateway, and ExpressRoute
- Define public and private endpoints in the Azure context
Delve into Azure's Array of Storage Services
- Compare various Azure Storage services
- Explain storage tiers and their purposes
- Detail redundancy alternatives for Azure storage
- Elaborate on storage account options and types of storage
- Identify methods for file movement, such as AzCopy, Azure Storage Explorer, and Azure File Sync
- Discuss migration avenues, including Azure Migrate and Azure Data Box
Provide an Overview of Azure's Identity, Access, and Security Features
- Explain directory services in Azure, like Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) and Azure Active Directory Domain Services (Azure AD DS)
- Describe diverse authentication methods in Azure, including single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and passwordless options
- Discuss external identities in Azure, covering business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C)
- Explain and describe Conditional Access in Azure AD
- Detail the workings of Azure role-based access control (RBAC)
- Introduce the concept of Zero Trust and its relevance
- Explain the purpose behind the defense-in-depth model
- Discuss the role and significance of Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Elaborate on Azure's Management and Governance Aspects
- Describe cost management within Azure, factors affecting costs, and methods to calculate costs using tools like the pricing calculator and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Calculator
- Discuss Azure's cost management capabilities
- Explain the role and purpose of tags in Azure
Describe Governance and Compliance Features and Tools within Azure
Explain Azure Management and Deployment Tools
- The Azure portal
- Azure Cloud Shell (with Azure Command-Line Interface and Azure PowerShell)
- Azure Arc
- Define infrastructure as code (IaC)
- How Azure Resource Manager (ARM) and ARM templates play a role
Discuss Monitoring Tools Available in Azure
- Azure Advisor
- Azure Service Health
- Azure Monitor (including Log Analytics, Azure Monitor alerts, and Application Insights).
Next Steps
For more information about Azure, refer to these links:
- DP 500 Certification Exam Preparation for Microsoft Azure and Power BI
- Study material for exam AZ-203 Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure
- Study material for exam AZ-101 Microsoft Azure Integration and Security
- Prepare for Microsoft AI 100 Exam
About the author
Daniel Calbimonte is a Microsoft SQL Server MVP, Microsoft Certified Trainer and 6-time Microsoft Certified IT Professional. Daniel started his career in 2001 and has worked with SQL Server 6.0 to 2022. Daniel is a DBA as well as specializes in Business Intelligence (SSIS, SSAS, SSRS) technologies.This author pledges the content of this article is based on professional experience and not AI generated.
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Article Last Updated: 2023-08-29
