Azure certification map

azure fundamentals exam material

• Describe the benefits and considerations of using cloud services

1. What is cloud computing? [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Overview of Azure Cloud Services [Microsoft – Azure – Cloud Services]
3. Benefits of cloud computing [IBM]

• Understand terms such as High Availability, Scalability, Elasticity, Agility, Fault Tolerance, and Disaster Recovery

1. What is elastic computing or cloud elasticity? [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Availability checklist [Microsoft – Azure – Architecture]
3. Scalability checklist [Microsoft – Azure – Architecture]
4. Disaster recovery for Azure applications [Microsoft – Azure – Architecture]
5. How do cloud elasticity and cloud scalability differ? [Blog – Techtarget]
6. Cloud Elasticity Vs Cloud Scalability [Blog – Turbonomic ]
7. Disaster Recovery vs. High Availability vs. Fault Tolerance: What are the Differences? [Blog – Interfaceware]
8. High Availability vs. Fault Tolerance vs. Disaster Recovery [Blog – Greenhousedata]

• Understand the principles of economies of scale

1. How to turn cloud economics to your advantage [Microsoft – Azure – Blog]
2. Economics of the Cloud [Microsoft – Blog]
3. How Well Do You Use Cloud Economics In Your Cloud Strategy? [Microsoft – Azure – Blog]
4. Understanding Cloud Datacenter Economies of Scale [Blog – Cloudscaling]
5. Economies of Scale – Cost benefits from higher output levels [Corporate Finance Institute]

• Understand the differences between Capital Expenditure (CapEx) and Operational Expenditure (OpEx)

1. Capital Expenditure [Microsoft]
2. Create a financial model for cloud transformation [Microsoft – Azure – Architecture]
3. Examples of fiscal outcomes [Microsoft – Azure – Architecture]
4. What is the difference between CAPEX and OPEX? [Blog – investopedia]
5. CapEx vs OpEx for IT & Cloud: What’s The Difference [Blog – BMC]

• Understand the consumption-based model

1. Consumption-Based Pricing Model [Blog – Techopedia]

• Describe the differences between Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
  • Describe Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)

1. What is IaaS? [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Azure infrastructure as a service (IaaS) [Microsoft – Azure]
3. Introduction to Azure IaaS [Microsoft support]

• Describe Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)

1. What is PaaS? [Microsoft – Azure]
2. What is PaaS? Software development in the cloud [Blog – InfoWorld]
3. What Is Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)? [Cloud Flare]

• Describe Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

1. What is SaaS? [Microsoft – Azure ]
2. Business SaaS apps [Microsoft – Azure]

• Compare and contrast the three different service types

1. What are the different types of cloud computing services? [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Windows Azure IaaS vs. PaaS vs. SaaS [Blog]

• Describe the differences between Public, Private and Hybrid cloud models

1. What are public, private, and hybrid clouds? [Microsoft – Azure]

• Describe Public cloud

1. What is a public cloud? [Microsoft – Azure]

• Describe Private cloud

1. What is a private cloud? [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Scenario: Deploy a private VMM cloud [Microsoft – Docs]
3. Scenario: Create a private cloud [Microsoft – Docs]
4. Private Cloud Simulator for Windows Server 2019 [Microsoft – Docs]
5. What is a Private Cloud? [Rackspace]

• Describe Hybrid cloud

1. What is a hybrid cloud? [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Hybrid cloud applications [Microsoft – Azure]
3. Microsoft Azure: The only consistent, comprehensive hybrid cloud [Microsoft – Azure – Blog]
4. Hybrid cloud overview [Microsoft – Docs – Office 365 Enterprise]
5. Hybrid cloud scenarios for Azure IaaS [Microsoft – Docs – Office 365 Enterprise]

• Compare and contrast the three different cloud models

1. What are public, private, and hybrid clouds? [Microsoft – Azure]
2. What are the different types of cloud computing services? [Microsoft – Azure]
3. What’s the difference between public, private and hybrid cloud? [Blog – Highq]
4. What’s the Difference Between Public, Private and Hybrid Clouds? [Ed Tech Magazine]

Understand Core Azure Services (30-35%)

• Understand the core Azure architectural components
  • Describe Regions

1. Azure regions [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Azure locations, regions, datacenters, fault domains, update domains, clusters, availability sets?? [Blog]

• Describe Availability Zones

1. What are Availability Zones in Azure? [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Azure Availability Zones [Microsoft – Azure]
3. Regions and availability for virtual machines in Azure [Microsoft Azure]

• Describe Resource Groups

1. Azure Resource Groups [Blog ]
2. How to use Azure Resource Groups: A simple explanation [Blog]
3. Azure Resource Manager overview [Microsoft – Azure – Resource Manager]
4. Create resource groups and resources at the subscription level [Microsoft – Azure – Resource Manager]

• Describe Azure Resource Manager

1. Azure Resource Manager overview [Microsoft Azure]
2. Azure Resource Manager [Microsoft Azure]
3. What is Azure Resource Manager? [Blog]

• Describe the benefits and usage of core Azure architectural components

• Describe some of the core products available in Azure
  • Describe products available for Compute such as Virtual Machines, Virtual Machine Scale Sets, App Service and Functions

1. Overview of Azure compute options [Microsoft – Azure – Architecture]
2. Virtual Machines [Microsoft – Azure]
3. Overview of Windows virtual machines in Azure [Microsoft – Azure – Virtual Machines]
4. What are virtual machine scale sets? [Microsoft – Azure – Virtual Machine Scale Sets]
5. App Service [Microsoft – Azure]
6. App Service Documentation [Microsoft -Azure – App Service]
7. Web Apps [Microsoft – Azure]
8. An introduction to Azure Functions [Microsoft – Azure – Functions]
9. Functions [Microsoft – Azure]

• Describe products available for Networking such as Virtual Network, Load Balancer, VPN Gateway, Application Gateway and Content Delivery Network

1. What is Azure Virtual Network? [Microsoft Azure]
2. Azure Virtual Network frequently asked questions (FAQ) [Microsoft – Azure – Virtual Network]
3. What is Azure Load Balancer? [Microsoft – Azure – Load Balancer]
4. VPN Gateway [Microsoft – Azure]
5. VPN Gateway FAQ [Microsoft – Azure – VPN Gateway]
6. Application Gateway [Microsoft – Azure]
7. What is Azure Application Gateway? [Microsoft – Azure – Application Gateway]
8. Content Delivery Network [Microsoft – Azure]
9. What is a content delivery network on Azure? [Microsoft – Azure – CDN]

• Describe products available for Storage such as Blob Storage, Disk Storage, File Storage, and Archive Storage

1. Blob Storage [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Introduction to Azure Blob storage [Microsoft – Azure – Storage]
3. Introduction to Azure Storage [Microsoft – Azure – Storage]
4. Disk Storage [Microsoft – Azure]
5. About disks storage for Azure Windows VMs [Microsoft – Azure – Virtual Machines]
6. What is Azure Files? [Microsoft – Azure – Storage]
7. Azure File Storage, now generally available [Microsoft – Azure – Blog]
8. Azure Archive Storage [Microsoft – Azure]
9. Azure Blob storage: hot, cool, and archive access tiers [Microsoft – Azure – Storage]

• Describe products available for Databases such as CosmosDB, Azure SQL Database, Azure Database Migration service, and Azure SQL Data Warehouse

1. Azure Cosmos DB [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Azure Cosmos DB Documentation [Microsoft – Azure – Cosmos DB]
3. The Azure SQL Database service [Microsoft – Azure – SQL Database]
4. Azure Database Migration Service [Microsoft – Azure]
5. What is the Azure Database Migration Service? [Microsoft – Azure]
6. What is Azure SQL Data Warehouse? [Microsoft – Azure – SQL Data Warehouse]

• Describe the Azure Marketplace and its usage scenarios

1. Marketplace FAQs [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Microsoft Azure Marketplace [Blog – Searchcloudcomputing]

• Describe some of the solutions available on Azure

1. Azure solutions [Microsoft – Azure]

• Describe Internet of Things (IoT) and products that are available for IoT on Azure such as IoT Fundamentals, IoT Hub and IoT Central

1. What is Azure Internet of Things (IoT)? [Microsoft – Azure – Internet of Things]
2. Azure IoT [Microsoft – Azure]
3. What is Azure IoT Hub? [Microsoft – Azure – Internet of Things]
4. What is Azure IoT Central? [Microsoft – Azure – Internet of Things]

• Describe Big Data and Analytics and products that are available for Big Data and Analytics such as SQL Data Warehouse, HDInsight and Data Lake Analytics

1. Big data and analytics [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Analytics [Microsoft – Azure]
3. Azure Stream Analytics [Microsoft – Azure]
4. What is Azure SQL Data Warehouse? [Microsoft – Azure – SQL Data Warehouse]
5. What is Azure HDInsight and the Apache Hadoop technology stack [Microsoft – Azure – HDInsight]
6. What is Azure Data Lake Analytics? [Microsoft – Azure – Data Lake Analytics]

• Describe Artificial Intelligence (AI) and products that are available for AI such as Azure Machine Learning Service and Studio

1. What is Artificial Intelligence? [Microsoft – Azure – Blog]
2. What is Azure Machine Learning service? [Microsoft – Azure – Machine Learning]
3. What is Azure Machine Learning Studio? [Microsoft – Azure – Machine Learning]
4. Azure Machine Learning Studio [Microsoft – Azure]

• Describe Serverless computing and Azure products that are available for serverless computing such as Azure Functions, Logic Apps and App grid

1. Serverless computing [Microsoft – Azure]
2. What is serverless computing? [Microsoft – Azure]
3. An introduction to Azure Functions [Microsoft – Azure – Functions]
4. What is Azure Logic Apps? [Microsoft – Azure – Logic Apps]

• Describe the benefits and outcomes of using Azure solutions

1. Azure solutions [Microsoft – Azure]

• Understand Azure management tools

1. Management and governance [Microsoft – Azure]

• Understand Azure tools such as Azure CLI, PowerShell, and the Azure Portal

1. Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI) [Microsoft – Azure – Azure CLI]
2. Get started with Azure CLI [Microsoft – Azure – Azure CLI]
3. Azure Portal [Microsoft – Azure]
4. Overview of Azure PowerShell [Microsoft – Azure – Azure PowerShell]

• Understand Azure Advisor

1. Azure Advisor [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Introduction to Azure Advisor [Microsoft – Azure – Advisor]

Understand Security, Privacy, Compliance, and Trust (25-30%)

• Understand securing network connectivity in Azure

1. Azure network security overview [Microsoft – Azure – Security]
2. Azure network security [Microsoft – Azure – Security]
3. Azure Network Security [Microsoft – Azure – Blog]
4. Microsoft cloud services and network security [Microsoft – Azure]

• Describe Azure Firewall

1. Azure Firewall [Microsoft – Azure]
2. What is Azure Firewall? [Microsoft – Azure – Firewall]

• Describe Azure DDoS Protection

1. Azure DDoS Protection Standard overview [Microsoft – Azure – Virtual Network]
2. Azure DDoS Protection [Microsoft – Azure]
3. Overview Of The Azure DDoS Protection Standard [Blog]

• Describe Network Security Group (NSG)

1. Network Security Groups with Azure Site Recovery [Microsoft – Azure – Site Recovery]
2. Azure Network Security Groups (NSG) – Best Practices and Lessons Learned [Microsoft – Blog]
3. Step by Step Azure network security groups NSG – Security Center [Robert Smit MVP Blog]

• Choose an appropriate Azure security solution

1. Security services and technologies available on Azure [Microsoft – Azure – Security]

• Describe core Azure Identity services
  • Understand the difference between authentication and authorization

1. What is authentication? [Microsoft – Azure – Active Directory]
2. Authentication vs Authorization [Blog – medium]
3. What’s the Difference Between Authentication and Authorization? [Blog – doubleoctopus]

• Describe Azure Active Directory

1. What is Azure Active Directory? [Microsoft – Azure – Active Directory]
2. What is Windows Azure Active Directory? [Microsoft – Azure]

• Describe Azure Multi-Factor Authentication

1. Windows Azure Multi-Factor Authentication [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Frequently asked questions about Azure Multi-Factor Authentication [Microsoft – Azure – Active Directory]
3. How it works: Azure Multi-Factor Authentication [Microsoft – Azure – Active Directory]

• Describe security tools and features of Azure

1. Security services and technologies available on Azure [Microsoft – Azure – Security]

• Describe Azure Security

1. Azure security overview [Microsoft – Azure – Security]

• Understand Azure Security center usage scenarios

1. Azure Security Center frequently asked questions (FAQ) [Microsoft – Azure – Security Center]
2. Use Azure Security Center recommendations to enhance security [Microsoft – Azure – Security Center]
3. What is Azure Security Center? [Microsoft – Azure – Security Center]

• Describe Key Vault

1. Key Vault [Microsoft – Azure]
2. What is Azure Key Vault? [Microsoft – Azure – Key Vault]
3. Get started with Azure Key Vault [Microsoft – Azure – Key Vault]
4. About keys, secrets, and certificates [Microsoft – Azure – Key Vault]

• Describe Azure Information Protection (AIP)

1. What is Azure Information Protection? [Microsoft – Docs – Enterprise Mobility + Security]
2. Azure Information Protection [Microsoft – Azure]

• Describe Azure Advanced Threat Protection (ATP)

1. What is Azure Advanced Threat Protection? [Microsoft – Docs – Overview]
2. Azure Advanced Threat Protection [Microsoft – Azure]
3. Azure ATP frequently asked questions [Microsoft – Docs – Resources]

• Describe Azure governance methodologies

1. Azure Management – Governance [Microsoft – Azure – Governance]
2. Azure governance [Microsoft – Azure]
3. What is Azure Governance? [Microsoft – Azure]

• Describe Azure Policies

1. Azure Policy [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Overview of the Azure Policy service [Microsoft – Azure – Governance]

• Describe Initiatives

1. What is Azure Policy? – Initiative Definition [Microsoft – Azure – Governance]
2. Demystifying Azure Security – Azure Policies – Initiative Definitions [Blog]
3. Using Policy Initiatives to simplify Azure Policy Management [Blog]

• Describe Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

1. What is role-based access control (RBAC)? [Microsoft – Azure – Role-based access control]

• Describe Locks

1. Lock resources to prevent unexpected changes [Microsoft – Azure – Resource Manager]
2. Management Locks [Microsoft – Azure – Resource Manager]
3. Protecting Azure Resources with Resource Manager Locks [Blog]

• Describe Azure Advisor security assistance

1. Azure Advisor [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Advisor Security recommendations [Microsoft – Azure – Advisor]
3. Managing security recommendations in Azure Security Center [Microsoft – Azure – Security Center]

• Understand monitoring and reporting options in Azure

1. Monitoring and reporting in Azure [Microsoft – Docs – Azure playbooks]

• Describe Azure Monitor

1. Azure Monitor overview [Microsoft – Azure – Azure Monitor]
2. Azure Monitor [Microsoft – Azure]
3. Visualizing data from Azure Monitor [Microsoft – Azure – Azure Monitor]
4. Get Started with Azure Monitor [Microsoft – Azure]

• Describe Azure Service Health

1. Azure Service Health [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Azure status [Microsoft – Azure]
3. What is Service Health? [Microsoft – Azure – Service Health]

• Understand the use cases and benefits of Azure Monitor and Azure Service Health

1. Announcing Azure Advisor, Monitor, and resource health general availability [Microsoft – Azure – Blog]

• Understand privacy, compliance and data protection standards in Azure

1. Confidence in the trusted cloud [Microsoft – Azure]

• Understand industry compliance terms such as GDPR, ISO and NIST

1. GDPR simplified [Microsoft – Docs – Office 365]
2. ISO in brief [eBook – Iso Website]
3. What is NIST Compliance? [Blog]

• Understand the Microsoft Privacy Statement

1. Microsoft Privacy Statement [Microsoft]
2. Privacy at Microsoft [Microsoft – Privacy]
3. Change History for Microsoft Privacy Statement [Microsoft]

• Describe the Trust center

1. Microsoft Trust Center [Microsoft – Azure – Security]

• Describe the Service Trust Portal

1. Service Trust Portal [Microsoft]
2. Get started with the Microsoft Service Trust Portal [Microsoft – Docs – Office 365]

• Describe Compliance Manager

1. Announcing Compliance Manager general availability [Microsoft]
2. Use Compliance Manager to help meet data protection and regulatory requirements when using Microsoft cloud services [Microsoft – Docs – Office 365]

• Determine if Azure is compliant for a business need
  • Azure compliance [Microsoft Azure]
• Understand Azure Government services

1. Available services in Azure Government [Microsoft – Azure – Azure Government]
2. Azure Government [Microsoft – Azure]
3. Azure for government [Microsoft – Azure]
4. What is Azure Government? [Microsoft – Azure – Azure Government]
5. What is Azure Government? [Microsoft – Azure]

• Understand Azure Germany services

1. Microsoft Azure Germany [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Available services in Azure Germany [Microsoft – Azure]

Understand Azure Pricing and Support (25-30%)

• Understand Azure subscriptions
  • Describe an Azure Subscription

1. Subscriptions, licenses, accounts, and tenants for Microsoft’s cloud offerings [Microsoft – Azure – Blog]

• Understand the uses and options with Azure subscriptions

1. Azure Subscription Options [Microsoft – Service hub]
2. Subscriptions, licenses, accounts, and tenants for Microsoft’s cloud offerings [Microsoft – Docs – Office 365 Enterprise]

• Understand planning and management of costs

1. Cost Management [Microsoft – Azure]

• Understand options for purchasing Azure products and services

1. Explore flexible purchasing options for Azure [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Cloud Services pricing [Microsoft – Azure]

• Understand options around Azure Free account

1. Azure Free Account FAQ [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Azure Free Account [Microsoft – Azure]
3. Avoid getting charged for your Azure free account [Microsoft – Azure – Billing + cost management]
4. Create services included with Azure free account [Microsoft – Azure – Billing + cost management]

• Understand the factors affecting costs such as resource types, services, locations, ingress and egress traffic

1. Resource providers and types [Microsoft – Azure – Resource Manager]
2. Azure Resource Types [Blog – mitchdenny]
3. Prevent unexpected charges with Azure billing and cost management [Microsoft – Azure – Billing + cost management]
4. Why Ingress Data is free to Azure [Blog]
5. How are egress charges calculated in Azure? [Blog]
6. Average Price Per Azure Region [Blog – azureprice]
7. How to Compare Azure VM Pricing Across Azure Regions [Blog – buildazure]

• Understand Zones for billing purposes

1. Bandwidth Pricing Details Look in the FAQ at the bottom of the page about Zones in Billing [Microsoft – Azure]

• Understand the Pricing calculator

1. Pricing calculator [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Getting started with the Azure Pricing Calculator [Microsoft]

• Understand the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculator

1. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Calculator [Microsoft]
2. Azure Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) summary [eBook – Microsoft – Azure]

• Understand best practices for minimizing Azure costs such as performing cost analysis, creating spending limits and quotas, and using tags to identify cost owners; use Azure reservations; use Azure Advisor recommendations

1. Quickstart: Explore and analyze costs with Cost analysis [Microsoft – Azure – Cost Management]
2. Set an Azure spending budget for your customers [Microsoft – Docs – Billing and taxes]
3. Azure Subscription Resource Limits and Quotas [Blog – buildazure]
4. What are Azure Reservations? [Microsoft – Azure – Billing + cost management]
5. Reservations [Microsoft – Azure]
6. Azure Advisor [Microsoft – Azure]
7. Azure Advisor has new recommendations for you [Microsoft – Azure – Blog]

• Describe Azure Cost Management

1. Cost Management [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Cost Management pricing [Microsoft – Azure]
3. Public preview: Azure Cost Management [Microsoft – Azure]

• Understand the support options available with Azure

1. Azure support [Microsoft – Azure]
2. Azure Support FAQs [Microsoft – Azure]

• Understand support plans that are available such as Dev, Standard, Professional Direct and Premier

1. Azure support plans [Microsoft – Azure – Support]
2. Azure Support: Developer [Microsoft – Azure – Support]
3. Azure Support: Professional Direct [Microsoft – Azure – Support]
4. Azure Support: Standard [Microsoft – Azure – Support]
5. Azure Support: Premier [Microsoft – Azure – Support]

• Understand how to open a support ticket

1. How to create an Azure support request [Microsoft – Azure – Supportability]

• Understand available support channels outside of support plan channels

1. Azure CSP support overview [Microsoft – Azure – CSP]

• Describe the Knowledge Center

1. Knowledge Center [Microsoft – Azure]

• Describe Azure Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
  • Describe a Service Level Agreement (SLA)

1. Service-level agreement [Wikipedia]

• Determine SLA for a particular Azure product or service

1. Service Level Agreements [Microsoft – Azure]
2. SLA for Cloud Services [Microsoft – Azure]
3. SLA for Virtual Machines [Microsoft – Azure]
4. SLA for Azure Active Directory [Microsoft – Azure]
5. SLA for Azure Functions [Microsoft – Azure]

• Understand service lifecycle in Azure

1. Lifecycle FAQ—Azure [Microsoft support]
2. MICROSOFT AZURE SUPPORT LIFECYCLE [Kvaes]

• Understand Public and Private Preview features

1. Access public and private preview features [Blog]

• Understand how to access Preview features

1. Access public and private preview features [Blog]

• Understand the term General Availability (GA)

1. Software release life cycle [Wikipedia]

• Monitor feature updates

1. Azure updates [Microsoft – Azure – Azure Monitor]