Hello cloud professionals and enthusiasts, if you are preparing for AZ-104 the Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate certification, and looking for guidance and resources then you have come to the right place.
Accessing and managing Microsoft’s cloud services and resources is made possible via Microsoft Azure, a platform for cloud computing and an online portal. It offers software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and infrastructure as a service (IaaS), as well as supporting a wide range of programming languages, tools, and frameworks, encompassing both Microsoft-specific and non-Microsoft tools and frameworks.
What is the Microsoft Azure Administrator certification exam?
The AZ-104 exam for the Microsoft Azure Administrator Certification gauges the skills of persons in charge of the Azure Administrator position. Your ability to manage cloud services that encompass computing, storage, networking, security, and other cloud features of Microsoft Azure is validated by this exam.
A larger team, often including an Azure administrator, usually implements the cloud infrastructure for a company. Azure administrators also work with other roles to supply networking, security, database, application development, and DevOps solutions.
The Azure administrator must accept requests for infrastructure, application, and environmental services and have a comprehensive awareness of each service throughout the full IT lifecycle.
They make suggestions for the services to be employed to attain ideal performance and size, as well as the provision, size, monitoring, and adjustment of resources if needed.
Prerequisites for the exam
Prerequisites for the exam are a significant addition to the AZ-104 exam preparation. Candidates should be aware that these are optional to take the AZ-104 exam. Contrarily, candidates who meet these knowledge and experience requirements have an extra advantage in passing the exam.
- Six months or more of practical Azure administrative experience
- Comprehensive knowledge of the basic Azure Services
- Fluency in governance, security, and workloads in Azure
- Knowledge of the Azure Portal, PowerShell, ARM templates, and Command Line Interface
- Knowledge of operating systems, storage architectures, cloud infrastructure, and virtualization
Exam overview
- Exam Name – AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator Certification
- Duration – 120 minutes
- Type – Multiple Choice Examination with multiple response questions
- Exam Level – Associate level
- Number of Questions – 40 to 60 questions
- Exam Pass Score – 700 ( Out of 1000)
- Exam Fee – $165 in the US ( Price based on the country or region in which the exam is proctored )
- Eligibility/Mandatory Prerequisites – None
- Exam Validity – 1 year
- Exam Languages – English, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Korean, Japanese, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Italian, Indonesian
Content of the exam
The AZ-104 exam consists of the following topics:
- Manage Azure identities and governance (15–20%)
- Implement and manage storage (15–20%)
- Deploy and manage Azure compute resources (20–25%)
- Configure and manage virtual networking (20-25%)
- Monitor and maintain Azure resources (10–15%)
Section 1: Manage Azure identities and governance
This section covers about 15% to 20% of the exam content.
It deals with managing Azure identities and governance and has the following subtopics:
- Managing Azure Active Directory (AD) objects
- Management of role-based access control (RBAC)
- Managing subscriptions and governance
Section 2: Implement and manage storage
This section covers about 15% to 20% of the exam content.
It deals with the implementation and management of storage and has the following subtopics:
- Managing storage accounts
- Data management for Azure Storage
- Configuring Azure files and Azure blob storage
Section 3: Deploy and manage Azure compute resources
This section covers about 20% to 25% of the exam content.
It deals with deploying and managing Azure compute resources and has the following subtopics:
- Configuring virtual machines for higher availability and scalability
- Automating the deployment and configuration of virtual machines
- Creating and configuring virtual machines
- Creation and configuration of containers
- Creating and configuring Web Apps
Section 4: Configure and manage virtual networking
This section covers about 20% to 25% of the exam content.
It deals with the configuration and management of virtual networks and has the following subtopics:
- Implementing and managing virtual networks
- Configuration of domain name resolution
- Secure access to virtual networks
- Configuration of load balancing
- Monitoring and troubleshooting virtual networks
- Integration of on-premises network with Azure virtual networks
Section 5: Monitor and maintain Azure resources
This section covers about 10% to 15% of the exam content.
It deals with monitoring and backup of Azure resources and has the following subtopics:
- Monitoring resources by using Azure Monitor
- Implementing backup and recovery
How to Prepare for the Microsoft Azure Administrator certification exam (AZ-104)?
There are many options of resources to use to prepare for the exam both free and paid. I’ll recommend the best resources I’ve used to prepare for the exam.
Courses and Training
To prepare for any exam, the best resources you can use for preparing are provided by the exam provider. So, the best resources to prepare for the Microsoft Azure Administrator exam are provided by Microsoft itself. Microsoft has its Microsoft Learn platform where you can access free training on all the topics for the exam and can take a free practice exam.
Another free option is to use an AZ-104 course that has been uploaded to youtube. I recommend the Microsoft Azure Administrator [Exam AZ-104] Full Course by Susanth Sutheesh who is a Microsoft Azure Cloud Solutions Architect. The course includes review questions after every topic to help you understand the concepts.
For those looking for a paid option, there is the AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator – Full Course by Anand Rao Nednur. He is a senior technical instructor and cloud consultant. The course has over 18 hours of video content, 4 downloadable resources, and 2 practice exams.
Books and Resources
Candidates should also look at the official Microsoft Documentation which can help them with their preparations for the AZ-104 exam. Many candidates are unsure about how to cover the theoretical elements necessary to comprehend the exam’s subtopics. To prepare and study for your AZ-104 exam attempt, you can examine Microsoft Docs for each subtopic.
MCA Microsoft Certified Associate Azure Administrator Study Guide: Exam AZ-104 by Rithin Skaria is a great book to use for your preparation for the exam. I used this personally as well as other resources. It takes a practical approach to cover each topic and it has in-depth review questions after each chapter as well as an assessment test to check exam readiness.
Microsoft Azure Labs
Courses and books are great ways to gain knowledge on Microsoft Azure but there can be no substitute for getting actual hands-on experience with Azure. If you’re following the Microsoft Learn platform or any of the courses mentioned above you can log into Microsoft Azure using a free account and make use of the free resources of the account to practice the labs shown in those resources.
Just make sure to delete resources after you finish a lab to not use up your credits.
How to register for the exam
To register for the Microsoft Azure Administrator certification exam. You must first navigate to the following page.
Sign in to your Microsoft account, create one if you don’t then redirect yourself to the above page.
Under the Schedule Exam heading, select the region where you will be taking the exam. Then click the Schedule exam button.
You will be taken to your Microsoft learning certification profile to confirm your details.
Then you will be taken to the Exam Discounts page where you can apply a discount code if you have one. Whether or not you apply for a discount you press the schedule exam button that takes you to Pearson Vue.
Once you are on Pearson Vue select the OnVue Online at my home or office option.
Read Pearson Vue preparation materials for taking the exam online then click next.
Select the language you prefer to take the exam in then go to the next page.
Agree to the terms and conditions after going through them. Then press next.
You must then agree with online exam policies.
Then on the next page, choose the language of your proctor.
Then book your exam by choosing a date and time for your exam. You then proceed to checkout. After that, you will receive an email with your invoice and confirmation of the exam.
Congrats, the registration is done successfully.
Advice and tips
- I recommend using different resources to prepare for the exam. Going over the material a second or third time by a different instructor can help cement a topic
- Do as many practice exams and review questions as you can get access to
- Make sure to do labs to get used to the Microsoft Azure Platform
- Do the OnVue program System test on the day you register for the exam as well as 30 min before the exam
- Make sure to have your ID with you and to have removed any contraband materials from the room
- Don’t spend too much time on a question if you are lost. Just flag it and return to it later to not waste time
- On the case study questions just focus on what the question is asking for. Case studies have a lot of unnecessary detail just to confuse the candidate.
Final words
You should prepare to take the AZ-104 exam if you want to grow in your profession as an Azure administrator. By enhancing your talents and demonstrating them to potential employers, the certification exam helps you stand out from the competition.
If you complete the courses I mentioned above and then did the practice exams mentioned above you should be ready for the exam if you are now averaging 80% when you take them.
My advice is to practice and study as much as possible. Microsoft Azure Administrator certification exam (AZ-104) is the hardest associate-level exam. Don’t just watch the course videos and think it’s enough. Get hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure by doing labs using your free account.
All the best on your cloud journey and good luck with your Exam!
