Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) Certification Takeaways

By: Kosseila Hd
Topic: Azure | Posted: Jun 20, 2023 at 10:00 AM EST
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Introduction

In my journey into multi-cloud, I started a ritual where I’d write about each certification I pass (GCP, Hashicorp) for my own use and for times when I’m asked for prep tips and takeaways. This time, the Azure administrator associate exam is no exception.

Whether you’re preparing for an Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), Alibaba, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Certification, sharing your afterthoughts around the preparation journey along with insights on training material vs exam impressions can be very powerful. As you surf that learning curve, it becomes crucial to not only absorb the content but also pause and reflect upon each step. These captured snapshots and highlights, can elevate your learning process to new heights.

 

The Exam Summary 

Table of Contents

All you need to know about the exam layout can be found on the official Page, Including the exam guide. The important points to remember however are the below:

Length: 2 hours
Questions:  50-65
Exam format: Multiple choice and multiple select
Recommended experience: Officially, 6-12 months of hands-on experience, but this can be offset by the labs and online training.
Pass Score: 700
Score Per Topic: Available
Exam center:  Pearson VUE: Microsoft 
Retake Policy: 24h after the 1st fail, 14 days waiting period imposed between all subsequent attempts (up to 5)
Pass Confirmation: Instantaneous
Validity: 18-months

Preparation Time: Some say 2-3 months, Already passed the Az-900 before and used evenings and weekends, so it took me around ~90 days course/labs + exam practice spread across 9 months. I know it’s long but that’s just me as I like to take notes and had to redo labs after long interruptions.

 

First Impressions 

After my GCP cert, I opted for this exam because AWS Solution Architect certification (SAA-C03) wasn’t out yet, but this cloud platform really grew up on me along the way. If an ACloudGuru subscription is too expensive, check out the 100% FREE section.

The administrator title is not a coincidence

The Azure AZ-104 exam stands out from other cloud exams as it truly reflects the role of an administrator

  • You will not pretend to play the architect, but really act as an MS admin like the ones who are rocking it on-premises

  • This exam focuses on the hands-on responsibilities of managing the Microsoft system in-out of Azure

  • Concepts such as Active Directory, hybrid networks, and security proved to be the most challenging aspects

  • It has case studies and scenario questions that are unique to Microsoft exams

  • However, unlike other cloud providers like AWS or OCI, there is less emphasis on database services, and Kubernetes is not a prominent topic (unlike GCP)

  • While I had mixed feelings about the contrast between the training content and the actual exam questions, the overall experience was enjoyable, as I got more interest in Azure today than I was before

 

Exam Guide 

The content is available on the Official Microsoft Certification Page and you will see a lot of versions online. 
– The best resource to start with is the official AZ-104 Study Guide (Download PDF Version)
– The 4 major areas that the exam focuses on are as follows (as of April 27, 2023)

  • Manage Azure Identities and Governance (15-20%)

  • Implement and Manage Storage (15-20%) => Increased

  • Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Resources (20-25%) => Decreased

  • Configure and Manage Virtual Networking (20-25%) => Decreased

  • Monitor and Back up Azure Resources (10-15%)

But basically, There are 9 objective domains modules:

  • Module 1: Identities

  • Module 2: Governance and Compliance

  • Module 3: Azure Administration

  • Module 4: Virtual Networks

  • Module 5: Intersite Connectivity

  • Module 6: Network Traffic Management

  • Module 7: Azure Storage

  • Module 8: Azure Virtual Machines

  • Module 9: Serverless Computing

  • Module 10: Data Protection

  • Module 11: Monitoring

 

My ultimate AZ-104 Bundle Notes

If you’re wondering why it took me 9 months to ace it,  it’s partly due to my notes.
This one is the most complete you can find. Chapters contain deeper descriptions of each domain module and more, and I still use them today to refresh my memory as it has tons of tips. Enjoy :)! 

  Link: https://bit.ly/45VJEPe will also blog about some labs in the future.

Official Resources Microsoft Learn

  1. Free self-paced modules are easy to follow but not enough
  2. Prep videos: 30-50 minutes each (click on the pics)

 

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Other Microsoft Resources: This can also help you quickly describe GCP services grouped by domain

 

Courses I Followed

Like many, I searched for the best training materials online. While I couldn’t take multiple courses due to the time commitment (30-40 hours on average), I did explore the Microsoft official Az-104 modules and videos first. 

Cloud Guru: AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator Certification Prep (By Chase Dovey)

 

This required a subscription which I thank my company for providing to their employees.

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  • Pros

    • Best learning platform for preparing certifications and following tailored learning paths (100s of labs)

    • Multi-cloud sandboxes for Azure, AWS, and GCP exploration ( 4hrs/session)

    • Engaging labs with Chase using az CLI or PowerShell on various topics like

      • Scaling an App service plan

      • Build and run a Container using Azure ACR tasks

      • Create a WebApp from Docker Container in Azure 

      • VM configuration automation using desired state configuration SDC or using ARM templates…

    • Opportunity to learn and configure Azure Firewall (my favorite)

    • These labs go beyond the initial goal and help in keeping skills updated and fresh

    • Clear and easy-to-understand explanations, such as the stateful nature of NSGs

      • ex: NSG are stateful => Allowed ingress traffic will allow egress with a return traffic  

  • Cons

    • 34 hrs, is a lot of time especially for me as I like to take notes of everything to reuse them after my exam

    • Limited content related to IAM and Azure AD user and device management (I wish  they did more)

    • Insufficient coverage of hybrid configurations and DNS multiple setups

    • The exam practice was ok but don’t closely resemble the actual exam questions

    • Unfortunately, the gap between course material and exam content is a common issue in AZ-104 courses 

  • Pro Tip  don’t have long breaks between chapters and complement the labs with other exam practices online

 

Other Courses 

There are usually tons of courses in Udemy but unlike AWS there’s not a lot of competition for Azure

 

AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator Exam Prep – APR 2023 ($20-$54)
azure8
Bestseller: 17 hours – 1 practice test  – 23 articles (AKS detailed)

 

 

100% Free Resources  

Azure Admin Certification (AZ-104) – Full Course By @AndrewBrown

Content:

Andrew is very popular in the community (AWS community hero/GCP champion innovator), as he has a lot of free courses on YouTube besides his learning platform examPro. I didn’t follow this one but he never ceases to deliver.

He covers everything in 11hrs but the best part was the cheat sheets:

 

Last tip (Time management and always Practice!)

Practice

  • Anyone who tells you that he passed the exam without taking any exam practice is either a genius or a liar. You better train as much as possible after the theory is done.

    Here are some links(you’ll probably need to look for other sources.

 

Get your things together

  • I can’t emphasize enough on this because I made the same stupid mistake

  • When you have a certification don’t ever let long breaks creep in

  • No matter what time it takes or how busy you are at work, you need to respect your target

  • Take days off, I don’t care but don’t slack for months halfway through (don’t be cheap).
    Otherwise, this will backfire hard, trust me! been there. 

 

Conclusion – Certified Now What?

Despite my time management mistake, I am glad I held until the end to secure this one out.

  • Azure’s #2 cloud platform rank is no coincidence; as it’s adopted by 90% of Fortune 500 companies.

  • Learning the platform could open doors to a steady career path in the cloud industry. 

  • But make no mistake, Continuous practice is crucial; without regular hands-on experience, your certification will have 0 value in the job market.

  • Solution? Spaced repetition to get better at it using labs and share it online through blogging.
    If you did a task through the console? Try it using az-cli , PowerShell, or even Terraform.

  •  

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  • Within 1 hour, people will have forgotten an average of 50 percent of the information presented.

  • Within 24 hours, they have forgotten an average of 70 percent of new information

  • Within a week, forgetting claims an average of 90 percent of it

 

Appendix: Full List of Exam Topics/Skills

Manage Azure Identities and Governance

  • 1. Manage Azure AD Objects

    • Create users and groups

    • Manage licenses in Azure AD

    • Create administrative units

    • Manage user and group properties

    • Manage device settings and device identity

    • Perform bulk updates

    • Manage guest accounts

    • Configure self-service password reset

  • 2.  Manage Access Control

    • Create custom role-based access control (RBAC) and Azure AD roles

    • Provide access to Azure resources by assigning roles at different scopes

    • Interpret access assignments

  • 3. Manage Azure Subscriptions and Governance

    • Configure and manage Azure Policy

    • Configure resource locks

    • Apply and manage tags on resources

    • Manage resource groups

    • Manage subscriptions

    • Manage costs by using alerts, budgets, and recommendations

    • Configure management groups

Implement and Manage Storage 

  • 1. Configure Access to Storage

    • Configure network access to storage accounts

    • Create and configure storage accounts

    • Generate shared access signature tokens

    • Configure stored access policies

    • Manage access keys

    • Configure Azure AD authentication for a storage account.

    • Configure storage encryption

  • 2. Manage Data in Azure Storage Accounts

    • Create import and export jobs

    • Manage data by using Azure Storage Explorer and AzCopy

    • Implement Azure Storage redundancy

    • Configure object replication

  • 3. Configure Azure Files and Azure Blob Storage

    • Create an Azure file share

    • Configure Azure Blob Storage

    • Configure storage tiers

    • Configure blob lifecycle management

Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Resources

  • 1. Automate Deployment of Resources by Using Templates

    • Modify an ARM template

    • Deploy a template

    • Save a deployment as an ARM template

    • Deploy virtual machine (VM) extensions

  • 2. Create and Configure Virtual Machines

    • Create a VM

    • Manage images by using the Azure Compute Gallery

    • Configure Azure Disk Encryption

    • Move VMs from one resource group to another

    • Manage VM sizes

    • Add data disks

    • Configure VM network settings

    • Configure VM availability options

    • Deploy and configure VM scale sets

  • 3. Create and Configure Containers

    • Configure sizing and scaling for Azure Container Instances

    • Configure container groups for Azure Container Instances

    • Create and configure Azure Container Apps

    • Configure storage for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

    • Configure scaling for AKS

    • Configure network connections for AKS

    • Upgrade an AKS cluster

  • 4. Create and Configure an Azure App Service

    • Create an App Service plan

    • Configure scaling settings in an App Service plan

    • Create an App Service

    • Secure an App Service

    • Configure custom domain names

    • Configure backup for an App Service

    • Configure networking settings

    • Configure deployment settings

Configure and Manage Virtual Networking

  • 1. Configure Virtual Networks

    • Create and configure virtual networks and subnets

    • Create and configure virtual network peering

    • Configure private and public IP addresses

    • Configure user-defined network routes

    • Configure Azure DNS

  • 2. Configure Secure Access to Virtual Networks

    • Create and configure network security groups (NSGs) and application security groups (ASGs)

    • Evaluate effective security rules

    • Implement Azure Bastion

    • Configure service endpoints

    • Configure private endpoints

  • 3. Configure Load Balancing

    • Configure Azure Application Gateway

    • Configure an internal or public load balancer

    • Troubleshoot load balancing

  • 4.  Monitor Virtual Networking

    • Monitor on-premises connectivity

    • Configure and use Azure Monitor for networks

    • Use Azure Network Watcher

    • Troubleshoot external networking

    • Troubleshoot virtual network connectivity

Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources

  • 1. Monitor Resources by Using Azure Monitor

    • Configure and interpret metrics

    • Configure Azure Monitor Logs

    • Query and analyze logs

    • Set up alerts and actions

    • Configure monitoring of VMs, storage accounts, and networks by using VM insights

  • 2. Implement Backup and Recovery

    • Create an Azure Recovery Services vault

    • Create an Azure Backup vault

    • Create and configure a backup policy

    • Perform backup and restore operations by using Azure Backup

    • Configure Azure Site Recovery for Azure resources

    • Perform failover to a secondary region by using Azure Site Recovery

    • Configure and review backup reports

  • 3. Configure Load Balancing

    • Configure Azure Application Gateway

    • Configure an internal or public load balancer

    • Troubleshoot load balancing

    • Configure custom domain names

Note: though these titles seem unhelpful at first sight, they’re here to give an overview of what Az-104 course should contain.

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