Microsoft certified associate Azure exam is a new version of Microsoft Cloud certification. For candidates who want to become Microsoft Azure administrators, it is a way for them. This certification is designed for candidates who have 6 months of hands-on experience in Azure workload administration. Candidates should have knowledge of workloads, core Azure services, security, and governance. Candidates are opting for it to have scalability and performance up to the mark. 

These candidates can best engage themselves in the management, implementation, and monitoring of cloud infrastructures. In addition, you have to make adjustments, provision, and monitoring according to the given infrastructure. If you have covered these topics and adjustments you can start your preparation of AZ-104 and can follow the by XtremeLabs Marketplace as well. . After completion of this exam, you will be able to monitor all the Azure resources. As it covers security, networking, and Azure virtual machine you will be a good fit for the following jobs:

• Cloud administration 

• Azure administration

• Network Administration 

• Cloud software engineer 

• System Administration 

AZ-Exam Criteria 

If you want to upgrade your career by having this certification, you must have to know the criteria of the exam. These are also described in the exam guide by XtremeLabs Marketplace. In addition, some prerequisites are not mandatory to appear in exams but having that gives a great level of passing. Something like additional advantages to qualify for the exam. Some of these are given below:

• Six months of working experience in Azure administration services. 

• Detailed understanding of Microsoft Azure services. 

• In-depth knowledge of security, governance, and Azure workloads. 

• Understanding of the use of commands, azure portal, PowerShell, and ARM templates. 

• Knowledge of networking operating systems, virtualization, and storage structures. 

Expertise in these areas can improve your preparation up to the mark. 

Topics Covered in the Exam 

You can only pass the exam with flying colors if you opt for a targeted strategy of preparation. Topics include the domains that are included in the exam and you have to solve the questions related to them only. It helps candidates to make a preparation schedule by keeping these domains in mind with the percentage of each. While doing so also keep yourself updated with the changes that happened in this new version and how they are different from the previous one. These are the domains that are announced to be covered in the Microsoft Microsoft-certified associate azure administration exam. 

• Managing Azure governance and identities. 

• Implementation and management of storage 

• Deploying and managing Azure compute resources 

• Configuring and managing virtual networks.

• Monitoring and backup of Azure resources.

Now we are going to have a closer look at the sub-topics and weightage of each domain. It will simplify the preparation for your AZ-104 exam and give clarity up to the mark. 

Management of Azure Identities and Governance 

The first domain for which you have to prepare for this certification exam is the management of Azure identities and governance. That accounts for about 25% of the exam. These are the subtopics on which one has to pay keen attention to crack it:

• Understanding the management of Azure active directory objects. 

• Able to control and manage role-based access control. 

• Able to handle subscriptions and governance in Azure services. 

Implementation and Management of Storage 

The second domain that you should consider for the preparation of the AZ-104 exam preparation is the implementation and management of storage. That accounts for about 20% of the exam. You can cover the questions related to this part if you get in-depth knowledge of the subdomains given below:

• Understanding the management of storage accounts

• Getting knowledge and expertise in data management for Azure storage. 

• Understanding of Azure blob storage and files. 

Deploying and Managing Azure Compute Resources 

The third most important domain you should follow in this pathway is deploying and managing Azure compute resources. It also accounts for about 25% of the exam. These are the sub-domains you should cover for ideal preparation and cross the exam with flying colors:

• Configuration of virtual machines and getting them with higher availability and scalability. 

• Automation and configuration of virtual machines and deployment. 

• Creation of configuration of virtual machines. 

• Configuration of web apps. 

• Automate the configuration of virtual machines. 

Implementing and Managing Virtual Networks 

The fourth most important domain candidates should follow for the preparation of the AZ-104 exam is implementing and managing virtual networks. That accounts for about 20% of the exam. Candidates have to solve about 16 questions about it in the exam. These are the sub-topics included in it:

• Managing and implementation of virtual networks. 

• Name resolutions configuration 

• Load balancing configuration 

• Creating secure access to all virtual networks 

• Handling troubleshooting of virtual networks

• Management and integration of the on-premises network with Azure services. 

Monitoring and Maintaining Azure Resources 

The final domain that is given in the AZ-104 study guide by XtremeLabs Marketplace is monitoring and maintaining Azure resources. The most important of which is being able to back it up. It covers about 15% of the exam. These are the sub-topics included in this domain:

• Management of resources by using azure monitor 

• Implementation of recovery and backup.

FAQs

What is the best strategy for AZ-104 preparation?

For an ideal preparation of AZ-104 exam preparation, these are a few steps a candidate should follow:

• Understanding the basics of the exam. 

• Follow the study guide from a reliable source.

• Keep yourself updated with Microsoft learning paths. 

• Elevate your skills with Microsoft instructor-led training. 

How many attempts are there for AZ-104?

A candidate can attempt this certification exam five times in the period of 12 months. If you want to have more trials of it you can have it after 12 months.