Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (Exam AZ-104)

Course Title: Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)

Course Overview:

The Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) certification is designed for IT professionals who manage, monitor, and maintain Microsoft Azure environments. This course provides hands-on knowledge and practical experience in implementing, managing, and monitoring identity, governance, storage, compute, and virtual networks in a cloud environment. Students will also learn how to manage Azure resources, configure virtual machines, handle storage solutions, and ensure security and performance within Azure.

Why We Need It:

As organizations increasingly move to the cloud, Azure has become one of the most in-demand platforms in enterprise IT. Companies need skilled administrators who can manage cloud infrastructure efficiently. The AZ-104 certification validates your ability to handle real-world administrative tasks in Microsoft Azure — a crucial skill for modern cloud careers.

How It Is Useful:

• Career Advantage: Helps students qualify for roles such as Azure Administrator, Cloud Administrator, or Systems Engineer.
• Practical Skills: Focuses on real-world scenarios like resource deployment, identity management, and performance monitoring.
• Industry Recognition: Microsoft certifications are globally recognized, enhancing credibility in the job market.
• Preparation for Higher Roles: Acts as a stepping stone toward advanced Azure certifications such as Azure Solutions Architect Expert or Azure Security Engineer Associate.

Course Benefits:

• Learn to manage Azure subscriptions and resources.
• Configure and manage virtual networks and compute resources.
• Implement storage solutions and manage data.
• Monitor Azure resources and ensure compliance and security.
• Get practical experience through labs and scenarios aligned with real industry use cases.

Certification Expiry and Renewal:

• The AZ-104 certification is valid for one year from the date of achievement.
• Renewal is free and can be done online through Microsoft Learn by completing a short renewal assessment before the expiry date.
• Renewing keeps your certification active and ensures your skills stay aligned with the latest Azure technologies.

Who Should Take This Course:

• IT professionals looking to advance their cloud administration skills.
• System administrators transitioning to cloud-based environments.
• Beginners aiming to build a career in Azure cloud administration.

Prerequisites:

• Basic understanding of networking, virtualization, and operating systems.
• Familiarity with PowerShell or Azure CLI is helpful but not mandatory.

Skills at a Glance

Domain	Weight
1.0 Manage Azure identities and governance	20–25%
2.0 Implement and manage storage	15–20%
3.0 Deploy and manage Azure compute resources	20–25%
4.0 Implement and manage virtual networking	15–20%
5.0 Monitor and maintain Azure resources	10–15%

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1.0 Manage Azure Identities and Governance (20–25%)

Manage Microsoft Entra users and groups

• Create users and groups
• Manage user and group properties
• Manage licenses in Microsoft Entra ID
• Manage external users
• Configure self-service password reset (SSPR)

Manage access to Azure resources

• Manage built-in Azure roles
• Assign roles at different scopes
• Interpret access assignments

Manage Azure subscriptions and governance

• Implement and manage Azure Policy
• Configure resource locks
• Apply and manage tags on resources
• Manage resource groups
• Manage subscriptions
• Manage costs using alerts, budgets, and Azure Advisor recommendations
• Configure management groups

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2.0 Implement and Manage Storage (15–20%)

Configure access to storage

• Configure Azure Storage firewalls and virtual networks
• Create and use shared access signatures (SAS)
• Configure stored access policies
• Manage access keys
• Configure identity-based access for Azure Files

Configure and manage storage accounts

• Create and configure storage accounts
• Configure Azure Storage redundancy
• Configure object replication
• Configure storage account encryption
• Manage data using Azure Storage Explorer and AzCopy

Configure Azure Files and Azure Blob Storage

• Create and configure file shares in Azure Storage
• Create and configure containers in Blob Storage
• Configure storage tiers
• Configure soft delete for blobs and containers
• Configure snapshots and soft delete for Azure Files
• Configure blob lifecycle management
• Configure blob versioning

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3.0 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Resources (20–25%)

Automate deployment of resources using ARM templates or Bicep

• Interpret an Azure Resource Manager (ARM) template or a Bicep file
• Modify existing templates or Bicep files
• Deploy resources using ARM or Bicep
• Export a deployment as a template or convert templates to Bicep

Create and configure virtual machines (VMs)

• Create a virtual machine
• Configure Azure Disk Encryption
• Move VMs between resource groups, subscriptions, or regions
• Manage VM sizes and disks
• Deploy VMs to availability zones and sets

Deploy and configure Virtual Machine Scale Sets (VMSS)

Provision and manage containers in Azure

• Create and manage an Azure Container Registry
• Deploy containers using Azure Container Instances or Azure Container Apps
• Manage sizing and scaling for containers

Create and configure Azure App Service

• Provision an App Service plan
• Configure scaling for an App Service plan
• Create an App Service
• Configure TLS/SSL certificates
• Map custom DNS names
• Configure backup, networking, and deployment slots

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4.0 Implement and Manage Virtual Networking (15–20%)

Configure and manage virtual networks in Azure

• Create and configure virtual networks and subnets
• Configure virtual network peering
• Configure public IP addresses
• Configure user-defined network routes
• Troubleshoot network connectivity

Configure secure access to virtual networks

• Create and configure network security groups (NSGs) and application security groups (ASGs)
• Evaluate effective security rules in NSGs
• Implement Azure Bastion
• Configure service endpoints and private endpoints for Azure PaaS services

Configure name resolution and load balancing

• Configure Azure DNS
• Configure internal or public load balancers
• Troubleshoot load balancing

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5.0 Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources (10–15%)

Monitor resources in Azure

• Interpret metrics in Azure Monitor
• Configure log settings in Azure Monitor
• Query and analyze logs in Azure Monitor
• Set up alert rules, action groups, and alert processing rules
• Monitor VMs, storage accounts, and networks using Azure Monitor Insights
• Use Azure Network Watcher and Connection Monitor

Implement backup and recovery

• Create Recovery Services or Azure Backup vaults
• Create and configure backup policies
• Perform backup and restore operations
• Configure Azure Site Recovery for Azure resources
• Perform failover to a secondary region using Site Recovery
• Configure and interpret reports and alerts for backups