Azure Certifications: Are They Worth It?

Are you looking to further your career by diving deeper into Microsoft Azure opportunities? Perhaps you want to learn some new skills that will make you marketable in the increasingly popular cloud-computing industry? If you’re delving into the world of Azure certifications, here’s a guide on how different Azure certificates can help you further enhance your skills, knowledge, and career development.

What are Azure Certifications?

As with other types of certifications, a Microsoft Azure certification indicates that you have validated the knowledge, skill, and competency needed to navigate your way through the Azure cloud platform. Different skill topics, such as managing, designing, and building, are discussed and tested through exams. Additionally, fundamental knowledge of Azure cloud concepts (e.g., services, security, pricing, privacy, support.) is reviewed and confirmed. 

Candidates must pass one or more of these exams within the Azure certification process. The Azure certification process can either be done through a self-paced content review on Microsoft Learn or an instructor-led training event with a Microsoft Learning Partner. 

Why Should You Be Azure-Certified?

There are many good reasons why you should consider an Azure certification. If your employer uses this cloud service platform, an Azure certification may be valuable to you and can lead to promotions. According to ACG’s State of Cloud Learning Report, 80% of individuals say that a cloud computing certification leads to a higher salary. Additionally, 52% said that certifications expanded their career opportunities. They can also be door-openers and make you more appealing to potential employers. Other benefits include: 

• Proving that your personal goals align with an organization
• Staying up to date on Azure trends
• Learning how to leverage Azure to lower IT costs
• Improving security skills to help mitigate breaches

Microsoft offers specialty certifications for developers (AZ-220 Azure IoT Developer Specialty), SAP workload specialists (AZ-120 Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty), virtual desktop specialists (AZ-140 Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty) and Cosmos DB developers (DP-420 Azure Cosmos DB Developer Specialty).

I’m Interested! What’s Next?

Azure certifications are available in three levels: fundamental, associate, and expert. It’s important to understand these levels to know how best to proceed. Microsoft also offers specialty certificates.

Fundamental

For beginners, an Azure Fundamental course is a great place to start. The AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals certification course takes the mystery out of the popular cloud platform. This entry-point offering is presented in multiple chapters that review cloud concepts, Azure architecture and services, and Azure management and governance. In the end, an exam will help confirm your grasp of Azure. Other fundamental-level Azure certifications include DP-900 Azure Data Fundamentals and AI-900 Azure AI Fundamentals. 

Associate Level

Associate-level certifications are for IT individuals with Azure experience who want to validate their skills. Those seeking associate certs should have a minimum of six months of hands-on Azure expertise and understanding of PowerShell, the Azure portal, and command-line interface knowledge. Within the certification process, multiple skills will be covered, including:

• Azure subscription management
• Azure file storage creation
• Virtual machine deployment
• Azure backup configuration
• Azure resource groups management

A few associate-level certifications include AZ-104 Azure Administrator Associate, AZ-204 Azure Developer Associate, and AZ-500 Azure Security Engineer Associate.

Expert

If you are already an Azure guru who knows the platform’s ins and outs and wants to prime yourself for a strategic leadership position role, then an expert-level course is in order. This certification is perfect for experienced DevOps and IT professionals who currently have Azure development and administration skills, such as configuring cloud infrastructure and creating apps. Expert certification skills will include:

• Configuring serverless computing with Azure
• Strategizing cloud migration 
• Configuring Azure Kubernetes Service
• Integrating on-premises infrastructure

Expert-level certs are AZ-305 Azure Solutions Architect Expert and AZ-400 DevOps Engineer Expert.

Specialty

Additionally, Microsoft offers specialty certifications for developers (AZ-220 Azure IoT Developer Specialty), SAP workload specialists (AZ-120 Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty), virtual desktop specialists (AZ-140 Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty) and, Cosmos DB developers (DP-420 Azure Cosmos DB Developer Specialty).

If you want more information about whether or not Azure certifications are right for you or if you have questions, feel free to reach out to Microsoft experts at Trusted Tech Team.