The AZ-900 exam tests your knowledge of Microsoft Azure services, especially with regards to compute, networking and storage services. The requirements of the AZ-900 are checked every two months and the exam is updated as required. This article is based on the December 2022 update.
The AZ-900 exam requirements fall under the following skills:
- Describe cloud concepts.
- Describe Azure architecture and services.
- Describe Azure management and governance.
Microsoft does not publish a definitive list of all of the possible subjects within each skill. However, it does publish a suggested list, which is useful for preparing for the AZ-900 exam. These subjects are as follows:
Describe cloud concepts (25-30% of total marks)
Describe cloud computing
- Define cloud computing.
- Describe the shared responsibility model.
- Define cloud models, including public, private, and hybrid.
- Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud model.
- Describe the consumption-based model.
- Compare cloud pricing models.
Describe the benefits of using cloud services
- Describe the benefits of high availability and scalability in the cloud.
- Describe the benefits of reliability and predictability in the cloud.
- Describe the benefits of security and governance in the cloud.
- Describe the benefits of manageability in the cloud.
Describe cloud service types
- Describe infrastructure as a service (IaaS).
- Describe platform as a service (PaaS).
- Describe software as a service (SaaS).
- Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud service (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS).
Describe Azure architecture and services (35–40% of total marks)
Describe the core architectural components of Azure
- Describe Azure regions, region pairs, and sovereign regions.
- Describe availability zones.
- Describe Azure datacentres.
- Describe Azure resources and resource groups.
- Describe subscriptions.
- Describe management groups.
- Describe the hierarchy of resource groups, subscriptions, and management groups.
Describe Azure compute and networking services
- Compare compute types, including container instances, virtual machines (VMs), and functions.
- Describe VM options, including Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets, availability sets, and Azure Virtual Desktop.
- Describe resources required for virtual machines.
- Describe application hosting options, including the Web Apps feature of Azure App Service, containers, and virtual machines.
- Describe virtual networking, including the purpose of Azure Virtual Networks, Azure virtual subnets, peering, Azure DNS, Azure VPN Gateway, and Azure ExpressRoute.
- Define public and private endpoints.
Describe Azure storage services
- Compare Azure storage services.
- Describe storage tiers.
- Describe redundancy options.
- Describe storage account options and storage types.
- Identify options for moving files, including AzCopy, Azure Storage Explorer, and Azure File Sync.
- Describe migration options, including Azure Migrate and Azure Data Box.
Describe Azure identity, access, and security
- Describe directory services in Azure, including Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), part of Microsoft Entra and Azure Active Directory Domain Services (Azure AD DS).
- Describe authentication methods in Azure, including single sign-on (SSO), multifactor authentication, and passwordless.
- Describe external identities and guest access in Azure.
- Describe Conditional Access in Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), part of Microsoft Entra.
- Describe Azure role-based access control (RBAC).
- Describe the concept of Zero Trust.
- Describe the purpose of the defense in depth model.
- Describe the purpose of Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
Describe Azure management and governance (30-35% of total marks)
Describe cost management in Azure
- Describe factors that can affect costs in Azure.
- Compare the Pricing calculator and the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculator.
- Describe the Azure Cost Management and Billing tool.
- Describe the purpose of tags.
Describe features and tools in Azure for governance and compliance
- Describe the purpose of Azure Blueprints.
- Describe the purpose of Azure Policy.
- Describe the purpose of resource locks.
- Describe the purpose of the Service Trust Portal.
Describe features and tools for managing and deploying Azure resources
- Describe the Azure portal.
- Describe Azure Cloud Shell, including Azure CLI and Azure PowerShell.
- Describe the purpose of Azure Arc.
- Describe Azure Resource Manager and Azure Resource Manager templates (ARM templates).
Describe monitoring tools in Azure
- Describe the purpose of Azure Advisor.
- Describe Azure Service Health.
- Describe Azure Monitor, including Log Analytics, Azure Monitor alerts, and Application Insights.
How to learn these skills
To learn the skills for the AZ-900 exam, look at our AZ-900 course, which covers all of the suggested topics.
I do data… and so can you!
