Everything you need to know about Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform that offers a range of services for building, deploying, and managing applications and services through a global network of data centers. With the rapid growth of cloud computing, more and more companies are adopting Azure, making it a highly sought-after skill in the job market. In this blog, our own edutainer and subject matter expert Anthony Sequeira tells us everything we need to know about Azure.
What is Azure?
Anthony: Azure is the public cloud platform offered by Microsoft. It competes directly with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). While Azure does not have as many customers as the market-share-leading Amazon, it does come in second place for customer numbers, behind AWS and ahead of GCP. Impressively, Azure makes more revenue annually than any other public cloud vendor.
Why is Azure so popular?
Anthony: The popularity has much to do with its tight integration with the Windows operating system and ecosystem. Microsoft is very skilled at deploying and supporting Windows in the cloud since they are in complete control of the Windows platform.
Just as AWS and GCP do, Microsoft's Azure offers almost all possible IT functions in a scalable, pay-as-you-go methodology. These services include the latest innovations in compute, storage, networking, security, and even artificial intelligence.
Why should I seek a certification in Azure?
Anthony: Seeking certification in Azure is an excellent way to prove your Azure skills in a formal way. Since Azure is such a vast and powerful cloud-computing platform, it can be very daunting to know what to study and what to "skill up" on. Azure certifications provide an excellent blueprint on the most important new features and topics to study. These certifications also verify your Azure proficiency.
Need more reasons to learn Azure?
- Today’s employers are demonstrating a high demand for Azure skills: The demand for cloud computing professionals is on the rise, and Microsoft Azure is one of the most in-demand cloud platforms. Getting certified in Azure will make you stand out in the job market and increase your chances of landing a high-paying job.
- Azure certification can open up a wide range of career opportunities, including cloud administrator, cloud architect, cloud developer, and data analyst. According to Microsoft, certified Azure professionals earn an average of 15% more than their non-certified counterparts.
- Azure certification provides you with the knowledge and skills required to design, deploy, and manage Azure solutions. This includes knowledge of Azure services, networking, security, storage, and virtualization. By getting certified in Azure, you can enhance your technical skills and become an expert in the field.
- Better understanding of cloud computing: Azure certification provides a comprehensive understanding of cloud computing, including its benefits, challenges, and best practices. This knowledge can help you to design and implement cloud solutions that are secure, scalable, and cost-effective.
- Microsoft Azure is a rapidly evolving platform, with new features and services being added regularly. By getting certified in Azure, you can stay up to date with the latest technology and ensure your skills are relevant and in-demand.
Where should I start on a course plan if I want to work toward becoming Azure certified?
Anthony: Microsoft does an excellent job of providing a truly foundational course and exam for new customers (or students) of Azure. This exam is the AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals test. Students preparing for this exam will focus on:
- Cloud Concepts
- Azure Architecture
- Azure Services
- Azure Management
- Azure Governance
This is an ideal starting point for students that are brand new to Microsoft Azure.
How can ITPro from ACI Learning help me?
Anthony: Here at ITPro with ACI Learning, we have been teaching Microsoft Azure since its very inception. We are extremely well versed in this cloud platform, as well as AWS and GCP.
We make sure you fully understand the concepts of Azure by demonstrating these features to you step by step. Students are encouraged to follow along as they build fully functional solutions in Azure along with their instructor.
ITPro also manages to ensure very direct, efficient, self-paced training videos that make learning this impressive cloud-platform very easy. We keep our video episodes to 20 minutes in length (or shorter) to ensure students fully comprehend the material and remain consistently engaged.
