AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals

Articles covering Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) exam objectives. These guides focus on cloud concepts, Azure services, security, privacy, compliance, and pricing topics essential for the Azure Fundamentals certification.

AZ-900 Objective 1.1: Describe Cloud Computing

Learn the fundamentals of cloud computing, including definitions, characteristics, service models, deployment models, and pricing structures. This objective covers the shared responsibility model, consumption-based pricing, and serverless computing concepts.

AZ-900 Objective 1.2: Describe the Benefits of Using Cloud Services

Explore the key advantages of cloud services including high availability, scalability, reliability, security, and manageability benefits. This objective covers how cloud computing provides value over traditional on-premises infrastructure.

AZ-900 Objective 1.3: Describe Cloud Service Types

Learn about the three fundamental cloud service models: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). This objective covers the characteristics, responsibilities, and appropriate use cases for each service type.

AZ-900 Objective 2.1: Describe the Core Architectural Components of Azure

Explore Azure's global infrastructure including regions, availability zones, data centers, and organizational hierarchy. This objective covers how Azure organizes resources through resource groups, subscriptions, and management groups for effective governance and management.

AZ-900 Objective 2.2: Describe Azure Compute and Networking Services

Learn about Azure's compute options including containers, virtual machines, and functions, as well as networking services like virtual networks, DNS, VPN gateways, and ExpressRoute. This objective covers application hosting options and the differences between public and private endpoints.

AZ-900 Objective 2.3: Describe Azure Storage Services

Explore Azure's comprehensive storage services including Blob, File, Queue, Table, and Disk Storage. This objective covers storage tiers, redundancy options, storage account types, and migration tools like AzCopy, Azure Storage Explorer, and Azure Data Box.

AZ-900 Objective 2.4: Describe Azure Identity, Access, and Security

Learn about Azure's comprehensive security services including Microsoft Entra ID, authentication methods, external identities, conditional access, RBAC, Zero Trust principles, defense-in-depth, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud. This objective covers modern security architectures and best practices.

AZ-900 Objective 3.1: Describe Cost Management in Azure

Explore Azure's comprehensive cost management capabilities including cost factors, pricing and TCO calculators, cost management tools, and tagging strategies. This objective covers cost optimization, budget management, and financial governance in Azure environments.

AZ-900 Objective 3.2: Describe Features and Tools in Azure for Governance and Compliance

Learn about Azure's comprehensive governance and compliance tools including Microsoft Purview for data governance, Azure Policy for compliance enforcement, and resource locks for protection. This objective covers governance frameworks and compliance management strategies.

AZ-900 Objective 3.3: Describe Features and Tools for Managing and Deploying Azure Resources

Explore Azure's comprehensive management and deployment tools including the Azure portal, Azure Cloud Shell with CLI and PowerShell, Azure Arc for hybrid management, infrastructure as code concepts, and ARM templates. This objective covers resource management strategies and deployment automation.

AZ-900 Objective 3.4: Describe Monitoring Tools in Azure

Learn about Azure's comprehensive monitoring and observability tools including Azure Advisor for optimization recommendations, Azure Service Health for service status monitoring, and Azure Monitor with Log Analytics, alerts, and Application Insights. This objective covers monitoring strategies and observability best practices.