What is a Microsoft Azure Certification?: A Complete Guide for 2024

Azure certification validates expertise in Microsoft's cloud computing platform, Azure. It assesses proficiency in various aspects, including Azure SDKs, data storage, data connections, APIs, computations, debugging, and performance tuning. These certifications cater to IT professionals, developers, and data/AI specialists. MS Azure certifications cover core Azure services, pricing, and support, with exams lasting 150 minutes and requiring a passing score of 700 out of 1000. Earning Azure certifications can enhance career prospects by demonstrating expertise in cloud technologies. 

Azure certification benefits professionals by offering career growth, flexible job options, higher salaries, and the ability to scale and manage hosted assets efficiently. Here is a list of reasons why getting Azure certified is necessary:

• Career Growth: Acquiring Azure certification offers career growth by making professionals more valuable assets in the competitive tech industry. Certification holders experience flexible career paths, higher salaries, and a fast learning process, enhancing their overall career prospects. The demand for Azure-certified individuals leads to increased opportunities for career advancement and improved job security, making it a strategic choice for those aiming for sustained professional growth. 
• Flexible Career Choices: Azure-certified professionals benefit from diverse career paths due to their expertise in Microsoft Azure. With this certification, individuals can work in various roles, such as Microsoft-certified Azure Developer, Cloud Architect, Cloud Administrator, and more, showcasing the flexibility to explore different fields within the cloud computing domain.
• Valuable Asset: Being an Azure-certified professional makes you a valuable asset for companies and businesses. Their expertise in Microsoft Azure ensures efficient utilization of cloud services, enhancing operational efficiency and scalability. These professionals contribute to cost reduction, streamlined processes, and improved security, making businesses more competitive in the digital landscape.
• Fast Learning Process: Azure certification facilitates a fast learning process through structured and comprehensive Microsoft Azure training programs. These certifications provide focused content, hands-on labs, and real-world scenarios, enabling candidates to grasp essential concepts and skills quickly.
• Higher Salaries: Azure-certified professionals are often rewarded with higher salaries due to their specialized knowledge and expertise in Microsoft's cloud computing platform, Azure. The demand for cloud services has surged, and businesses are increasingly adopting Azure for its scalability and flexibility. This demands higher salaries offered to Azure-certified professionals.  
• Cost Reduction: Azure-certified professionals play a crucial role in driving cost reduction within organizations through strategic utilization of Microsoft Azure services. Professionals leverage their expertise to implement effective cost-saving measures, such as optimizing resource utilization by right-sizing virtual machines based on workload requirements and identifying opportunities to migrate to more cost-effective service tiers. 

Becoming Azure-certified is a big yes in the Cloud computing sector. If you are interested in pursuing the MS Azure certification, here’s how you can do it:

• Choose your preferred certification: To become a certified Azure professional, you must choose a certification path. Microsoft provides a range of Azure certifications divided into Fundamental, Associate, and Expert tiers. Tailor your choice based on your expertise and career objectives.
• Understand Skills Measured: Before pursuing a Microsoft Certification, carefully examine the skills measured for the chosen certification. Leverage self-paced content on Microsoft Learn, participate in virtual training days, and explore other relevant resources to ensure comprehensive preparation for the certification exam. 
• Exam Preparation: Enroll in introductory courses and diligently study recommended materials. Enhance your understanding by engaging in hands-on practice with Azure services, solidifying theoretical knowledge and preparing comprehensively for the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam. 
• Familiarize Yourself with the Exam Process: To embark on a successful certification journey, familiarize yourself with the process including exam registration and preparation. Leverage Microsoft's comprehensive certification process overview as your guide, ensuring a well-informed and structured approach to achieving your certification goals. 
• Stay Updated: To stay current with Azure's evolving landscape, regularly monitor Microsoft's official resources for announcements and updates. Stay abreast of the latest developments and certifications, ensuring you're well-informed and leverage the most recent advancements in your professional journey.

Becoming Azure-certified means you must have all the necessary skills for this certification. Online courses are a good way to hone your skills, and here is a list of the top Azure certification courses:

• Azure Data Factory: Implement SCD Type 1 by Coursera: The Azure Data Factory: Implement SCD Type 1 course will teach you how to implement the most common concept in real-world projects, namely. You will understand how to Implement scd type 1 in Azure Data Factory. The course will cover the concept and the different types of Slowly Changing Dimension, and others via various tasks. 
• Continuous Delivery and Managing Builds with Azure DevOps by Coursera: The Continuous Delivery and Managing Builds with Azure DevOps course teaches you how to use Azure DevOps Services for safe storage of your applications' source code. You will also learn how to set up branch policies and build pipelines to automate packaging and prepare them to be deployed. You must have access to Azure DevOps Services as this project uses them. This course is designed for IT professionals who want their software products to be more quality by automating their build, testing and packaging processes. 
• Creating Azure Serverless Functions in a Real-World Scenario by Coursera: The Creating Azure Serverless Functions in a Real-World Scenario course teaches the creation of Serverless Microservices using Microsoft Azure Functions, which are part of the Microsoft Cloud Platform. It utilizes a Real-World Scenario example to provide practical knowledge. This course equips individuals with the necessary skills to leverage Microsoft Azure Functions effectively for creating Serverless Microservices and driving digital innovation.
• Continuous Delivery and Release Pipelines with Azure DevOps by Coursera: The Continuous Delivery and Release Pipelines with Azure DevOps course will teach you how to use Azure DevOps Services safely to deploy new software versions to environments in Microsoft's Azure cloud. This course is created for IT professionals who want their software products to be more quality by completely automating their deployment processes. You will need to have access to an AzureDevOps account, a Microsoft Azure account and a Resource group. 
• Deploy a Complete WordPress Video Blog in Microsoft Azure by Coursera: The Deploy a Complete WordPress Video Blog in Microsoft Azure course will teach you how to use Microsoft Azure Cloud Platform, compute services such as Azure Storage Accounts, Azure Web Apps, and Azure Database to MySQL to host and manage a Video Blog WordPress website. It is a perfect course for web designers, bloggers, digital marketers, and anyone who wants to create a WordPress Video Blog on Microsoft Azure Cloud Platform.

Azure certification is crucial in the cloud computing industry. It provides a gateway to versatile career options and boosts competence in Azure's core architectural components. Achieving Azure certification ensures a competitive edge, enabling individuals to contribute meaningfully to the digital landscape and advance their careers in the ever-expanding realm of cloud computing.

If you are considering acquiring the Microsoft Azure certification, you must have all the necessary skills. You can pursue online courses to hone your skills. Careervira has the top Azure certification courses available. Right now is the best time to enroll yourself.