So, June is over already. This year has been flying by. Sort of like all the changes that are going on in IT right now. One change that is on every company’s mind is should we migrate or offload to the cloud? Which is also, causing many network engineers to ask will this eliminate our jobs? More on this later…
Recently I interviewed CCIE and Cloud Technical Architect Daren Fulwell. He spoke extensively about how being a network engineer translates to the cloud. “Because in all honesty, the cloud is a data center!” That’s another conversation. Anyway, Daren also shared info on how you can learn about the cloud. In different environments like AWS, Google and Microsoft Azure.
Funny how life works out sometimes. After my interview with Daren my company sent me to a one-day training course on Azure Fundamentals. This also came with a free testing voucher. Sweet! Which leads to me to the resources that I used to achieve the AZ900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification.
The course was provided by Microsoft with Microsoft instructors. I found it to be informative and the instructors knew how to keep everyone engaged. During the day we went over a book in skillpipe titled AZ-900T01 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals. We also did practice questions and hands on training in the Azure portal.
About the book:
The AZ-900T01 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals book, like the course was broken up into 5 modules. Each module covered a section from the Azure Fundamentals exam topics. In each module you will find written info, video demos, and labs that walk you through tasks in Azure. This I found useful since I had no previous experience with Azure. Each module ended with review questions. I found the questions to be really basic.
Second Resource:
The second resource is free through Microsoft docs online. This course has 12 modules. Each module is broken down with an introduction, topic, lab, and quiz. I liked this course because it flows very well. For both resources you will need an Azure portal account to be able to run the labs. Be sure to delete and remove your resource from your account so you won’t use up your credits. But if you do. You can always just use another email address to create another free account. Note: There are many services that Azure offers that do not need credits.
Exam Experience:
Have you ever taken a Microsoft exam? Well there’s a simple way of creating an account in AD and then there’s the Microsoft way. That has been my experience with taking their exams. This Azure cert was no different. My exam had about 50 questions and the duration was about 85 minutes to test. Which I got finished in about 30. The cost of the exam is $99. In my opinion this exam was not technical. It was more focused on helping you learn how to manage an Azure account. By this I mean, the different features, billing, and support structures. We have to keep in that it is an entry level fundamentals certification. So this makes sense.
In closing. Since I do not use Azure for my job currently, I am sure I will forget a lot of this information if I don’t use it. So, I am working on some creative ways to incorporate my new skills in my lab training. One plus is that this certification does not expire! This is always cool! If you are thinking of achieving this certification it would be good to put on your resume. Plus the training materials are FREE! So good luck!
If you have questions or if you have taken the exam, feel free to comment below!
Peace!
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