Azure Certification: What It Is, Career Benefits, and How to Get Certified

Becoming Azure certified can help you advance your cloud computing career by showing you know the fundamentals of the cloud along with Azure's services, architecture, governance, and management. This guide will answer what the certification is, whether this certification is in demand, what the benefits of Azure certification are, and how to earn Azure certification. 

What is Azure certification?

Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing service. Azure certifications are for information technology (IT) professionals, developers, and data and artificial intelligence (AI) professionals who work within the Microsoft cloud computing system. Through Azure Certification, you can learn how to use various cloud-based services and help secure a job in the field or advance your career. Microsoft organizes Azure certifications into three levels: Fundamentals, Associate, and Expert. Azure also includes Specialty certifications, such as Cosmos DB Developer and Virtual Desktop.

Azure Certifications are in demand

Azure certifications are in high demand as the need for cloud computing technology rises. Cloud computing is one of the fastest-growing technologies, and more companies are looking for certified Azure administrators, solution architects, developers, and security engineers.

According to the Flexera 2023 State of the Cloud Report, Azure continues to hold the top spot for the most popular cloud provider, followed closely by AWS [1].

Benefits of Azure certification

The benefits of Azure certification include the ability to grow in your career, access to flexible career options, the potential to earn a higher salary, sharper skills, and improved security offerings for your employer. Take a look at how getting Azure certification can offer these benefits.

Career growth

Whether you are already in a cloud computing position or looking to enter the field, you can often advance your career with Azure certification. Azure certifications are some of the most sought-after certifications in IT right now, and they can help you land a better job or move into a higher position within your company.

Flexible Career Options

A Microsoft azure certification can enable you to pursue a wide range of career options. You can become a cloud architect, a developer, or a solution architect. In addition, the certification enables you to work in various industries at different locations.

Companies in all industries migrate to the cloud because of the benefits they get in storage, computing, and networking. An Azure certification can get you into different roles in industries like health care, finance, and entertainment. In addition, many certified Azure professionals work in different places like France, the UK, France, the United States, and more.

Higher earning potential

If you pursue an Azure certification at the Fundamentals level, you have the potential to earn an average hourly wage of up to $79.81 per hour, according to ZipRecruiter [2]. According to salary data collected by Glassdoor, Azure certification could boost your earning potential. Azure cloud architects, for example, have an average annual US salary of $133,721 [3]. Here are US salaries for other Azure-certified cloud-based roles:

• Azure DevOps engineer: $126,096 [4]

• Azure cloud engineer: $119,342 [5]

• Azure data engineer: $120,387 [6]

Sharpened skill set

The more knowledge you have about cloud computing, the more competitive you will usually be in the job market. As shown in the salary figures previously mentioned, those with more advanced skill sets in Azure are compensated more for that knowledge. Azure certification can help you sharpen your skills in artificial intelligence and machine learning areas. 

Among the skills measured in the certification exams is knowledge of cloud concepts and an understanding of Azure's core architectural components. Other skills covered are Azure identity, access and security, and governance and compliance.

Improved security 

Becoming certified can help you improve cloud security for your company because you can stay on top of the latest trends and options. When you renew your certifications, you'll stay updated on changes and new technologies. This heightened security awareness typically makes you more attractive to companies looking to hire, especially in cloud security roles.

Read more: Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals - Is It Worth It?

Azure certification path

If you're new to Azure, start with a Fundamentals exam related to your career. After that, you can pursue several Associate and Specialty Azure certifications. Finally, show your expertise to current or future employers with Expert-level Azure certifications.

Explore the certifications in the table below: 

Azure Specialty Certifications:

• Azure Support Engineer for Connectivity Specialty (AZ-720)

• Azure Cosmos DB Developer Specialty (DP-420)

• Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty (AZ-140)

• Azure IoT Developer Specialty (AZ-220)

• Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty (AZ-120)

How to become Azure certified

Start on your path to Azure certification by meeting the prerequisites for the level of certification you desire, and then sign up for and take the certification exam. Stay certified by renewing your certificate each year. 

1. Get training and develop the relevant skills.

You can find Azure courses and trainings online from a variety of providers. Coursera offers training courses on Azure, including the AZ-900 exam prep specialization, covering cloud computing, Azure tools and services, security, cloud governance, and more.

Microsoft offers a collection of self-paced content for all certification levels and specialty exams. These online learning paths contain videos and lessons that help you prepare for the certification exam. They are free to complete, or you can enroll in instructor-led classes for a fee.

Microsoft also hosts free events called Microsoft Azure Virtual Training Days. You can choose which ones to attend based on skill level and topic. After completing corresponding Fundamentals training sessions, you can take the following certification exams for free: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals, Microsoft AI Fundamentals, and Microsoft Data Fundamentals.

Important note:

No matter which training courses you take, whether it's offered by Microsoft or other providers, you must complete and pass Microsoft's examination to become Azure certified. 

2. Meet the prerequisites for each level.

Each Azure certification lists recommended skills to obtain before attempting the exam. Microsoft's self-paced or instructor-led content and third-party courses can help you gain the necessary skills in preparation for the certification exams. 

The Fundamentals and Associate certification levels do not have prerequisites per se, but Microsoft recommends you do the following before taking an exam:

• Have a complete understanding of the skills the exam measures.

• For Associate-level exams, have experience in the tested skills.

• Take a practice exam provided by Microsoft.

• Use Microsoft Azure with a trial subscription.

• Take advantage of Microsoft's learning resources to prepare.

Azure Expert certifications do have prerequisites. The Azure Solutions Architect Expert exam requires that you complete the Azure Administrator Associate exam first. To take the Azure DevOps Engineer Expert exam, you’ll need to complete either the Azure Administrator Associate or Azure Developer Associate exam.

3. Pass the certification exam.

Each certification has an exam associated with it that you must pass. All technical exams receive scores graded on a scale of 1 to 1,000; any score of 700 or greater is a passing score.

4. Maintain your credentials.

Renewing your certification keeps you updated on the latest in Azure. You do not need to renew your Fundamentals level certifications because they do not expire. Renew your Associate and Expert certificates by passing the free online renewal assessment on Microsoft Learn. Renewal exams only ask you questions about updates made in Azure or related technology in the previous year.

Prepare for Azure certification with Coursera

Get started on your path to your next Azure certification with a prep class. For example, if you’re a beginner, you can enroll in Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 Exam Prep Specialization. This training is self-paced and contains an applied learning project. You can also take courses within that specialization, like Introduction to Azure Cloud Services.