In 2017, the cloud industry reported a huge boost in their business as more and more organization moved towards the cloud. In the UK alone, the cloud adoption reached a whopping 88% as per Cloud Industry Forum. This pattern continued in 2018, and according to Gartner, the cloud market is expected to increase from $175 billion in 2018 to $206 billion in 2019. These patterns are an indication that "no cloud" policy is no longer an option of an organization and that is the reason why organizations are now looking for individuals that are trained and certified in cloud platforms. There are a lot of companies in the market that are offering cloud services, and Microsoft Azure is one of them, and they are here to stay. Microsoft reported a staggering increase of 76% in Azure's revenue which is the highest increase in revenue as compared to the other cloud platforms. This is an indication that organizations are choosing Microsoft Azure as their first choice for a reliable cloud computing platform. But why is all this information important for you? Well, if you want to make a career out of Cloud Computing, then you need to start focusing on Microsoft Azure.
Companies are moving towards Microsoft Azure not only for cost-efficiency, mobility, and agility, but they are also choosing Microsoft Azure for innovation. Due to this rapid increase in their business Microsoft have introduced streamlined pathways that will help you in building your Cloud Computing skills with courses that match your level of experience and interest. Microsoft has introduced MCSE and MCSA which means that as a cloud professional you now have a wide range of Azure training and certification to choose from. To help you guide from where you should start your Azure learning process, here is a list of their new certifications courses that you can choose from:
MCSA - Cloud Platform
This is a good certification to start from as MCSA will help you demonstrate your level of expertise in applying and utilizing Microsoft Azure cloud in your organization. It is a unique certification because currently, it is the only one that comes with an elective system, that means that you can take any two of the following four exams:
Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions
In this course, you will learn how to manage and deploy Azure service fabric, logic, functions, mobile applications, and web applications. This course is suitable for developers with experience in DevOps and .NET coding because a lot of questions in this elective are related to DevOps which will require at least its basic understanding.
Implementing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions
In this course, you will learn the skills that will help you in managing, implementing, and planning networks and VMs (Virtual Machines). For this exam, you should be familiar with PowerShell, active directory, networking, and several other topics related to infrastructure. It is not mandatory but having an experience of implementing infrastructure in Azure will help you a lot in this course.
Architecting Microsoft Azure Solutions
This course is designed for architects who have experience in creating applications and infrastructure on the Azure cloud platform. Here you will learn how to define a hybrid cloud, migration, and appropriate cloud-native solutions to meet the requirements of your business. To pass this exam, you need to have a comprehensive understanding of the services offered by Microsoft Azure, and you should be fluent in DevOps technology.
Configuring and Operating A Hybrid Cloud with Microsoft Azure Stack
This is a new course being offered by Microsoft and will help you validate your capabilities of configuring and deploying a Hybrid Cloud environment with the help of Azure Stack, which is Microsoft's hybrid cloud platform. Clearing this exam means that you are capable and skillful of managing different Azure services and having the expertise required to integrate these services with Azure Stack.
MCSA: Linux On Azure
30% of Virtual Machines of Azure are running on Linux, and therefore, Microsoft has deliberately combined the two technologies and have introduced MCSA: Linux on Azure certification. This course will allow you to combine your Linux skills with Microsoft Azure platform. In this certification, you will learn how to implement, architect, design, and maintain complicated, Linux solutions with the help of Microsoft Azure. You will also learn the key features of Azure incorporating Linux, comprising of Virtual Networks, Azure Active Directory, Windows PowerShell, and Virtual Machines. His course is also a prerequisite of MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure.
MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure
This certification specifically aimed at those who are looking for a career as cloud architects, administrators, or system administrators. This Azure certification is the highest level of Azure cloud certification and clearing this would indicate that you have skills that are needed to manage a highly modern and efficient data center across the organization. This certification will help you become an expert in cloud technologies including networking, storage, and virtualization.
To get MCSE certification, you will first have to clear one of the four following MCSA certifications:
- MCSA: Cloud Platform
- MCSA: Linux on Azure
- MCSA: Windows Server 2016
- MCSA Windows Server 2012
Final Word
Once you are done with one of these, you will have to complete one more elective to upgrade your certification to an MSCE. MCSE: cloud platform offers 10 electives that you can choose from that will give you full flexibility to get a certification based on your interest and experience. These Azure training and certifications are just a tip of the iceberg, and there are a number of additional Microsoft Azure certifications that you can do in order to become a highly desirable cloud professional for huge corporations and multinational companies.
Get in touch with one of our Azure experts to learn more about our Azure training programs.