What is Microsoft Azure?
In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, cloud computing has become the backbone of many businesses and industries. Microsoft Azure—a key part of the Microsoft Cloud, which also includes Microsoft Security, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Microsoft Power Platform, GitHub, and the Microsoft industry cloud solutions—is a powerful, industry-leading platform of services that provide critical cloud benefits for organizations and individuals alike. Building skills and experience with the Microsoft Cloud in general, and with Microsoft Azure in particular, has become increasingly important, empowering professionals to stay competitive, boost productivity, and drive innovation. In this blog post, I explore the significance of Azure training and how it can positively impact your career and business, along with a few career options.
Adopting the Microsoft Cloud can equip organizations with the tools and platforms to drive innovation and agility. And Azure provides a wide range of services, including AI, machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), and big data analytics, to name just a few. These capabilities enable businesses to make the most of advanced technologies and to unlock new opportunities for growth, efficiency, and customer engagement. The cloud's agility allows for rapid development, deployment, and experimentation, helping to reduce time to market and fostering a culture of innovation.
How and where do you build your Azure skills?
Whether you’re new to Azure or you’re an experienced professional, a student or a recent graduate, having a well-planned training path in the modern era of cloud computing and technologies is a must. It might be hard at first to build study and learning habits, but once you do, you’ll develop a learner mindset, which is key. Implementing this mindset includes learning, reading, and keeping your knowledge up to date, as part of your daily life, motivating you to continue adding to your skills and experience.
In my opinion, Microsoft Learn—a family of skill-building offerings that brings together all Microsoft technical content, learning tools, and resources—is the best place to apply your learner mindset and add to your skill set. It’s a great place to be active, check out the latest updates, and explore new online training and other opportunities. On Microsoft Learn, you can also follow the learning paths that are curated by Microsoft experts to help you increase your knowledge and prepare for your exams to earn Microsoft Certification.
In my online sessions and in my speaking engagements, I always highlight fundamentals and basics, since they’re foundational parts of the experience that I love to share with enthusiastic learners. Keep your fundamental knowledge fresh by reviewing the updates and changes to Azure training, and add to your expertise in the areas you’re most interested in, such as AI, security, automation, continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD), and machine learning, among other topics. Practicing these learning habits on a regular basis can add to your learner mindset.
What about building connections?
In today's business environment, networking is a crucial element for career success. Building and maintaining professional relationships can open doors to new opportunities, enhance your knowledge, and accelerate your growth. Networking is not just about collecting business cards or making connections on social media—it’s also about cultivating meaningful relationships that can positively impact your career path.
The practice of networking is an invaluable source of knowledge and experience. When you connect with professionals who have more expertise in the industry (in this case, Azure services), you gain access to valuable insights, best practices, and industry trends. Engaging in conversations with like-minded individuals can expand your perspective, challenge your assumptions, and inspire innovative thinking. Networking events, conferences, and seminars provide opportunities to learn from industry leaders, attend workshops, and gain new knowledge that can enhance your skill set and help make you a more competitive professional in your new Azure role. Let’s explore some of these roles in greater detail.
What do Azure solutions architects do?
Azure solutions architects play a crucial role in designing, implementing, and managing cloud-based solutions using Azure. They have a deep understanding of Azure services and can architect scalable and secure cloud infrastructures. As an Azure solution architect, you collaborate with clients or colleagues to develop cloud strategies, ensure optimal performance, and provide guidance on best practices. This role requires strong technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and the ability to align business objectives with cloud solutions.
The Microsoft Certification exam for this role is Exam AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions, which you can prepare for by completing self-paced AZ-305 learning paths on Microsoft Learn. When you complete a prerequisite (earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate certification) and pass Exam AZ-305, you earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification.
What do Azure data engineers do?
Azure data engineers are responsible for managing and transforming data within Azure environments. They design and implement data storage solutions, help ensure data quality, and create pipelines to process and analyze data. As an Azure data engineer, you work with big data technologies, data warehouses, and data lakes to enable effective data-driven decision-making. Proficiency in Azure services, like Azure SQL Database, Azure Data Factory, and Azure Databricks, is crucial for this role. Strong SQL and data-modeling skills, along with knowledge of data integration and extract, transform, and load (ETL) processes, are also essential.
The Microsoft Certification exam for this role is Exam DP-203: Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure, which you can prepare for by completing self-paced DP-203 learning paths on Microsoft Learn. When you pass the exam, you earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate certification.
What do Azure security engineers do?
As cybersecurity threats rapidly evolve, Azure security engineers are in high demand. These professionals specialize in securing Azure environments, implementing security controls, and monitoring potential vulnerabilities or breaches. They develop and enforce security policies, conduct risk assessments, and respond to security incidents. Azure security engineers should have a strong understanding of Azure security features, identity and access management, compliance, and threat detection technologies, like Microsoft Sentinel.
The Microsoft Certification exam for this role is Exam AZ-500: Microsoft Azure Security Technologies, which you can prepare for by completing self-paced AZ-500 learning paths on Microsoft Learn. When you pass the exam, you earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate certification.
What are your next steps?
It’s clear that professionals with Azure skills and experience—and a learner mindset—have a vast array of career opportunities that make the most of their abilities and interests. Whether you have expertise in cloud architecture, application development, data engineering, DevOps, or security, there’s a role for you in the world of Azure. By earning Azure certifications and gaining practical experience, you can position yourself for success in this ever-growing field. Plus, the demand for such professionals is expected to rise as more organizations adopt Azure as their preferred cloud platform. Embrace the opportunities, stay up to date with the latest Azure technologies, and build your skills for an exciting career journey. Always keep in mind that whatever your learning style or career path, experts and colleagues in the Microsoft Learn Community are here to help. And be sure to join me in my Microsoft Azure "Zero to Hero" learning room, where we explore this technology in greater depth.
Meet Hamid Sadeghpour Saleh, Microsoft Learn expert
Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 Cloud Solutions Architect and System Administrator Hamid Sadeghpour Saleh has an engineering degree in information technology and more than 10 years of experience in Microsoft technologies and cloud infrastructure administration. Hamid has solid knowledge and work experience with Windows-based and Linux systems, cloud technologies, storage, network devices, and infrastructure management.