The AI job boom is here. Are you ready to showcase your skills?
AI isn’t just changing jobs descriptions, it’s redefining how work gets done across every industry, role, and skill level. From marketing to manufacturing, AI is reshaping workflows, speeding up decisions, and opening entirely new career paths. And the impact is massive. According to the World Economic Forum The Future of Jobs Report 2025, advances in AI and tech could create 78 million new jobs by 2030. “We’re in the middle of a once‑in‑a‑generation shift in how work gets done,” says Elisa Graceffo, General Manager of Global Skilling at Microsoft. “For over 30 years, Microsoft Certifications have set the benchmark for skills validation. We’re evolving them as fast as roles are changing so you can prove your skills for the future of work.” To keep pace with this shift, we’re launching a new wave of Certifications designed for AI‑powered roles, from entry level to advanced, from developers and data pros to business professionals. These new Certifications reflect the major industry drivers shaping today’s workplace, including the rise of generative AI and autonomous agents and the emergence of integrated cloud and AI systems. They also highlight how business professionals are evolving into orchestrators of AI‑powered workflows and innovation. And because AI is ultimately a force that amplifies human capability, these Certifications can help ensure that your skills stay relevant, practical, and aligned with the real‑world work of 2026 and beyond. What’s new in cloud, AI, and security Certifications The new Certification exams roll out in beta beginning this month, with additional releases following over the next few months and are expected to go live later this year. The Microsoft Certified: Machine Learning Operations Engineer Associate Certification is ideal for professionals who deploy, operationalize, and maintain machine learning and generative AI solutions in production to automate, govern, deploy, monitor, and optimize performance. Exam AI-300 beta and training available in March 2026; exam expected to go live in May 2026. The Microsoft Certified: Azure Databricks Data Engineer Associate Certification covers designing and implementing scalable, secure data pipelines by using Azure Databricks. It’s intended for data professionals who want to build real-time analytics and AI-ready data foundations in the cloud. Exam DP-750 beta and training available in March 2026; exam expected to go live in May 2026. The Microsoft Certified: SQL AI Developer Associate Certification validates your ability to integrate AI into modern database solutions with governance and DevOps practices. It’s designed for developers who want to build intelligent, AI-augmented database applications. Exam DP-800 beta and training available in March 2026; exam expected to go live in May 2026. The Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals Certification explores how you can build modern AI apps and agents by using Microsoft Foundry. It’s ideal for beginners who want to build AI applications on Microsoft platforms. Exam AI-901 beta available in April 2026; training expected to be available in March 2026; exam expected to go live in June 2026. The Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate Certification aligns with today’s generative and agentic architectures for planning and managing AI resources in Microsoft Foundry, building generative apps and multistep reasoning workflows, and developing production‑ready agents with multi‑agent orchestration capabilities. Exam AI-103 beta available in April 2026; training expected to be available in March 2026; exam expected to go live in June 2026. The Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Business Professional Certification validates your ability to recognize security risks, apply secure practices, and make informed business decisions that reduce organizational exposure while enabling productivity and AI adoption. Exam SC-730 beta available in May 2026; training expected to be available in May 2026; exam expected to go live in July 2026. The Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate Certification is designed for developers who want to validate their ability to build, integrate, and monitor AI solutions on Azure by using containerized compute, vector-enabled databases, event-driven AI pipelines, serverless functions, secret management, and distributed observability. Exam AI-200 beta and training expected to be available in May 2026; exam expected to go live in July 2026. The Microsoft Certified: Cloud and AI Security Engineer Associate Certification expands the security role to include cloud and AI model protection. Prove that you can design and implement secure environments for building and running AI solutions by using current security patterns and controls in enterprise deployments. Exam SC-500 beta available in May 2026; training and exam expected to be available in July 2026. The Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Administrator Associate Certification combines previous hybrid infrastructure tracks to validate skills across Azure and on-premises environments. Exam AZ-802 beta available in July 2026; training and exam expected to be available in August 2026. Retiring Certifications: What you need to know As we introduce new Certifications aligned to evolving AI roles, we’re also retiring several existing ones. The following table itemizes what’s changing and provides key dates for Certification and training retirements in 2026. If your Certification is eligible for renewal, please renew it before the retirement date. Retiring Microsoft Certification Certification retirement date Training retirement date* Replacement Certification Azure Data Scientist Associate (Exam DP-100) June 1, 2026 April 2026 Machine Learning Operations Engineer Associate (Exam AI-300) Azure AI Fundamentals (Exam AI-900) June 30, 2026 April 2026 Azure AI Fundamentals (Exam AI-901) Azure AI Engineer Associate (Exam AI-102) June 30, 2026 April 2026 Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate (Exam AI-103) Azure Developer Associate (Exam AZ-204) July 31, 2026 May 2026 Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate (Exam AI-200) Azure Security Engineer Associate (Exam AZ-500) August 31, 2026 August 2026 Cloud and AI Security Engineer Associate (Exam SC-500) Windows Server Hybrid Administrator (Exam AZ-800 and Exam AZ-801) September 2026* September 2026 Windows Server Administrator Associate (Exam AZ-802) * Planned dates Navigating the transition: FAQs The following questions and answers can help you determine how these retirements and expanded portfolio could impact your learning journey: Q. I’ve already earned one of the retiring Certifications. What happens now? A. If you’ve already earned any of the retiring Certifications, your credential remains valid and, on your transcript, until it expires. Retirement does not revoke or invalidate Certifications that were earned. Q. Can I still renew a soon-to-retire Certification? A. Yes, as long as it’s eligible for renewal and you renew it before the Certification officially retires. Fundamentals Certifications don’t expire. Q. I’m preparing for an exam that’s retiring. What should I do? If you’re actively preparing for an exam that’s retiring: If you’ve already registered for the exam, you may continue preparing for it and take it while it’s still available. Keep in mind that after the exam retires, you won’t be able to retake it if you don’t pass, and you won’t be able to renew it. If you haven’t registered for the exam, we strongly recommend that you prepare for and take the new exam instead, as noted in the following table. If you’re not close to testing for this exam Prepare for and take this exam instead Learning path and instructor-led training expected to be available in Exam DP-100 Exam AI-300 March 2026 Exam AI-900 Exam AI-901 March 2026 Exam AI-102 Exam AI-103 March 2026 Exam AZ-204 Exam AI-200 May 2026 Exam AZ-500 Exam SC-500 July 2026 Exam AZ-800 and Exam AZ-801 Exam AZ-802 August 2026 Take the next step: Build your AI-ready skill set Technology is changing fast, and AI is accelerating that change. Our Certifications are built to help you and your organization stay ahead with job‑ready skills. Earning one isn’t just a milestone, it’s a signal that you’re ready to grow with the future of work. We’ll share updates for each new Certification, including beta exams and go live dates, on The Skills Hub Blog. Stay tuned for an announcement of new Certifications focused on AI business solutions in the coming month. Explore more Microsoft Credentials on AI Skills Navigator.New Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate Certification
Today’s AI workloads rely on developers who can integrate services and support resilient architectures. Show your readiness to design and run AI solutions on Azure, with new Exam AI-200 (beta). AI is rewriting how cloud applications are designed and delivered, opening new opportunities for developers who design scalable, secure cloud solutions on Azure. As AI adoption grows, expertise in containers, data services, event-driven architectures, and operational monitoring is the foundation for reliable AI solutions. To support this shift, we’re introducing the new Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate Certification to help you validate your knowledge of building, integrating, and monitoring AI solutions on Azure by using containerized compute, vector-enabled databases, event-driven AI pipelines, serverless functions, secret management, and distributed observability. To earn this new Microsoft Certification, you need to pass Exam AI-200: Developing AI Cloud Solutions on Azure, currently in beta. Is this the right Certification for you? This Certification demonstrates your ability to: Develop containerized solutions on Azure. Develop AI solutions by using Azure data management services. Connect to and consume Azure services. Secure, monitor, and troubleshoot Azure solutions. As a candidate for this Certification, you’re responsible for contributing to all phases of implementing AI solutions on Azure, with an emphasis on back-end services and components. You’re also responsible for supporting all phases of the development lifecycle, including requirements gathering, design, development, deployment, security, and monitoring. You should be proficient in: Azure SDKs and third-party SDKs used in Azure. Azure data management services. Azure monitoring and troubleshooting. Azure messaging and eventing. Vector databases. Python programming. Implementing containerized applications on Azure. Exam AI-200 assesses skills relating to building and operating AI solutions on Azure. It moves beyond traditional web-app patterns to highlight practical skills in the services and architectures that power production AI systems. The exam focuses on deploying and scaling containerized AI workloads and on integrating back-end services to handle messaging and events. As a candidate for this Certification, you’re evaluated on your knowledge of building serverless inference endpoints, orchestrating asynchronous AI processing workflows, implementing semantic retrieval with vector databases, and monitoring the health and performance of AI solutions that deliver real business value at scale. Ready to prove your skills? Take advantage of the discounted beta exam offer. The first 300 people who take Exam AI-200 (beta) on or before May 27, 2026, can get 80% off. To receive the discount, when you register for the exam and are prompted for payment, use AI200Piedmont. This is not a private access code. The seats are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. As noted, you must take the exam on or before May 27, 2026. Please note that this discount is not available in Turkey, Pakistan, India, or China. How to prepare Review the Exam AI-200 (beta) page for training resources, exam registration, and other details. The Exam AI-200 study guide explores key topics covered in the exam. Connect with Microsoft Training Services Partners in your area for in-person offerings. Need other preparation ideas? Check out Just How Does One Prepare for Beta Exams? Ready to get started? You can take Certification exams online, from your home or office. Get the details in Online proctored exams: What to expect and how to prepare. Remember, the number of spots is limited to the first 300 candidates on or before May 27, 2026. Beta exam rescoring begins when the exam goes live, with final results released approximately 10 days later. For more details, read Creating high-quality exams: The path from beta to live. Stay tuned for general availability of this Certification in July 2026. Additional information For more cloud and AI Certification updates, read our recent blog post, The AI job boom is here. Are you ready to showcase your skills? Follow our credentials news on The Skills Hub Blog as we roll out additional new Certifications in May, June, and July 2026. Join our Microsoft Worldwide Learning SME Group for Credentials on LinkedIn for beta exam alerts and opportunities to help shape future Microsoft learning and assessments. If you’d like to learn more about Microsoft Credentials, visit AI Skills Navigator.Microsoft Credentials roundup: February 2026 edition
February 2026 brings major updates to Microsoft Credentials—four new Microsoft Certifications and six new Microsoft Applied Skills now generally available (GA). Designed to help you keep your skills current in today’s AI-powered workplace, they demonstrate the AI abilities that employers need in not only technical but also business roles. In this roundup, we cover what’s new, what’s changing, and what’s coming up. What’s new: Certifications We’ve introduced four new AI Certifications—all available now—that verify skills for technical and non-technical professionals. These credentials certify your ability to use AI in real-world roles, helping to ensure that you can drive innovation and productivity with this technology. Whether you’re an IT administrator, solution architect, business user, or organizational leader, there’s a new Certification to help boost your career growth. For technical professionals (IT pros, developers, architects) The Microsoft 365 Certified: Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals Certification (Exam AB-900) proves that you can configure, secure, and support AI-powered Microsoft 365 environments. This entry-level Certification validates your ability to manage and protect Microsoft 365 Copilot and agent services. The Microsoft Certified: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect Certification (Exam AB-100) demonstrates your expertise in designing and leading AI-first enterprise architectures. This expert-level Certification shows that you can orchestrate multi-agent AI solutions and integrate Copilot, Foundry Tools, and Dynamics 365 to drive business transformation. For business professionals (managers, analysts, decision-makers) The Microsoft Certified: AI Business Professional Certification (Exam AB-730) validates that you can use generative AI and Copilot to streamline business workflows and improve outcomes without coding. The Microsoft Certified: AI Transformation Leader Certification (Exam AB-731) verifies that you can define the business value of AI, integrate AI solutions by using Copilot, Foundry Tools, and other tools, and drive company-wide AI adoption for transformative impact. Each Certification page on Microsoft Learn offers resources for self-paced and instructor-led training, study guides, and exam prep to help set you up for success. What’s new: Applied Skills Applied Skills are another powerful option for showcasing your expertise. These short, practical assessments let you demonstrate specific real-world skills in an interactive lab environment. They’re now even more relevant to AI-powered roles, since they help prepare you to earn role-based Certifications. We’ve expanded the portfolio with new AI scenarios across technical and business roles, and the new credentials are even faster to earn, most of their lab-based assessments lets you prove specific skills in just 45 minutes. For technical roles (developers, engineers, IT pros) Microsoft Applied Skills: Build a generative AI chat app. Demonstrate that you can create an interactive chat application using generative AI (with tools like Microsoft Foundry) and integrate large language models into real-world apps for better customer or employee experiences. Microsoft Applied Skills: Create an AI agent. Validate your skill in building and configuring agents (for example, in the Copilot ecosystem) and in orchestrating agents to automate tasks and drive business impact. Microsoft Applied Skills: Enhance agents with autonomous capabilities. Prove that you can design and deploy self-governing agents by using Microsoft Copilot Studio, enabling them to perform complex sequences of actions with minimal human intervention and empowering scalable, adaptive solutions. Microsoft Applied Skills: Secure AI solutions in the cloud. Show that you know how to safeguard AI applications in Azure and can implement security and compliance for AI workloads (for example, by using Foundry and Microsoft Defender for Cloud). For business roles Microsoft Applied Skills: Generate reports with AI research agents. Prove that you can use Researcher in Copilot to quickly gather information and produce data-driven reports and insights for smarter business decisions. Microsoft Applied Skills: Streamline business workflows with AI chat. Showcase your ability to use Copilot automation in daily work and to employ AI chat to manage meetings, draft content, and coordinate teamwork more efficiently, improving productivity. Retiring older credentials To keep things current, we’ve retired a few Certifications and Applied Skills. If you’ve already earned these, they’ll remain on the transcript in your Microsoft Learn profile. The following Certifications retired on December 31, 2025: Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (CRM) (Exam MB-910) Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (ERP) (Exam MB-920) The following Applied Skills retired on January 30, 2026: Microsoft Applied Skills: Build an Azure AI Vision solution Microsoft Applied Skills: Deploy and manage Azure Arc–enabled servers Microsoft Applied Skills: Develop an ASP.NET Core web app that consumes an API Microsoft Applied Skills: Implement a data science and machine learning solution with Microsoft Fabric Microsoft Applied Skills: Implement a Lakehouse in Microsoft Fabric Looking ahead These updates are just the beginning. We continuously evolve our credentials portfolio to align with the skills needed for AI-driven jobs, and a new wave of AI-focused Certification updates is scheduled for March 2026 and beyond. Expect even more opportunities to learn and to earn credentials in AI and cloud technologies. We look forward to carrying this momentum forward and to supporting you on your learning journey.New Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Business Professional Certification
As data moves across tools and teams, security risks increase. Built for business professionals, the new Exam SC‑730 (beta) validates how you protect data, reduce risk, and respond to incidents. [NOTE: Based on learner feedback from the beta, we’ve decided not to move forward with releasing this certification. We know this may be unexpected; your input has been invaluable in helping us better understand your needs. We’re exploring new ways to deliver the most valuable learning experiences for business professionals. Candidates who participated in the beta or have an upcoming exam will receive direct communication with next steps. Thank you for your time, feedback, and continued engagement.] [June 29, 2026] Work today depends on shared data, AI and cloud tools, and constant collaboration. As that expands, so do everyday security risks, phishing attempts, accidental data exposure, and misuse of sensitive information. Security isn’t handled by one team anymore. It shows up in day-to-day decisions made across roles. To reflect that shift, we’re introducing a new certification focused on how business professionals contribute to security in their daily work. The Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Business Professional Certification helps you validate your ability to recognize common threats, apply everyday security best practices, protect sensitive data, and respond appropriately to incidents to help protect your organization. To earn this new Certification, you need to pass Exam SC-730: Cybersecurity Business Professional, currently in beta. Is this the right Certification for you? This Certification validates your ability to apply practical security awareness and foundational knowledge related to reducing risk, supporting compliance, and safeguarding your organization in today’s threat landscape. It assesses how well you can: Understand cybersecurity concepts. Recognize cybersecurity risks and threats. Apply basic security best practices to protect the organization. Report and respond to security Incidents. As a candidate for this Certification, you’re a business professional (administrator, analyst, project manager, marketer, or sales pro) who relies on digital tools and cloud-based collaboration. Although security may not be your primary responsibility, you regularly handle sensitive information and work across networks, which increases your exposure to cyber risks. You’re accountable for protecting personal and organizational data and for complying with company privacy and security policies. You have foundational knowledge of cybersecurity awareness, privacy expectations, and security event response, and you understand basic security concepts well enough to apply simple, role-relevant practices that help support organizational compliance and risk awareness. You should be able to: Recognize common threats, such as phishing, malware, and social engineering. Apply basic protection practices, including strong passwords, multifactor authentication, and safe internet use. Follow organizational privacy and security policies when handling sensitive data. Report suspected incidents promptly and take appropriate steps during data breaches. Maintain continuous awareness of evolving threats and best practices through organizational updates and training. Ready to prove your cybersecurity skills? Take advantage of the discounted beta exam offer. The first 300 people who take Exam SC-730 (beta) on or before May 27, 2026 can get 80% off. To receive the discount, when you register for the exam and are prompted for payment, use SC730Eclipse. This is not a private access code. The seats are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. As noted, you must take the exam on or before May 27, 2026. Please note that this discount is not available in Turkey, Pakistan, India, or China. How to prepare Review the Exam SC-730 (beta) page for exam registration and other details. The Exam SC-730 study guide explores key topics covered in the exam. Connect with Microsoft Training Services Partners in your area for in-person offerings. Need other preparation ideas? Check out Just How Does One Prepare for Beta Exams? Ready to get started? You can take Certification exams online, from your home or office. Get the details in Online proctored exams: What to expect and how to prepare. Remember, the number of spots is limited to the first 300 candidates on or before May 27, 2026. Beta exam rescoring begins when the exam goes live, with final results released approximately 10 days later. For more details, read Creating high-quality exams: The path from beta to live. Stay tuned for general availability of this Certification in July 2026. Additional information For more cloud and AI Certification updates, read our recent blog post, The AI job boom is here. Are you ready to showcase your skills? Follow our credentials news on The Skills Hub Blog as we roll out additional new Certifications in May, June, and July 2026. Join our Microsoft Worldwide Learning SME Group for Credentials on LinkedIn for beta exam alerts and opportunities to help shape future Microsoft learning and assessments. If you’d like to learn more about Microsoft Credentials, visit AI Skills Navigator.
MD-102 Practice Test Does Not Prepare You for the Actual Exam + Poor Support Links
The following was edited by Copilot but is actually my own personal experience and I have read through it and found it accurate to what I wrote for it to edit to a better format: I’m posting this here because I was unable to successfully submit this feedback through the official Microsoft Credentials support channels (links either redirected to Azure support or returned a 404 error). I recently prepared for the MD-102 Endpoint Administrator certification using the official Microsoft Learn modules and the associated Practice Assessment. Based on my performance with those materials, I felt reasonably prepared going into the exam. However, the actual exam experience was significantly different from the Practice Assessment. Issue The Microsoft Learn Practice Assessment primarily uses straightforward, single-concept multiple-choice questions. In contrast, the actual MD-102 exam includes: Multi-step, scenario-based questions Questions requiring evaluation of multiple valid solutions “Best answer” decisions involving trade-offs (not just correctness) These are fundamentally different question styles and require different types of preparation. Impact This mismatch creates a false sense of readiness. Candidates who rely on official Microsoft Learn materials—including the Practice Assessment—may believe they are adequately prepared, but encounter a much more complex and different exam experience. In my case, this gap was a major factor in not passing the exam despite completing the recommended preparation resources. Additional Concern I attempted to submit this feedback through the official Microsoft Credentials support links, but encountered issues: Redirects to Azure “Support for Business” instead of certification support (https://learn.microsoft.com/credentials/support/help) Credentials support page returning a 404 error (https://learn.microsoft.com/credentials/support/) No visible feedback mechanism on the Practice Assessment page itself (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/modern-desktop/practice/assessment) This makes it difficult to report issues with certification preparation materials through the intended channels. Suggestions To improve the effectiveness of Microsoft Learn as an exam preparation tool: Clearly indicate that Practice Assessments are not representative of actual exam format or difficulty AND Update Practice Assessments to include: Scenario-based questions Multi-step decision questions “Best solution” style problems Provide a full-length mock exam that more closely reflects the real exam experience Add a visible feedback option directly on Practice Assessment pages Fix routing issues with Credentials support links I’m sharing this because I suspect others may run into the same issue when relying on official preparation materials.New Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate
Ready to move from prototypes to production? Demonstrate your readiness to deliver scalable, real‑world AI apps and agents using Azure services and Microsoft Foundry with the new Exam AI‑103 (beta). As AI changes how work is done across many industries and roles, organizations are rapidly moving AI apps and agents from experimentation into operational use. These shifts create opportunities for software developers who can build generative AI apps and production‑ready agents on Azure. To meet these opportunities, we’re introducing the Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate Certification. This new Microsoft Certification focuses on modern AI development, including generative AI, multimodal scenarios, agentic workflows, and responsible AI, by using Azure services and Microsoft Foundry to deliver scalable, real-world solutions. To earn this new Certification, you need to pass Exam AI-103: Developing AI Apps and Agents on Azure, currently in beta. Is this the right Certification for you? This Certification validates the skills needed to build and deploy AI apps and agents using production‑oriented development practices on Azure by using Foundry, the unified platform for model management, agent configuration, and evaluation pipelines. Exam AI-103 demonstrates your ability to plan and manage Azure AI solutions and to implement generative AI and agentic solutions, computer vision solutions, text analysis solutions, and information extraction solutions. As a candidate for this Certification, you’re a developer who uses Python and Azure services to plan, implement, and manage AI solutions and agents that take advantage of Foundry, working closely with business stakeholders, solution architects, data scientists, DevOps engineers, and cloud security engineers. For this exam, you should have experience developing apps by using Python, and you need to be familiar with the capabilities of general AI, generative AI, and Azure services. Exam AI-103 provides a modernized, scenario‑driven focus on agent development as the core of Azure AI solution building, expanding coverage into multimodal generation (images, video, speech), visual understanding, large language model–first text analysis, and information‑extraction pipelines for retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). Candidates demonstrate their ability to work with end‑to‑end solution scenarios that involve grounded, multimodal, governed, and secure AI system design. Ready to prove your skills? Take advantage of the discounted beta exam offer. The first 300 people who take Exam AI-103 (beta) on or before May 7, 2026, can get 80% off. To receive the discount, when you register for the exam and are prompted for payment, use code AI103Claxton. This is not a private access code. The seats are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. As noted, you must take the exam on or before May 7, 2026. Please note that this discount is not available in Turkey, Pakistan, India, or China. How to prepare Get ready to take Exam AI-103 (beta): Review the Exam AI-103 (beta) exam page for details. The Exam AI-103 study guide explores key topics covered in the exam. Work through the self-paced Course AI-103: Develop AI apps and agents on Azure. Connect with Microsoft Training Services Partners in your area for in-person offerings. Need other preparation ideas? Check out Just How Does One Prepare for Beta Exams? Ready to get started? You can take Certification exams online, from your home or office. Get the details in Online proctored exams: What to expect and how to prepare. Remember, only the first 300 candidates can get 80% off Exam AI-103 (beta) with code AI103Claxton on or before May 7, 2026. Beta exam rescoring begins when the exam goes live, with final results released approximately 10 days later. For more details, read Creating high-quality exams: The path from beta to live. Stay tuned for general availability of this Certification in June 2026. Additional information For more cloud and AI Certification updates, read our recent blog post, The AI job boom is here. Are you ready to showcase your skills? Follow our credentials news on The Skills Hub blog as we roll out additional new Certifications in April, May, and June 2026. Join our Microsoft Worldwide Learning SME Group for Credentials on LinkedIn for beta exam alerts and opportunities to help shape future Microsoft learning and assessments. Explore Microsoft Credentials on AI Skills Navigator.New Microsoft Certified: Cloud and AI Security Engineer Associate Certification
As organizations expand across cloud and AI, security expectations are rising fast. Exam SC‑500 (beta) helps you demonstrate your skills across identity, data, compute, and threat defense. Security roles are changing fast. As organizations expand across modern cloud environments, the scope of security has broadened. It’s no longer about protecting a single layer, it’s about securing identities, data, infrastructure, and AI systems together, continuously. Microsoft Certifications are evolving alongside these demands, helping you build and demonstrate the skills needed to secure today’s, and tomorrow’s, environments. Introducing the Microsoft Certified: Cloud and AI Security Engineer Associate certification. This new certification validates your ability to design and implement end-to-end security controls across cloud environments using modern, enterprise-ready security patterns. To earn it, you’ll need to pass Exam SC-500: Implementing End-to-End Security Controls for Cloud and AI Workloads, now available in beta. Is this the right Certification for you? This Certification reflects the security skills used to help protect modern cloud environments that support AI workloads, including identity protection, data security, AI model security, and cloud threat defense. It assesses a candidate’s knowledge of how to: Manage identity, access, and governance Secure storage, databases, and networking Secure compute Monitor and manage security posture Exam SC-500 is designed for security engineers who protect organizational systems and data across cloud and hybrid environments by implementing comprehensive security controls that proactively help prevent unauthorized access and mitigate risks. This role spans multiple security domains, including identity, network, application, data, and compute, and it supports the secure implementation and monitoring of infrastructure, identities, and data used by AI workloads. Responsibilities may include: Securing access to resources by using Microsoft Entra ID and Azure Key Vault Enforcing security and regulatory compliance Protecting cloud infrastructure, data platforms, and applications Securing AI solutions Monitoring and improving overall security posture They may work closely with architects, administrators, engineers, analysts, and developers responsible for Azure, Microsoft 365, identity and access, information protection, security operations, DevOps, application development, database platforms, and networks. Candidates for this exam should have practical experience in administration of Azure and hybrid environments, including compute, network, and storage. They need strong familiarity with Microsoft Entra ID and familiarity with Microsoft 365 administration. Ready to prove your cybersecurity skills? Take advantage of the discounted beta exam offer. The first 300 people who take Exam SC-500 (beta) on or before June 8, 2026, can get 80% off. To receive the discount, when you register for the exam and are prompted for payment, use code VistaSC500. This is not a private access code. The seats are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. As noted, you must take the exam on or before June 8, 2026. Please note that this discount is not available in Turkey, Pakistan, India, or China. How to prepare Review the Exam SC-500 (beta) page for training resources, exam registration, and other details. The Exam SC-500 study guide explores key topics covered in the exam. Connect with Microsoft Training Services Partners in your area for in-person offerings. Need other preparation ideas? Check out Just How Does One Prepare for Beta Exams? Ready to get started? You can take Certification exams online, from your home or office. Get the details in Online proctored exams: What to expect and how to prepare. Remember, the number of spots is limited to the first 300 candidates on or before June 8, 2026. Beta exam rescoring begins when the exam goes live, with final results released approximately 10 days later. For more details, read Creating high-quality exams: The path from beta to live. Stay tuned for general availability of this Certification in July 2026. Additional information For more cloud and AI Certification updates, read our recent blog post, The AI job boom is here. Are you ready to showcase your skills? Follow our credentials news on The Skills Hub Blog as we roll out additional new Certifications in May, June, and July 2026. Join our Microsoft Worldwide Learning SME Group for Credentials on LinkedIn for beta exam alerts and opportunities to help shape future Microsoft learning and assessments. If you’d like to learn more about Microsoft Credentials, go to AI Skills Navigator.New Microsoft Certified: Intelligent Applications Builder Associate Certification
Design the next generation of AI‑powered business applications. Show you can combine apps, agents, automation, and Copilot into intelligent solutions in Microsoft Power Platform, with Exam AB‑410 (beta). The way business solutions are built is changing fast. Today, it’s not enough to create an app or automate a task in isolation; builders need to bring together apps, agents, automation, data, and AI experiences into solutions that can adapt to real business needs. That’s why we’re introducing the Microsoft Certified: Intelligent Applications Builder Associate Certification, designed for professionals who are ready to use Microsoft Power Platform, Copilot, and natural language to build the next generation of intelligent business applications. To earn this new Microsoft Certification, you need to pass Exam AB-410: Building Intelligent Applications, currently in beta. Is this the right Certification for you? This Certification validates the skills of intelligent app builders who can confidently navigate the evolving AI and agent ecosystem, including how to: Create a foundation for intelligent applications. Create intelligent applications. Build business application logic and automation. Candidates for this Certification: Build AI-powered solutions in Microsoft Power Platform by using Copilot, natural language prompts, and low-code tools. Create apps, data models, and flows that connect agents, AI models and prompts, and visualizations. Develop Dataverse data models and model-driven and canvas apps. Integrate agents and Copilot features across apps and Power Pages. Build cloud flows and business logic. They partner with admins on security, identity, roles, and policies; governance teams on responsible AI, ALM, solutions and pipelines, and monitoring; builders and architects on solution design; and stakeholders on requirements, iteration, and adoption. For this exam, candidates should have experience with Dataverse modeling, Power Automate cloud flows, Power Apps development, AI capabilities in Microsoft Power Platform, building solution assets with natural language, and Power Pages. Before taking Exam AB-410, candidates should have: Familiarity with Copilot in Power Apps, Copilot in Power Automate, Copilot in Power Pages, and Copilot in Dataverse. Awareness of creating agents with Microsoft Copilot Studio. Foundational knowledge of AI models and prompts in AI Hub. Ability to map business processes to flows, agents, or app capabilities. Ability to work with Dataverse as a core data platform. Familiarity with low-code automation, including Power Fx. Awareness of environment governance, roles, policies, and solution lifecycle steps. Ready to prove your skills? Take advantage of the discounted beta exam offer. The first 300 people who take Exam AB-410 (beta) on or before June 17, 2026, can get 80% off. To receive the discount, when you register for the exam and are prompted for payment, use AB410KBMaui. This is not a private access code. The seats are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. As noted, you must take the exam on or before June 17, 2026. Please note that this discount is not available in Turkey, Pakistan, India, or China. How to prepare Review the Exam AB-410 (beta) page for training resources, exam registration and other details. The Exam AB-410 study guide explores key topics covered in the exam. Connect with Microsoft Training Services Partners in your area for in-person offerings. Need other preparation ideas? Check out Just How Does One Prepare for Beta Exams? Ready to get started? You can take Certification exams online, from your home or office. Get the details in Online proctored exams: What to expect and how to prepare. Remember, the number of spots is limited to the first 300 candidates on or before June 17, 2026. Beta exam rescoring begins when the exam goes live, with final results released approximately 10 days later. For more details, read Creating high-quality exams: The path from beta to live. Stay tuned for general availability of this Certification in July 2026. Additional information For more AI business solution Certification updates, read our recent blog post, The AI job boom continues: Build the skills that move business forward. Follow our Microsoft Credentials news on The Skills Hub Blog as we roll out additional new Certifications in June and July 2026. Join our Microsoft Worldwide Learning SME Group for Credentials on LinkedIn for beta exam alerts and opportunities to help shape future Microsoft learning and assessments. If you’d like to learn more about Microsoft Credentials, go to AI Skills Navigator.
