If you’re wanting to learn the foundations of Microsoft Azure (including cloud computing concepts, Azure’s structure, and its product range), you might start out with training materials like the Azure Fundamental learning paths on Microsoft Learn. These will also give you a good start if you’re considering taking the AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals certification exam.
But what else do you need to know? What other resources exist? What about best practices for cost management or security, interactive exercises with PowerShell, or planning frameworks and templates in more detail?
To help you plan your learning journey across different Microsoft resources, we’ve developed the Azure Skills Navigator. For our IT Pros, the System Administrator and Solution Architect guides are targeted to you! You’ll also find information on how to stay connected and “always be learning”, with links to blogs, product updates, events, and community forums.
Azure Skills Navigator – System Administrator
This guide is designed for systems administrators just beginning their cloud careers. These IT professionals manage the configuration, performance, and security of Windows Server environments on-premises or operate, protect, and monitor cloud workloads. This includes IT Managers looking to enhance their existing on-premises systems with the hybrid benefits of cloud capabilities. It’s also useful for students who are just getting started learning about Azure.
Start with the fundamentals of Microsoft Azure
Highlights the most important Azure Fundamentals topics for systems administrators to start with.
Explore Azure core infrastructure services
Expands into more Azure core infrastructure capabilities, including Identity (Azure Active Directory), Windows and Linux virtual machines, networking, storage, databases and Azure SQL.
Manage and monitor your Azure environment
Covers cost management and savings, Azure PowerShell, Azure Bicep, monitoring and automation.
Manage security and compliance
Security features and tools including secure networking connectivity, the Azure Security Benchmark and security best practices. Also, learn how to build a cloud governance strategy to meet your organization’s regulatory needs.
Plan and deploy your Azure cloud environment
Includes planning frameworks, templates and migration tools.
Continue your learning
Grab a free trial, find classroom-based training and stay connected with product updates, blogs, events and community forums.
Download the Azure Skills Navigator for Systems Administrators
Azure Skills Navigator – Solution Architect
This guide is designed for solution Architects defining the design and implementation of technology solutions in Microsoft Azure. Using the understanding of an organization’s business requirements and developer capabilities, these IT professionals use building blocks of different technology components to create robust, optimized architectures.
Start with the fundamentals of Microsoft Azure
Highlights the most important Azure Fundamentals topics for solutions architects to start with.
Explore Azure solutions
Expands into more Azure core infrastructure capabilities, including designing authentication and authorization solutions, Windows and Linux virtual machines, Azure networking, and infrastructure design. Also covers solutions like data storage, Azure Stack HCI, containers, process automation, AI and IoT.
Discover solution design principles
As well as the Azure Cloud Adoption and Well Architected Frameworks, this section links you to resources like case studies, the architecture center, and design principles for cloud and applications. You’ll also find cost management resources and design considerations for high availability and business continuity.
Plan security and compliance
Learn how to build a cloud governance strategy and find governance and compliance resources, including the Microsoft Trust Center. Find resources and technical demonstrations of Microsoft’s security concepts and capabilities, as well as the Microsoft Cybersecurity Reference Architecture.
Deploy your Azure solution
Get started with your deployment tools and processes – Azure PowerShell, Azure Bicep, DevOps, landing zones and quickstart templates, as well as the Azure Migrate tool.
Continue your learning
Grab a free trial, find classroom-based training and stay connected with product updates, blogs, events and community forums.
Note: You might find some cross-over in these two guides – solutions architects can come from various career backgrounds and foundational infrastructure concepts and frameworks are relevant to both role-based guides.
Download the Azure Skills Navigator for Solution Architects
More role-based guides
Have friends in tech in other roles? Check out the Azure blog announcement for links to the Azure Skills Navigator for Developers and resources for AI, data engineering and data science.
Do you have a particular focus area of IT that's more specialized? Let us know what other role-based guides you like to see!