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Table of Contents1. Introduction to the AZ-700 certification2. The Rewards of Being a Microsoft Azure Network Engineer Associate3. Overview of the AZ-700 Certification4. What are the requirements to be a Microsoft Azure Network Engineer Associate?5. Comparable Certifications to Microsoft Azure Network Engineer Associate Certification
The AZ-700 is a core intermediate certification in the Azure networking field and a key stepping stone for networking professionals transitioning to cloud networking.
1. Introduction to the AZ-700 certification
Microsoft Azure Network Engineer Associate (AZ-700) is a mid-level network certification launched by Microsoft, focusing on verifying practitioners' practical abilities in designing, deploying, managing, securing, and optimizing enterprise level Azure network infrastructure on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.
AZ-700 is the only exam for the "Microsoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate" certification, aimed at technical personnel with Azure foundation and network experience. It aims to cultivate practical Azure network engineers who can support the stable, secure, and efficient operation of enterprise cloud networks. It is the core qualification for transforming from "traditional network operation and maintenance" to "cloud network experts."
After the enterprise goes to the cloud, the network is the core link that connects the local data center with Azure cloud and internal Azure resources, and needs to solve complex requirements such as "cross environment interoperability, high availability, low latency, and secure isolation."
The core positioning of AZ-700 certification is to cultivate "practical implementers and managers of Azure enterprise level network architecture," rather than simply "network tool operators."
AZ-700 certification holders need to be proficient in Azure core network services, able to design Azure network architecture for business scenarios, solve key issues such as network connection interruptions, performance bottlenecks, security vulnerabilities, etc., and ensure that Azure network infrastructure adapts to business needs and runs stably.
When building a hybrid cloud network for multinational enterprises, AZ-700 certificate holders will design a multi area virtual network architecture and achieve resource interoperability within the same area through VNet peer-to-peer connections; build a dedicated connection between the local data center and Azure through FHIR to ensure the secure and stable transmission of sensitive data; configure Azure Traffic Manager to achieve intelligent distribution of cross regional application traffic and reduce access latency.
2. The Rewards of Being a Microsoft Azure Network Engineer Associate
AZ-700 is the only official Azure intermediate network certification from Microsoft, highly recognized among enterprises using Azure. When recruiting for the Azure Network Engineer position, it is often listed as a "must-have condition," which is the core distinguishing factor between ordinary IT personnel and cloud network experts.
The AZ-700 certification focuses on the implementation of enterprise level network architecture, which proves the ability to independently solve complex Azure network problems and directly undertake enterprise core network projects, avoiding the embarrassment of "only knowing theory but not practical operation."
AZ-700 certificate holders can join the Microsoft Azure Network exclusive community to obtain official network best practice documents and industry cases; priority participation in Microsoft Network Technology Summit and offline salons, connecting with experts in the same field and high-end project opportunities, laying the foundation for advanced senior network engineers or cloud architects.
3. Overview of the AZ-700 Certification
For professionals who are committed to becoming cloud network experts and responsible for designing and implementing Azure enterprise level network solutions, the AZ-700 Design and Implementation of Microsoft Azure Network Solution Certification is a crucial professional certification.
The Microsoft Azure Network Engineer Associate certification focuses deeply on the full lifecycle management of complex network infrastructure on the Azure cloud platform, aiming to systematically verify whether you have comprehensive architecture and implementation capabilities from virtual networks, hybrid connections to application delivery and security protection.
Designing and implementing Azure virtual networks is the cornerstone of all cloud services. You need to be proficient in VNet and subnet architecture design, including IP address planning, cross regional peer-to-peer interconnection, and be able to configure network security groups and routing tables to achieve traffic control and isolation, building a secure and isolated network environment for applications.
Designing and deploying hybrid cloud connectivity is a crucial step for enterprises to go to the cloud. You need to master how to build reliable and efficient hybrid cloud connections through Site to Site VPN and FHIR dedicated lines, and understand how to use Azure Virtual WAN to simplify large-scale, global hybrid network management.
Ensure high performance and availability of the application. You need to be proficient in deploying Azure load balancers and application gateways to achieve traffic distribution and web application protection, and be able to utilize Azure Front Door and traffic manager to design cross regional global application acceleration and intelligent traffic routing solutions.
Build a defense in depth system. You need to master the deployment and management of Azure Firewall to implement centralized network strategies, configure DDoS protection to resist external attacks, and proficiently use Private Link and Private Endpoint to achieve private connections with PaaS services and avoid public network exposure.
Monitoring, troubleshooting, and network optimization can ensure the continuous and healthy operation of the network. You need to be able to use Azure Monitor and Network Observer to monitor network performance, capture data packets, and diagnose connection failures, while optimizing network bandwidth and configuration based on insights to improve overall efficiency.
4. What are the requirements to be a Microsoft Azure Network Engineer Associate?
(1) Qualification prerequisites:
We recommend that you have 6-12 months of Azure basic operations experience and be familiar with the basic configuration of Azure core resources before preparing for the AZ-700 certification. It is recommended that you have at least 1 year of experience in traditional networks or cloud networks, and understand basic network concepts.
(2) Training and examinations:
The AZ-700 exam consists of approximately 40-60 questions, including multiple-choice questions and practical exercises simulating Azure network configuration scenarios. The exam lasts for 180 minutes.
The exam fee is approximately $165, with slight variations in different regions. Full score of 1000, pass with 700 points or above.
(3) Qualification maintenance:
The AZ-700 certificate is valid for 3 years and requires passing the "renewal exam" or obtaining a higher-level Azure certification renewal certificate within the validity period.
5. Comparable Certifications to Microsoft Azure Network Engineer Associate Certification
AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty (ANS-C01)
Google Professional Cloud Network Engineer
Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Data Center
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Table of Contents1. Introduction to the DOP-C02 certification2. The Competitive Edge of an DOP-C02 Certification 3. Core Components of the DOP-C02 Certification4. What are the requirements to be an AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional?5. Comparable Certifications to AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional Certification
The DOP-C02 is the top-level certification in the AWS DevOps field and a key stepping stone for intermediate DevOps engineers to transition into senior architect leaders.
1. Introduction to the DOP-C02 certification
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional (DOP-C02) is an advanced DevOps certification launched by Amazon Web Services, focusing on verifying the end-to-end expert capabilities of practitioners in designing, building, automating, operating, and optimizing enterprise level DevOps solutions based on AWS services.
DOP-C02 is the top qualification in the DevOps field of AWS certification system, aimed at technical personnel with rich practical experience in AWS and DevOps. It aims to cultivate expert level DevOps leaders who can connect the entire process of "development testing operation security", achieve rapid iteration and stable delivery of business, and is the core ladder for transitioning from "intermediate DevOps engineer" to "DevOps architect".
After the enterprise scales up to the cloud, DevOps practices need to be upgraded from "building a basic toolchain" to an enterprise level solution that includes "full process automation, secure left shift, resilient architecture, and refined cost control". This requires technicians to have a 'global perspective' and 'complex problem-solving skills'.
The core of DOP-C02 certification is to cultivate "enterprise level DevOps solution architects and practical leaders in the AWS ecosystem", rather than simply "tool operators". The certificate holder needs to be proficient in the deep integration of AWS core services and DevOps best practices, able to design DevOps systems for complex business scenarios, solve key challenges throughout the entire process, and ultimately achieve the core goals of "continuous delivery, continuous improvement, and business resilience".
When building an enterprise level DevOps system for large-scale e-commerce, DOP-C02 certification holders will design a multi account architecture and implement resource governance through AWS Organizations and Service Control Policies; Build a full chain observability platform using CloudWatch+ X-Ray+ OpenSearch, configure fault injection testing to verify system resilience; Realize cost refinement optimization through Cost Explorer+ Savings Plans.
2. The Competitive Edge of an DOP-C02 Certification
DOP-C02 is the highest level of DevOps certification officially recognized by AWS, with a high degree of recognition worldwide. When enterprises recruit DevOps architects and senior DevOps engineers, they are often listed as "essential requirements" and are the core distinguishing factor between intermediate and senior DevOps talents.
DOP-C02 certification focuses on "complex scenario implementation", which proves the ability to independently design and implement enterprise level DevOps systems, solve the core pain points of DevOps after large-scale cloud deployment, and become the core technical backbone of enterprises.
Holders of DOP-C02 certification can join the AWS Global DevOps Community and obtain official enterprise level DevOps best practice documents and industry cases; Priority participation in high-end technical conferences such as AWS re: Invent and DevOps Summit, connecting with experts in the same field and opportunities for high-end projects, laying the foundation for career advancement.
3. Core Components of the DOP-C02 Certification
For professionals dedicated to building, maintaining, and optimizing modern software delivery processes in enterprises, AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional (DOP-C02) certification is an authoritative credential representing advanced professional competence.DOP-C02 certification focuses on the full process automation and optimization of enterprise level DevOps practices on the AWS platform, aiming to verify your expert level ability.
As the core of certification, continuous integration and continuous delivery automation require proficiency in designing and operating enterprise level, multi environment CI/CD pipelines. This includes implementing complex release strategies such as blue-green deployment and canary deployment, optimizing the build process, and achieving automated deployment across multiple computing platforms from EC2 to Kubernetes to ensure software delivery is fast and secure.
You need to master the use of tools such as CloudFormation or Terraform to define and manage complex infrastructure in a code based manner, and achieve unified deployment across accounts and regions. At the same time, AWS Systems Manager can be used to standardize the configuration, patch management, and key management of large-scale servers, ensuring consistency and compliance of the environment.
Security is the cornerstone of DevOps. You must be proficient in shifting security practices to the left and integrating them throughout the entire pipeline, including code scanning, image security checks, and IaC compliance verification. At the same time, AWS Config, Security Hub, and SCP can be utilized to achieve continuous compliance auditing and governance, and to establish automated response processes for security incidents.
The high availability and resilience architecture module requires you to have the ability to design high availability architectures with multiple availability zones and regions, and to actively conduct fault injection testing through chaos engineering to verify and enhance the system's fault tolerance. At the same time, you need to optimize the automatic scaling strategy to ensure that the application can flexibly respond to business fluctuations.
Professional DevOps engineers must have a strong sense of cost awareness. You need to master cost analysis through tools such as Cost Explorer, and use Spot instances, Savings Plans, and storage lifecycle strategies to continuously optimize resource utilization and achieve the best balance between performance and cost.
4. What are the requirements to be an AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional?
(1) Qualification prerequisites:
Before taking the DOP-C02 exam, you need to pass an AWS Assistant level certification. We recommend that you use AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate (SOA-C02) or AWS Certified Developer – Associate(DVA-C02)。
At the same time, it is recommended that you have at least 2 years of practical experience in AWS, 1 year or more of enterprise level DevOps practice experience, and have led CI/CD pipeline construction and IaC implementation projects; Master at least one programming language and be familiar with containerization and configuration management tools.
(2) Training and examinations:
The DOP-C02 exam consists of approximately 75 questions, including multiple-choice questions and case analysis questions on designing solutions based on complex business scenarios.
The exam lasts for 180 minutes. Full score of 1000, passed with 750 points or above. The exam fee is approximately $300.
(3) Qualification maintenance:
The DOP-C02 certificate is valid for 3 years and must be renewed by passing the "renewal exam" or obtaining other AWS expert level certifications within the validity period.
5. Comparable Certifications to AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional Certification
Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400)
AWS Certified Security – Professional (SCS-C02)
Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD)
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Table of Contents1. Introduction to the MLA-C01 certification2. Why Earn Your AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate Certification?3. Core Components of the MLA-C01 Certification4. What are the requirements to be an AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate?5. Comparable Certifications to AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate Certification
The MLA-C01 is a certification in the AWS cloud-native machine learning field that focuses on the ability to engineer and deploy models throughout the entire process.
1. Introduction to the MLA-C01 certification
AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer Associate (MLA-C01) is an intermediate machine learning certification launched by Amazon Web Services, focusing on verifying practitioners' end-to-end practical abilities in optimizing machine learning models based on AWS machine learning services.
MLA-C01 is the first intermediate qualification in the AWS certification system specifically designed for machine learning engineers, aimed at cultivating practical talents who can translate business needs into AWS cloud native machine learning solutions and solve actual business problems.
It is a key qualification for transitioning from "data practitioners" or "algorithm enthusiasts" to "cloud native machine learning engineers." In the intelligent transformation of enterprises, technical talents who understand both the logic of machine learning algorithms and are proficient in using cloud service landing models are needed. No need to build machine learning infrastructure from scratch, but quickly achieve the entire process of "data preparation model training deployment online monitoring iteration" with hosted services such as AWS SageMaker.
The core of MLA-C01 certification is to cultivate "practical machine learning landing experts in the AWS ecosystem" rather than simply "algorithm researchers." The certificate holder needs to master the collaborative application of AWS machine learning toolchain, be able to select appropriate algorithms and AWS services for business scenarios, solve key problems such as data quality, model overfitting, deployment delay, and high cost, and ensure the stable operation of machine learning models and the generation of business value.
When building credit risk assessment models for financial enterprises, MLA-C01 holders can use SageMaker Data Wrangler to clean and preprocess credit data; Train a risk assessment model using SageMaker built-in algorithms. Deploy the model as a real-time API service through SageMaker Endpoint for the credit system to call; Use SageMaker Model Monitor to monitor model performance drift, regularly retrain the model with new data, and ensure the accuracy of evaluation results.
2. Why Earn Your AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate Certification?
MLA-C01 is the only official intermediate machine learning engineer certification from AWS, filling the certification gap between "algorithm theory" and "engineering implementation." When companies recruit cloud native machine learning engineers, they often list them as a "priority or even a necessary condition," especially in industries with strong demand for intelligence. They have a high degree of recognition and are the "stepping stone" to enter the AWS machine learning ecosystem.
The MLA-C01 certification focuses on "practical implementation" rather than "algorithm research." After passing it, it can prove the full process capability of pushing machine learning models from the "laboratory" to the "production environment," solving the most concerned "how to use, stabilize, and save" problems for enterprises. After joining, it can quickly undertake practical projects.
Holders of MLA-C01 certification can join the AWS machine learning community to obtain official best practice documents and industry cases; prioritize participation in AWS re: Invent, machine learning technology summits, and other events to connect with experts and high-end project opportunities in the same field, laying the foundation for advanced machine learning engineers or AI architects.
3. Core Components of the MLA-C01 Certification
For developers and data scientists who are committed to becoming machine learning engineers, AI solution architects, or wish to integrate intelligent capabilities into their business, AWS Certified Machine Learning Specialty (MLA-C01) certification is an authoritative credential representing advanced professional skills.
The MLA-C01 certification focuses deeply on end-to-end full lifecycle management of machine learning projects on the AWS cloud, aiming to systematically verify whether you have complete practical abilities from data preparation to model production and operation.
As the cornerstone of model success, data preparation and feature engineering require proficiency in how to obtain data from sources. Key skills also include using SageMaker Feature Store for feature storage and management, providing consistent and high-quality data input for subsequent training and inference, and ensuring model quality from the source.
Model construction and training are the core technical processes of authentication. You need to master the ability to select appropriate algorithms based on business scenarios and efficiently configure and initiate training tasks using SageMaker.
Translating the model into actual productivity is key. You need to be proficient in deploying real-time inference services through SageMaker Endpoint and implementing blue-green deployment strategies. At the same time, you should be able to flexibly apply batch conversion and asynchronous inference according to scene requirements, and understand how to use SageMaker Neo to optimize and deploy models to edge devices, achieving low latency localized inference.
To ensure the continuous reliability of the model in the production environment, you need to be able to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the model and use SageMaker Model Monitor to continuously monitor feature drift and model performance drift in production, and set alarms. In addition, it is necessary to master model optimization techniques to cope with overfitting, improve inference speed, and reduce operating costs.
4. What are the requirements to be an AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate?
(1) Qualification prerequisites:
Before obtaining the MLA-C01 certification, it is recommended that you have 6-12 months of practical experience in AWS machine learning services and be familiar with the configuration and use of SageMaker core components.
You should have basic knowledge of machine learning theory, programming skills, and data processing abilities.You can prioritize obtaining CLF-C02 certification to solidify your AWS foundation or have AWS data related certification experience, reducing the difficulty of learning.
(2) Training and examinations:
The MLA-C01 consists of approximately 65 questions, including multiple-choice questions and scenario analysis questions for designing machine learning solutions based on business scenarios.
The exam lasts for 130 minutes, including 10 minutes of pre exam instructions and a 5-minute survey questionnaire. Full score of 1000, pass with 720 points or above. The exam fee is $150.
(3) Qualification maintenance:
The MLA-C01 certificate is valid for 3 years and must be renewed within the validity period by taking the "renewal exam" that focuses on the latest features and best practices of AWS machine learning services or obtaining a higher-level AWS certification.
5. Comparable Certifications to AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate Certification
Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate (DP-100)
Google Cloud Professional Machine Learning Engineer
Alibaba Cloud Certified Associate - Artificial Intelligence
AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty (MLS-C01)
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Table of Contents1. Introduction to the AZ-500 certification2. Career Value of Holding the AZ-500 Certification3. Overview of the AZ-500 Certification4. What are the requirements to be an AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate?5. Comparable Certifications to AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate Certification
Microsoft Azure Security Technologies is a core intermediate certification in Azure security, focusing on the design and implementation of practical security solutions.
1. Introduction to the AZ-500 certification
Microsoft Azure Security Technologies (AZ-500) is an intermediate security certification launched by Microsoft, focusing on verifying the practical ability of practitioners to design, implement, manage, and monitor security protection solutions on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.
It is the only exam for the "Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate" certification, aimed at technical personnel with Azure foundation and security experience, aiming to cultivate practical security engineers who can ensure the security of Azure environment, data, and applications. It is the core qualification for transforming from a "general IT position" to an "Azure security expert."
With the acceleration of enterprise cloud migration, Azure environments are facing increasingly prominent security risks such as network attacks, data breaches, and privilege abuse, requiring professionals to build a "defense in depth" system.
The core of AZ-500 certification is to cultivate "practical security protection implementers in the Azure ecosystem," rather than simply "security theory researchers."The holder must be proficient in Azure core security services, able to design and implement security solutions for Azure resources, solve practical security issues, and ensure that the Azure environment meets security compliance standards.
When building security protection for enterprise Azure environments, AZ-500 certificate holders will configure multi factor authentication and conditional access policies through Azure AD to prevent account theft; Build network boundary protection using Azure Firewall and network security groups to restrict unauthorized access; Manage encryption keys through Azure Key Vault and enable static encryption for storage accounts and virtual machine disks; Build a security operations center using Azure Sentinel, collect logs, and respond to security events.
2. Career Value of Holding the AZ-500 Certification
AZ-500 is the only official Azure intermediate security certification from Microsoft, highly recognized among enterprises using Azure. When recruiting for Azure security positions, it is often listed as a "must-have condition," which is the core distinguishing factor between ordinary IT personnel and security experts.
AZ-500 certification focuses on "practical implementation," which proves the ability to independently solve Azure security issues and directly undertake enterprise Azure security projects, avoiding the embarrassment of "only knowing theory but not practical operation."
AZ-500 certificate holders can join the Microsoft Azure Security Exclusive Community to obtain official security best practice documents, threat intelligence updates, and industry compliance solutions; prioritize participation in Microsoft Security Technology Summit and offline salons, connect with experts in the same field and high-end project opportunities, and lay the foundation for advanced senior security engineers or security architects.
3. Overview of the AZ-500 Certification
For professionals who are committed to becoming cloud security experts and responsible for designing and maintaining the overall security posture of Azure environments, the AZ-500 Microsoft Azure Security Technology Certification is a highly authoritative core certification.
The AZ-500 certification focuses on the full process and defense in depth security system of Azure cloud platform, aiming to systematically verify whether you have comprehensive protection capabilities from identity, platform to data and applications. It is a key yardstick to measure your technical depth in the Azure security field.
As the first line of defense for security, managing identity and access requires proficiency in the core configuration of Azure Active Directory, including implementing multi factor authentication and RBAC based on the principle of least privilege. Furthermore, you must master advanced services such as privileged identity management and conditional access to achieve immediate control over privileged access and risk based refined access policies, thus building a strong barrier to identity security.
Implementing the platform protection module requires you to implement security practices into specific resources. You need to master configuring terminal protection and disk encryption for virtual machines, enabling network isolation and data encryption for storage accounts, and implementing security enhancements for Azure Kubernetes services to ensure the security baseline of the computing and storage infrastructure itself.
You need to be able to use Microsoft Defender for Cloud as a unified security management platform to assess and improve the overall security situation. This includes checking security scores, fixing vulnerabilities, and using Azure Policy to enforce custom compliance standards, ensuring that the environment continues to comply with internal policies and external regulatory requirements.
The core of security lies in protecting data. You need to master configuring encryption for services and using Azure Information Protection for data classification and leak prevention. At the same time, you must be proficient in deploying web application firewalls and protecting APIs, and centrally store sensitive information such as application keys in Azure Key Vault to build critical protection at the application layer.
Finally, certification requires you to possess proactive threat management and emergency response capabilities. You need to configure the Microsoft Defender series plan for threat detection and use Azure Sentinel, a cloud native SIEM tool, to centrally collect and analyze security information, and create automated response scripts to quickly respond to and contain security incidents.
4. What are the requirements to be an AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate?
(1) Qualification prerequisites:
Before you prepare for the AZ-500 certification, we recommend that you have at least 6-12 months of Azure basic operations experience and be familiar with configuring Azure core resources; Understand basic network security knowledge and common types of network attacks and defense methods.
You can choose to prioritize passing the Azure Basic Certification or Intermediate Administrator Certification to solidify your Azure technology foundation.
(2) Training and examinations:
The AZ-500 has approximately 40-60 questions, including multiple-choice questions and practical questions for simulating Azure security configuration scenarios. The exam lasts approximately 180 minutes. Full score of 1000, pass with 700 points or above. The exam fee is approximately 165 US dollars.
(3) Qualification maintenance:
The AZ-500 certificate is valid for 3 years and needs to be renewed by focusing on the latest Azure security service features and threat prevention practices during the validity period through the "renewal exam."
5. Comparable Certifications to AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate Certification
AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty (MLS-C01)
AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate (DEA-C01)
Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate (AI-102)
Google Cloud AI Engineer Certification
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Table of Contents1. Introduction to the Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions certification2. The Competitive Edge of an AZ-400 Certification3. Core Components of the AZ-400 Certification4. What are the requirements to be a Microsoft Azure DevOps Solution?5. Comparable Certifications to Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions Certification
AZ-400 is a top-level certification in the DevOps field that focuses on practical DevOps design and implementation capabilities across the entire DevOps process.
1. Introduction to the Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions certification
Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions (AZ-400) is an advanced professional level certification launched by Microsoft, focusing on verifying the end-to-end capabilities of practitioners in designing, implementing, and managing DevOps practices based on the Microsoft Azure platform.
AZ-400 is the only exam for Microsoft Certified DevOps Engineer Expert certification, aimed at technical personnel with dual experience in Azure and DevOps. It aims to cultivate expert level DevOps talents who can connect the entire process of "development testing operation" and achieve rapid iteration and stable delivery of business, and is a key qualification for transitioning from a "single role" to a "full process leader."
In the digital transformation of enterprises, it is necessary to break down the "development and operation barriers" and achieve the business goals of "rapid development, frequent deployment, and stable operation" through DevOps practices. This requires technicians to understand both the development process and operations management, as well as proficiently apply the Azure toolchain to implement DevOps concepts.
The core positioning of AZ-400 certification is to cultivate "expert DevOps practitioners in the Azure ecosystem" rather than simply "tool users." The certificate holder needs to master the core ideas of DevOps, be able to design DevOps processes in conjunction with Azure services, solve key problems throughout the entire process, and ultimately achieve rapid delivery of business value.
When building the Azure DevOps system for Internet products, AZ-400 licensees will use Azure Boards to plan agile projects; Hosting code through Azure Repos and configuring branch policies; Build a CI/CD pipeline using Azure Pipelines; Using Azure Configuration Manager to achieve consistency between infrastructure, code, and configuration; Monitor application performance and deployment status through Azure Monitor + Application Insights, and continuously optimize pipeline and product quality based on feedback.
2. The Competitive Edge of an AZ-400 Certification
AZ-400 is Microsoft's only DevOps expert level certification, highly recognized in the Azure ecosystem of enterprises. When recruiting for DevOps positions in large companies, it is often listed as a "must-have condition," which is the core distinguishing factor between ordinary technical personnel and DevOps experts.
AZ-400 certification covers the entire DevOps process practice, and passing it can demonstrate end-to-end capabilities from project planning to code delivery, from monitoring feedback to continuous improvement. It can independently lead enterprise DevOps transformation and solve complex problems throughout the entire process.
AZ-400 certificate holders can join the Microsoft DevOps exclusive community to obtain official best practice documents, the latest tool features, and industry cases; priority participation in Microsoft DevOps Technology Summit and offline salons, connecting with experts in the same field and high-end project opportunities, laying the foundation for career advancement.
3. Core Components of the AZ-400 Certification
For professionals committed to becoming Azure DevOps experts and driving efficient and agile software delivery for enterprises, AZ-400 certification is a highly valuable advanced certification.
AZ-400 certification is not limited to the use of a single tool, but focuses deeply on the comprehensive integration of end-to-end DevOps culture, processes, and technology, aiming to verify your ability to design DevOps practice system.
As the starting point for all practices, you need to have a deep understanding of DevOps culture and agile methodology, and be able to use Azure Boards for work item management and project progress tracking. More importantly, you will learn to define and track key DORA metrics such as deployment frequency and average recovery time, and continuously improve through data-driven teams.
Designing and implementing source code management is the cornerstone of modern collaborative development. You need to be proficient in using Azure Repos to design efficient branch strategies, configure branch strategies, and enforce code reviews to ensure code quality. At the same time, security practices such as static code analysis and key scanning must be shifted to the left to control risks from the source.
The design and implementation of building and publishing pipelines are the core and essence of certification. You need to master the use of Azure Pipelines to build a complete CI/CD pipeline, achieving full process automation from code compilation, testing to deployment.
You will learn how to integrate Application Insights and Azure Monitor to establish observability of application performance, set up intelligent alerts, and quickly locate issues. By aggregating user feedback and system logs, a feedback loop is formed from operations to development, providing data support for optimizing product experience and system stability.
Finally, you need to master higher-level automation skills, including using Azure Automation for operational automation, as well as managing container images and Kubernetes deployments to achieve true cloud native DevOps.
4. What are the requirements to be a Microsoft Azure DevOps Solution?
(1) Qualification prerequisites:
If you wish to prepare for the AZ-400 certification, we recommend having 1-2 years of practical experience in Azure and being familiar with the basic configuration and management of Azure core services.
It is preferable to have at least 1 year of DevOps related experience and an understanding of DevOps and agile concepts; Master at least one programming language and infrastructure, namely code tools. You can first obtain Azure Intermediate certification to solidify your Azure technology foundation.
(2) Training and examinations:
The AZ-400 has approximately 40-60 questions, including multiple-choice questions and case analysis questions. The exam duration is 180 minutes; full score of 1000, pass with 700 points or above. The exam fee varies slightly in different regions, around $165.
(3) Qualification maintenance:
The AZ-400 certificate is valid for 3 years, and you need to pass the "renewal exam" or obtain a higher-level Azure certification within the validity period to renew the certificate's validity.
5. Comparable Certifications to Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions Certification
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional
Google Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer
Kubernetes Certified Administrator (CKA)
Kubernetes Certified Application Developer (CKAD)
DevOps Institute Certified DevOps Professional (CDP)
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Table of Contents1. Introduction to the Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions certification2. The Competitive Edge of an DEA-C01 Certification3. Core Components of the DEA-C01 Certification4. What are the requirements to be an AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate?5. Comparable Certifications to AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate Certification
The DEA-C01 is a core intermediate certification in the AWS data engineering field, focusing on practical data pipeline building and end-to-end data processing capabilities.
1. Introduction to the Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions certification
AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate (DEA-C01) is a mid-level data engineering certification launched by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in 2023, focusing on verifying practitioners' end-to-end practical abilities in designing, building, automating, and operating data pipelines based on AWS services, and achieving data analysis and visualization.
It is the first intermediate qualification in the AWS certification system specifically designed for data engineers, filling the capability gap between "data foundation" and "advanced data architecture." Its aim is to cultivate intermediate data talents who can adapt to enterprise data-driven needs and use the AWS toolchain to solve practical data engineering problems.
In the digital transformation of enterprises, data is the core asset, but raw data needs to go through the entire process of "collection cleaning conversion storage analysis" in order to be transformed into valuable information for decision-making. This process requires professional data engineers to build stable, efficient, and scalable data pipelines.
The core of DEA-C01 certification is to cultivate "practical data pipeline builders in the AWS ecosystem" rather than simply "data tool users." The certificate holder needs to master the collaborative application of AWS core data services, be able to design data engineering solutions based on business scenarios, solve key problems such as data transmission delay, incompatible formats, high storage costs, and low analysis efficiency, and ensure the safe, efficient flow and value realization of data in the AWS environment.
When building a user behavior analysis data pipeline for e-commerce platforms, DEA-C01 certificate holders can use Kinesis Data Firehose to collect real-time user behavior logs from the app and transmit them to S3 Data Lake for raw data storage; use Glue ETL to convert unstructured logs into structured data and output it to the Redshift data warehouse; perform data quality verification through Glue DataBrew.
2. The Competitive Edge of an DEA-C01 Certification
DEA-C01 is AWS's first intermediate certification specifically designed for data engineers, filling the "competency certification gap" in data engineering positions When companies recruit AWS data engineers, they often list them as a "priority or even a necessary condition," especially in data-driven industries, where they are highly recognized and serve as the "gateway" to enter the AWS data ecosystem.
DEA-C01 certification covers the entire process of data engineering, and the learning process can help practitioners establish a "cloud native data engineering mindset" and master flexibility Serverless, the unique data processing mode of cloud computing, such as Hucang integration, solves the pain points of traditional data engineering in resource expansion, cost control, and flexibility.
Holders of DEA-C01 certification can join the AWS Data Engineer Community to obtain official data engineering best practice documents and industry cases; priority participation in AWS Data Technology Summit and offline salons, connecting with experts in the same field and high-end project opportunities, laying the foundation for advanced senior data engineers or data architects.
3. Core Components of the DEA-C01 Certification
For IT professionals who are committed to becoming data architects, data engineers, or wish to master large-scale data processing and analysis, the AWS Certified Data Engineer Associate (DEAC01) certification is a highly targeted proof of professional competence.
DEA-C01 certification focuses on the full process practice of designing, building, and maintaining end-to-end data pipelines on AWS cloud, aiming to verify whether you have complete technical capabilities from data collection to value delivery. It is an important competency benchmark for data professionals in the AWS technology stack.
The core of designing a data storage solution lies in selecting the appropriate storage solution based on the data application scenario. You need to master the construction of an economically efficient data lake based on S3, deploy high-performance data warehouses and optimize table structures using Redshift, and flexibly choose RDS, DynamoDB, and ElastiCache for transactional, caching, and other scenarios to achieve a modern architecture of "lake warehouse integration."
The design of data conversion and processing solutions is the core and difficulty of authentication. You will learn to use Glue ETL for large-scale batch processing, utilize Kinesis Data Analytics for real-time stream processing, and use tools such as Glue DataBrew to ensure data quality, cleaning and transforming raw data into reliable datasets for analysis.
The data analysis and visualization solution design module focuses on the ultimate presentation of data value. You need to master the use of QuickSight to create interactive dashboards and provide self-service analysis capabilities for business users; at the same time, Athena can be used to perform ad hoc queries on data lakes and seamlessly integrate processed data with machine learning services such as SageMaker.
Excellent engineering capabilities cannot be achieved without automation and governance. You need to be proficient in using Step Functions and EventBridge to orchestrate complex data workflows and governance systems through tools.
4. What are the requirements to be an AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate?
(1) Qualification prerequisites:
To obtain DEA-C01 certification, we recommend that you have 6-12 months of practical experience in AWS data services and be familiar with the configuration and use of core data services.
It is recommended that you have a basic understanding of data engineering concepts and basic SQL programming skills, and prioritize passing the AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) certification to solidify your AWS foundational knowledge.
(2) Training and examinations:
DEA-C01 has a total of approximately 65 questions, including multiple-choice questions and scenario analysis questions for designing data pipeline solutions based on business scenarios. The exam lasts for 130 minutes, including 10 minutes of pre exam instructions and a 5-minute survey questionnaire.
The maximum score for the exam is 1000 points, and passing with a score of 720 or above will incur an exam fee of approximately $150.
(3) Qualification maintenance:
The DEA-C01 certificate is valid for 3 years and must be renewed within the validity period by passing the "renewal exam" or obtaining a higher-level AWS certification.
5. Comparable Certifications to AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate Certification
Alibaba Cloud ACP—Big Data Engineer
Huawei HCIP—Big Data Developer
Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer
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Table of Contents1. Introduction to the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate Certification2. The Rewards of Being an AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate3. Core Components of the SOA-C02 Certification4. What are the requirements to be an AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate?5. Comparable Certifications to AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate Certification
The SOA-C02 is a core intermediate certification in the AWS cloud operations and maintenance field that focuses on practical operations and maintenance management.
1. Introduction to the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate Certification
AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate (SOA-C02) is a mid-level cloud operations certification launched by Amazon Web Services, focusing on verifying practitioners' practical abilities in deploying, managing, monitoring, optimizing, and troubleshooting cloud infrastructure on the AWS cloud platform.
It is the core operation and maintenance certification in the AWS certification system, aimed at operation and maintenance personnel with basic AWS experience, aiming to cultivate intermediate operation and maintenance experts who can ensure the efficient, stable, and secure operation of AWS resources. It is a key qualification for the transformation from "traditional operation and maintenance" to "cloud operation and maintenance."
After the enterprise goes to the cloud, professional operation and maintenance personnel are needed to solve the unique operation and maintenance challenges of the cloud environment. The core of SOA-C02 certification is to cultivate "practical operation and maintenance managers for AWS cloud environments," rather than simply "resource operators."
The certificate holder needs to master the operational details of AWS core services, be able to perform daily resource management, monitor alarms, optimize performance, secure reinforcement, and have the ability to automate operations and cost control, ensuring that the AWS environment supports stable business operations and achieves efficient resource utilization.
When operating the AWS environment of the e-commerce platform, SOA-C02 certificate holders can automatically scale/reduce EC2 instances based on traffic through Auto Scaling, and use ELB to distribute requests to avoid single point of failure; monitor CPU usage, database connections, and other indicators through CloudWatch, set alarms to respond promptly to anomalies; utilize IAM strategy to control employee permissions and defend against web attacks through WAF; optimize costs and reduce waste by clearing idle EBS volumes through Reserved Instances.
2. The Rewards of Being an AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate
SOA-C02 is the most popular intermediate operations certification for AWS, with numerous holders worldwide, making it a "standard" for companies recruiting AWS operations engineers When recruiting for large companies and AWS partners, it is often listed as a "must-have condition," and it is difficult for uncertified individuals to enter mid to high end cloud operations positions.
SOA-C02 certification covers the entire operation and maintenance process, and the learning process can help practitioners establish a "cloud native operation and maintenance mindset," master cloud specific operation and maintenance capabilities such as elastic resource management, distributed fault diagnosis, and automated operation and maintenance, and solve the pain points faced by traditional operation and maintenance in cloud environments.
AWS ecosystem resource docking: Holders can join the AWS operations community to obtain official best practices documents and industry cases for operations; prioritize participation in AWS technology summits and operations salons, connect with experts in the same field and high-end project opportunities, and lay the foundation for advanced operations or DevOps engineers.
3. Core Components of the SOA-C02 Certification
For practitioners who aspire to become AWS cloud platform operations experts and ensure stable, secure, and efficient cloud business operations, AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate (SOA-C02) certification is a crucial proof of competency.
Unlike solution architects who focus on architecture design and developers who specialize in application development, the core of SOA-C02 lies in "operations and maintenance." It aims to verify whether you have the comprehensive practical capabilities required to deploy, manage, monitor, protect, and optimize workloads on AWS, and is a solid bridge connecting cloud architecture design with daily stable operation.
Monitoring, logging, and troubleshooting are the eyes and ears of system administrators, and also the most important parts in exams. You need to be proficient in using Amazon CloudWatch for metric monitoring and alerting, and using CloudWatch Logs and CloudTrail for log analysis and operational auditing. More importantly, you must master a systematic methodology that can quickly locate and solve common failures in various services, from computing and networking to storage and databases.
You need to have a deep understanding and be able to operate and implement highly available core services, such as Auto Scaling groups and elastic load balancers, to ensure that the business can cope with traffic fluctuations and avoid single points of failure. At the same time, you must master the use of tools such as AWS Backup and S3 cross regional replication to design and implement disaster recovery strategies, ensuring business continuity.
Excellent operations pursue automation. You need to master the use of infrastructure as code through AWS CloudFormation to standardize and automate resource deployment. In addition, you should be familiar with using Systems Manager for batch operations and be able to configure EventBridge and basic CI/CD pipelines to respond to events and achieve automated operations.
Security is the lifeline of operations and maintenance. You must be proficient in IAM and able to finely control access based on the principle of least privilege. At the same time, you need to master data encryption, network security groups, WAF and other security configurations, and be able to use AWS Config and Organizations to manage compliance and multi account governance.
Cost and resource optimization means that you need to have a strong sense of cost awareness, be able to use tools such as Cost Explorer to analyze expenses, and continuously optimize cloud resource usage through reasonable selection of instance types, configuration of S3 lifecycle strategies, etc., in order to reduce costs and increase efficiency for the enterprise.
4. What are the requirements to be an AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate?
(1) Qualification prerequisites:
Before you take the SOA-C02 exam, we recommend that you have 6-12 months of practical AWS operation and maintenance experience, familiar with the configuration and management of core services such as EC2, VPC, S3, RDS, CloudWatch, etc.
You can first obtain AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) certification to solidify your basic understanding of AWS; master basic Linux operation and maintenance skills and network knowledge; understand the basic concepts of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and automated operations and maintenance.
(2) Training and examinations:
SOA-C02 has a total of approximately 65 questions, including multiple-choice questions and scenario analysis questions for selecting solutions based on operational scenarios. The exam lasts for 130 minutes, including 10 minutes of pre exam instructions and a 5-minute survey questionnaire. Full score of 1000, pass with 720 points or above. The exam fee is $150.
(3) Qualification maintenance:
The SOA-C02 certificate is valid for 3 years and must be renewed within the validity period by passing the "renewal exam" focused on AWS new services and best practices for operations and maintenance, or obtaining a higher-level certification.
5. Comparable Certifications to AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate Certification
Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate
Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer (ACE)
Huawei Cloud Certified - Cloud Operations & Maintenance Engineer Associate
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Table of Contents1. Introduction to the Microsoft Azure Architect Design certification2. The Competitive Edge of an AZ-304 Certification3. Core Components of the AZ-304 Certification4. What are the requirements to be a Microsoft Azure Architect Design?5. Comparable Certifications to Microsoft Azure Architect Design Certification
AZ-304 is an advanced certification for Azure enterprise architecture design that focuses on “the ability to design architectural solutions for complex business scenarios.”
1. Introduction to the Microsoft Azure Architect Design certification
Microsoft Azure Architect Design (AZ-304) is an advanced architecture certification launched by Microsoft, focusing on verifying the ability of practitioners to design "high availability, high security, scalable, and cost optimized" enterprise level solutions based on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.
It is one of the core exams for the "Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert" certification, which needs to be passed in conjunction with AZ-305. It is aimed at technical personnel with rich practical experience in Azure and aims to cultivate expert level architects who can transform complex business requirements into stable and efficient Azure architecture. It is a key qualification for transitioning from "intermediate technical personnel" to "senior architects."
In the digital transformation of enterprises, architects need to solve the core problem of "how to implement business requirements into Azure technology architecture." It is necessary to balance availability, security, performance, and cost while adapting to the existing IT environment of the enterprise and having long-term scalability. The core positioning of the AZ-304 certification is to cultivate "expert designers of Azure enterprise level solutions" rather than "pure service configurators."
The certificate holder needs to be proficient in the deep characteristics and applicable scenarios of Azure core services, able to design end-to-end architecture solutions for complex business scenarios, solve key challenges in the architecture, ensure technical feasibility, business adaptation, and controllable costs of the solutions.
When designing the core trading system Azure architecture for financial enterprises, AZ-304 certificate holders will adopt a "multi-region + multi availability zone" deployment to ensure high availability, and achieve dedicated line connection between local data centers and Azure through "FHIR" to meet compliance requirements, simultaneously planning "resource labeling + Azure Cost Management" to achieve precise cost control.
2. The Competitive Edge of an AZ-304 Certification
The Azure Solution Architect Expert Certification, consisting of AZ-304 and AZ-305, is one of the highest level architecture certifications in the Microsoft Azure system and is highly recognized in enterprises. When recruiting for Azure architect positions, it is often listed as a "must-have condition," which is the core distinguishing factor between senior technical personnel and architecture experts.
The AZ-304 exam does not focus on "service configuration details," but rather on a large number of complex business scenario questions, forcing candidates to establish a "business technology" transformation thinking and a "multidimensional balancing" thinking. After learning, they can truly possess the ability to independently design enterprise level architecture solutions, rather than simply being "Azure service users."
AZ-304 certificate holders can join the Microsoft Azure Architect exclusive community to obtain official architecture best practice documents and industry solution cases; prioritize participation in Microsoft technology summits and closed door meetings for architects, connect with experts in the same field and opportunities for high-end projects, and lay the foundation for career development.
3. Core Components of the AZ-304 Certification
For professionals committed to becoming enterprise level cloud solution architects, AZ-304 certification is the authoritative standard for measuring their architectural design capabilities. This certification, together with AZ-303, forms the Azure Solution Architecture Expert Certification pathway, focusing on cultivating and validating your ability to design complex, secure, efficient, and cost-effective Azure solutions in enterprise environments.
As the core of architecture, designing computing solutions requires proficiency in making optimal choices among virtual machines, Kubernetes services, application services, and serverless computing options based on different business scenarios. You will learn to design highly available and scalable architectures, such as utilizing virtual machine scale sets and AKS cluster automation, to ensure that computing resources can flexibly respond to business fluctuations while ensuring service continuity.
The internet is the artery that connects everything. You need to master the design of a secure, efficient, and flexible enterprise level network architecture, including planning the layering and isolation of virtual networks, implementing interconnection between hybrid clouds and cross regional networks, and configuring advanced services such as load balancing, firewalls, and DDoS protection to provide reliable, low latency, and secure network environments for applications.
Security is the cornerstone of architecture design. You will delve into designing a modern identity authentication and fine-grained access control system based on Azure Active Directory, and build a defense in depth strategy from identity to data, from network to application. In addition, you need to be able to plan an architecture that complies with industry standards such as GDPR and ISO, and utilize tools such as Azure Security Center to achieve continuous security monitoring and threat response.
Excellent architects are also economists of enterprises. You need to master the optimization of long-term costs through reserved instances, serverless architecture, and other methods, and design a governance framework based on management groups, Azure policies, and blueprints to achieve standardized deployment and compliance control of resources. At the same time, design a complete observability scheme to ensure the healthy operation of the architecture and rapid fault location.
4. What are the requirements to be a Microsoft Azure Architect Design?
(1) Qualification prerequisites:
Before obtaining AZ-304 certification, you need to pass an Azure basic certification. We recommend that you have at least 2 years of practical experience in Azure and be proficient in the deep features of core services such as Azure computing. Having experience in enterprise level IT architecture design and understanding the logic of transforming complex business requirements into technical architecture.
You can prioritize obtaining Azure Intermediate certification to solidify your technical foundation.
(2) Training and examinations:
AZ-304 has a total of approximately 40-60 questions, including multiple-choice questions and case analysis questions on designing architecture solutions based on complex business scenarios; The exam lasts for 180 minutes; Full score of 1000, pass with 700 points or above; The exam fee is approximately 165 US dollars.
(3) Qualification maintenance:
If you only pass AZ-304 aloneland do not receive an expert level certificate, you need to pass both AZ-304 and AZ-305 to obtain the "Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert" certificate.
The AZ-304 certificate is valid for 3 years and must be renewed within the validity period by passing the "renewal exam" focused on the latest Azure services and architecture best practices updates or obtaining higher-level certification.
5. Comparable Certifications to Microsoft Azure Architect Design Certification
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional
Google Cloud Certified - Professional Cloud Architect
Microsoft Azure for SAP Workload Specialty
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Table of Contents1. Introduction to the Microsoft Azure for SAP Workload Specialty certification2. The Rewards of Being a Microsoft Azure for SAP Workload Specialty3. Core Components of the AZ-120 Certification4. What are the requirements to be a Microsoft Azure for SAP Workload Specialty?5. Comparable Certifications to Microsoft Azure for SAP Workload Specialty Certification
AZ-120 is a high-end professional certification in the "Azure + SAP" field, focusing on the cloud deployment, management, and optimization of complex SAP workloads.
1. Introduction to the Microsoft Azure for SAP Workload Specialty certification
Microsoft Azure for SAP Workload Specialty (AZ-120) is an advanced professional level cloud certification launched by Microsoft, focusing on verifying the end-to-end capabilities of practitioners and optimizing SAP workloads on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.AZ-120 aims to cultivate expert level talents who can support enterprise SAP system cloud and hybrid cloud deployment.
The SAP system is a core business system for enterprises, and its migration to Azure requires addressing complex challenges such as high performance, high availability, data security, and compliance compatibility. The core positioning of AZ-120 certification is to cultivate "expert level implementers and managers of SAP workloads on Azure," rather than ordinary cloud or SAP technology practitioners.
The certificate holder must be proficient in both Azure core services and SAP system architecture, able to translate enterprise SAP business requirements into technical solutions adapted to Azure, solve key problems in the SAP cloud migration process, and ensure stable, efficient, and compliant operation of the SAP system in the Azure environment.
When deploying SAP S/4HANA for manufacturing enterprises, AZ-120 certificate holders will choose Azure virtual machines to adapt to the high memory requirements of SAP HANA; Provide high-performance storage through Azure NetApp Files to ensure database read and write speeds; design a multi regional and multi availability zone architecture, combined with Azure Site Recovery to achieve cross regional disaster recovery for SAP ystems. Configure Azure AD and SAP Weaver integration to achieve unified identity authentication; Utilize Azure Monitor in conjunction with SAP Solution Manager to monitor system performance and business processes, and quickly locate faults.
2. The Rewards of Being a Microsoft Azure for SAP Workload Specialty
AZ-120 is the only advanced professional certification for SAP workloads in the Azure system, with a small number of holders in China, and belongs to the "scarce high-end talent" certification. When companies recruit for SAP cloud related positions, they often list them as "essential requirements," which is the core distinguishing factor between ordinary technical personnel and expert level talents. The average annual salary of AZ-120 certificate holders is 60%-80% higher than that of ordinary Azure or SAP technicians.
AZ-120 certification requires dual technical depth of "Azure + SAP," which can prove the ability to solve complex SAP cloud problems end-to-end, become the core technical backbone of the enterprise, and have priority participation in major SAP migration projects, with broad career development opportunities.
AZ-120 holders can join the Microsoft Azure for SAP exclusive community to obtain official technical documentation, the latest integration solutions between SAP and Azure, and priority participation in the technical preview program; Connect with high-end project resources and networks in the Microsoft and SAP ecosystems, laying the foundation for career advancement.
3. Core Components of the AZ-120 Certification
For IT architects, consultants, or administrators who focus on cloud based enterprise critical business systems, AZ-120 certification is a highly professional, in-depth, and strategically valuable specialized certification. It marks that you are no longer an ordinary cloud expert, but have the top-notch solution capability to successfully migrate, deploy, and optimize the most core and complex SAP systems of the enterprise to the Azure platform.
AZ-120 certification focuses deeply on the specific field of "Azure + SAP," requiring you to master the full lifecycle management from early planning to later operation and maintenance, and ensure that performance, high availability, security, and cost meet enterprise level requirements.
SAP workload planning and Azure resource selection are the cornerstone of all work and the highest weighted part of the exam. You need to have a deep understanding of the unique architecture requirements of various components in SAP, and be able to accurately select certified Azure virtual machines based on SAP's official certification checklist. At the same time, you must conduct precise capacity planning and optimize ownership costs using strategies such as reserving instances.
Azure infrastructure deployment and SAP system installation module assessment will assess the ability to plan and implement. You need to design a secure and isolated network topology for SAP, and master the standardized process of installing and configuring SAP HANA and Weaver application servers on Azure virtual machines.
In addition, it is necessary to understand how to achieve hybrid connectivity with local data centers through services. You need to choose the appropriate migration strategy based on business needs, and proficiently use tools such as Azure Migration for evaluation and practical operation to ensure the accuracy and completeness of data migration, and minimize business interruption time.
Excellent operation after the system goes online is the focus of certification. You must master the design of SAP high availability and disaster recovery architecture on Azure, such as deploying HANA system replication using availability zones.
Finally, certification requires you to have the ability to achieve operational automation through tools such as Azure Automation and ARM templates, and to effectively govern and control costs in SAP environments using Azure Policy and Cost Management tools, achieving long-term efficient management.
4. What are the requirements to be a Microsoft Azure for SAP Workload Specialty?
(1) Qualification prerequisites:
Before obtaining the Microsoft Azure for SAP Workload Specialty (AZ-120) certification, it is recommended that you have 1-2 years of experience in advanced Azure operations or architecture design, proficient in deep configuration of core services.
It is recommended that you have at least 1 year of experience in SAP systems and be familiar with SAP's official certification requirements for cloud platforms. Priority can be given to obtaining Azure Intermediate certification to solidify the foundation of Azure technology.
(2) Training and examinations:
AZ-120 has approximately 40-60 questions, including multiple-choice questions and case analysis questions. The exam lasts for 180 minutes. Full score of 1000, pass with 700 points or above.
The exam fee is approximately 165 US dollars.
(3) Qualification maintenance:
The AZ-120 certificate is valid for 3 years and must be renewed within the validity period by passing an exam focused on the latest feature updates of Azure and SAP integration or obtaining a higher-level Azure certification.
5. Comparable Certifications to Microsoft Azure for SAP Workload Specialty Certification
SAP - Certified Technology Associate—SAP HANA on Premise and Cloud
SAP - Certified Application Associate —SAP S/4HANA Cloud
AWS - Certified SAP on AWS Specialty