MICROSOFT AZURE CERTIFICATIONS
Azure Administrator (AZ-104): Complete Certification Guide
The platform that is growing at the fastest rate is Azure, and the most sought-after credential for those seeking a career in cloud administration is the AZ-104. This guide will take you through everything — Exam topics, Roadmap, Career paths and comparison of AZ-104 with AZ-900, AZ-204, AZ-305 and AZ-400.
Quick Answers
Azure Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) demonstrates your skills in managing Azure identities, storage, virtual networks, and compute resources. It is suitable for IT professionals who have 6+ months' hands-on experience in Azure. Azure administration is a hands-on, practical skill – most candidates prepare over 6-10 weeks and do both self-study and a structured training program that includes labs.
Key Takeaways
The most basic starting point for Azure infrastructure and administration is the standard AZ-104.
It consists of the following domains: identity, storage, compute, networking, monitoring.
If you are new to cloud concepts, you're recommended to take AZ-900 (not required) prior to AZ-104.
After taking AZ-104 you might choose to specialize even more into either architecture (AZ-305) or DevOps (AZ-400).
Laboratory techniques are more valuable than studying dumps and paper.
What Are the Topics in the AZ-104 Exam?
The AZ-104 exam measures your skills to implement, manage, and monitor an Azure environment. They also cover Azure Active Directory (Microsoft Entrance ID) objects management, virtual machines and scale sets configuration, virtual networks, load balancer, VPN gateway, DNS configuration, and subscription and governance configuration (RBAC, policies, resource groups). The exam also includes the following topics: Monitoring resources with Azure Monitor, backup and recovery configuration, and cost management. Please be prepared for a variety of quiz questions, including multiple choice, drag and drop, and case studies.
Skills Required
Identity & access management — using Microsoft Entra ID, users, groups, and RBAC roles.
The basics of networking — VNets, subnets, NSGs and the concepts behind hybrid connectivity.
Storage management - creating storage accounts, storage tier, storage redundancy.
Compute administration - scale sets, containers and VMs.
Monitoring & troubleshooting — Azure Monitor, Log Analytics and alerts, to ensure uptime.
What This Certification Prepares You Fo
AZ-104 at a Glance
| Aspect | Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Prerequisite | None (AZ-900 recommended) | Beginners should start with fundamentals |
| Exam Domains | Identity, Governance, Storage, Compute, Networking, Monitoring | 5 core skill areas |
| Career Path | Azure Admin → AZ-305 or AZ-400 | Choose based on interest: architecture vs. automation |
Step-by-Step Certification Roadmap
If you don't know anything about Azure concepts, start with Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900).
Each day, experiment with new features in Azure portal while setting up a free Azure account.
Examine each of the domains of AZ-104 in a systematic manner: identity, storage, compute, networking, monitoring.
Set up hands-on labs: Deploy VMs, create VNets, create storage accounts.
Take practice tests to identify areas of weakness and corrections.
Take and retake the AZ-104 exam and then, plan for the next exam (AZ-305 or AZ-400).
Confused about where to start your Azure journey?
Talk to a certified Azure mentor and get a personalized roadmap — no cost, no obligation.
and take the first step toward your cloud career!
Expert Insights
“The consistently shared advice from industry mentors is that the candidates who do the best job of passing AZ-104 are often the ones who learn by doing in Azure rather than reading the videos along. Exposing students to real-world scenarios of resource groups and networking, as well as RBAC scenarios, adds a layer of intuition that can't be applied by the multiple-choice practice test and can be seen in an interview by an employer.