The Azure certifications offered by Microsoft, one of the largest cloud providers in the world, are among the most in-demand certificates among Indian IT professionals.
This article will provide an overview of Microsoft Azure certifications. The tech industry’s demand for Azure-certified professionals has increased because Azure skills are highly valued and widely adopted.
Microsoft launched its first certification program for IT professionals in 1992 with just three exams. It slowly gained momentum, and individuals rushed to get certified as soon as they saw the value in the certifications.
And in 2022, Microsoft already has different role-based certification paths to keep up with current trends and skills in the tech world.
Why choose Microsoft Azure certifications?
Azure certifications are considered the ticket to excellent job opportunities for professionals in reputed organizations.
Training under Azure-related certifications validates and tests a candidate’s ability to manage, deploy, and secure apps and services in various settings.
In addition, Microsoft Azure certifications are one of the best options if you want to start your career in cloud computing. A cloud application is the most in-demand skill organizations worldwide are looking for in a professional.
Importance of Azure certifications
Firstly, as we mentioned, demand is increasing, and every company is looking to hire professionals with certified skill sets.
By earning an Azure certification, candidates demonstrate their proficiency in using Azure’s cloud-based services, increasing their marketability and likelihood of landing a high-paying job in the IT industry.
A certified Azure DevOps engineer’s annual salary is around Rs. 6 lakh in India, whereas an Azure architect can earn up to Rs. 19 lakh per year. So, depending on their experience, location, and company, AZ-certified professionals have a higher potential for earning well in the tech industry.
Besides salary, individuals should also think about the following benefits of AZ certifications:
- Better and improved cloud security
- Sharpened skill sets.
- Better career prospects
- New career opportunities
Different types of Azure certifications
Microsoft has curated role-based certifications for various job roles. These credentials are designed to make it easier for students to move from one level of certification to the next and to acquire the prerequisite skills and knowledge. The following are different role-based certifications:
- Administrator
- AI engineer
- Data Analyst
- Data Engineer
- Data Scientist
- Developer
- DevOps Engineer
- Security Engineer
- Solutions Architect
- Functional Consultant
- App Maker
- Business User
Further, these certifications are divided into three different levels of certification.
- Fundamental
- Associate
- Specialist
Best Microsoft Azure Certifications
Here, we will explore the best AZ certifications that you must choose from depending on your requirements and interests.
- Microsoft Certified AZ-900 Fundamentals
This certification will benefit beginners who wish to learn more about cloud computing fundamentals. However, professionals must pass this first exam before continuing to more advanced certifications.
This certification ensures that those who get it have a solid foundational understanding of Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform. Applicants who aren’t technically trained benefit the most from this because it helps them learn more about how cloud services can make their lives easier. The Microsoft Azure cloud platform makes this possible for various f professions and job roles.
- Level: Beginner
- Cost: Rs. 3696
- Length: 90 minutes to complete the exam.
- No.of questions- 40-60
- Format: Multiple Choice
- Passing Marks- minimum 700
- Microsoft Certified: AZ 203 Azure Developer- Associate
Professionals who complete this training and pass the required exam become qualified in planning, maintaining, and constructing cloud-based applications.
After getting this certification, IT professionals can work directly with clients, vendors, cloud administrators, and cloud computing architects.
Candidates appearing for the exam also must have a minimum of 1-2 years of experience working with Microsoft Azure cloud platforms and other tools.
- Cost: Rs. 4800
- Length: 150 minutes to complete the exam.
- No.of questions- 40-60
- Format: Multiple Choice
- Difficulty level- intermediate
- Passing marks- Minimum 700
- Microsoft Certified: AI-102 Azure AI Engineer- Associate
The Azure AI Engineer Associate certification is given to people who show they know how to build, manage, and deploy AI systems that use Azure Cognitive Services and Azure Applied AI.
They are responsible for taking part in every step of the process, from defining requirements and designing the solution to deploying it and maintaining, adjusting, and monitoring its performance.
Solution architects, data scientists, data engineers, IoT experts, and AI developers work together to create total AI solutions from start to finish. Since this certificate is associate-level, the exam structure and fees are the same as for other associate-level certifications.
- Microsoft Certified: DP 100 Data Scientist- Associate
This is another of the best Microsoft Azure certifications, DP 100, that gives subject matter expertise in applying data science and machine learning to implement and operate machine learning workloads on Azure.
To be eligible for this certification, candidates must have knowledge of and experience working with data science and machine learning. They must also know how to design and deploy a model.
- Microsoft Certified: AZ-305 Solutions Architect, Expert
The AZ 305 is an expert-level certification, so candidates must know a lot about IT operations, such as networking, virtualization, business continuity, disaster recovery, data platforms, and governance.
They should be experts on all fronts of the network, storage, monitoring, and security of the cloud applications with Azure and DevOps procedures.
- Cost: Rs. 4800
- Length: 180 minutes to complete the exam.
- No.of questions- 40-60
- Format: Multiple Choice
- Difficulty level- Advanced
- Passing marks- Minimum 70
These are some of the best and most popular Microsoft Azure certifications that IT professionals can earn to demonstrate their proficiency. There are a lot of Azure certifications for different types of jobs, and each one requires candidates to work very hard to pass the exam.
In conclusion, start with the fundamental exam before you think about any associate-level certification, as it is the most sought-after certification in the IT sector.
