AZ-104: Azure Storage, Compute, Containers, and Automation from Coursera

Unlock the full potential of Microsoft Azure with this comprehensive course on storage, compute, containers, and automation. You’ll learn to manage complex cloud environments while building expertise in configuring and deploying Azure services. This course equips you with practical skills to streamline operations, optimize resources, and enhance scalability in your cloud infrastructure.

The course begins with mastering Azure Storage, including data import/export, redundancy, and object replication. You'll progress to configuring Azure Files and Blob Storage, covering everything from file shares to lifecycle management. Practical demonstrations ensure you can integrate these tools seamlessly into real-world IT workflows.

Dive deeper into automation using Azure Resource Manager templates and VM extensions. You’ll also explore virtual machine configurations, disk encryption, and resource management, building a robust foundation in virtualized compute environments. Further modules introduce container management, from scaling Kubernetes services to creating container apps, and finally, Azure App Service for custom domains, backups, and secure deployment.

This course is designed for IT professionals, cloud administrators, and security specialists aiming to enhance their Azure expertise. A basic understanding of cloud computing and familiarity with Azure fundamentals is recommended. With hands-on exercises and expert guidance, this intermediate-level course will elevate your Azure management skills.

What's inside

Syllabus

Manage Data in Azure Storage Accounts

In this module, we will explore the core functionalities of managing data within Azure storage accounts. You'll learn to create import/export jobs, use Azure Storage Explorer, and transfer data with AzCopy. We will also cover implementing redundancy and configuring object replication to maintain high availability and data consistency.

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Covers Azure Resource Manager templates, which are essential for Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and automating cloud deployments, a critical skill for cloud administrators

Explores Azure App Service, which allows for custom domains, backups, and secure deployment, all of which are crucial for managing applications in a professional setting

Requires a basic understanding of cloud computing and familiarity with Azure fundamentals, suggesting it is designed for those with some existing knowledge in the field

Teaches how to configure Azure Files and Blob Storage, including setting up blob storage, optimizing storage tiers, and automating data lifecycle management

Includes container management, covering deploying container instances, configuring AKS storage and scaling, and upgrading clusters, which are relevant for modern application deployment

Reviews summary

Az-104 azure core services essentials

According to learners, this course provides a solid foundation for key Azure administration concepts needed for the AZ-104 exam, covering Storage, Compute, Containers, and Automation. Many students highlight the value of the hands-on labs and practical exercises, finding them essential for applying theoretical knowledge and building real-world skills in the Azure environment. While the content is largely considered comprehensive and well-structured, a recurring note among reviews is that some sections or labs may become outdated relatively quickly due to the rapid pace of updates within Microsoft Azure. This can sometimes lead to minor discrepancies between the course material and the current Azure portal interface. The course is generally seen as a valuable resource for exam preparation and skill development, although some learners find the pace quite fast, suggesting that prior basic familiarity with Azure fundamentals is highly beneficial to keep up effectively.

Helpful for AZ-104 certification study.

"This course is a great resource for preparing for the AZ-104 certification exam."

"It gives you the practical context needed for the exam questions."

"Combined with practice tests, it's a solid part of an AZ-104 study plan."

Covers major topics for AZ-104 exam.

"The course covers all the main areas specified in the AZ-104 exam objectives."

"It provides a good overview of Storage, VMs, Containers, and automating tasks."

"I felt the course touched upon most topics I needed to know for the certification."

Practical labs are seen as very useful.

"The labs were incredibly helpful for hands-on practice and understanding the concepts."

"I learned the most by following along with the practical demonstrations and labs."

"Doing the exercises in the Azure portal really solidified my knowledge gained from the lectures."

Some learners find the course pace too fast.

"The instructor moves very quickly through the material."

"I had to constantly pause and rewind to keep up with the information density."

"Might be better suited for someone already familiar with the basic concepts as it moves fast."

Content may not fully reflect latest Azure updates.

"Some course materials, especially screenshots or lab steps, seemed a bit outdated."

"I noticed differences in the Azure portal compared to what was shown in the videos."

"Due to rapid Azure changes, some parts might require supplementary reading or videos."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in AZ-104: Azure Storage, Compute, Containers, and Automation with these activities:

Review Azure Fundamentals

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Reinforce your understanding of basic Azure concepts to better grasp the advanced topics covered in this course.

Browse courses on Azure Fundamentals

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Review the Azure Fundamentals documentation.
Complete a practice quiz on Azure services.
Identify areas where your knowledge is weak.

Read 'Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies: Exam Guide AZ-303'

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Gain a broader understanding of Azure architecture to contextualize the specific services covered in the course.

View Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies and... on Amazon

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Read the chapters related to storage, compute, and automation.
Take notes on key architectural considerations.
Relate the book's content to the course modules.

Practice ARM Template Deployments

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Solidify your understanding of ARM templates by repeatedly deploying different configurations.

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Find ARM template examples online.
Modify the templates to deploy different resources.
Deploy the templates using Azure CLI or PowerShell.
Troubleshoot any deployment errors.

Four other activities

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Create a Blog Post on Azure Storage Options

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Deepen your understanding of Azure storage by explaining the different options in a clear and concise blog post.

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Research Azure Blob, File, Queue, and Table storage.
Outline the key features and use cases of each.
Write a blog post comparing the different options.
Include diagrams and examples.
Publish the blog post online.

Automate VM Deployment with ARM Templates and PowerShell

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Apply your knowledge of ARM templates and PowerShell to automate the deployment of virtual machines.

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Design an ARM template for a specific VM configuration.
Create a PowerShell script to deploy the template.
Implement error handling and logging.
Test the script in a non-production environment.
Document the process and results.

Read 'Azure for Architects, Third Edition'

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Expand your understanding of Azure architecture and best practices to improve your cloud solution design skills.

View Azure for Architects: Create secure, scalable,... on Amazon

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Read the chapters related to your areas of interest.
Take notes on key architectural patterns.
Consider how to apply these patterns to your own projects.

Contribute to an Azure Open Source Project

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Gain practical experience and contribute to the Azure community by participating in an open-source project.

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Find an Azure-related open-source project on GitHub.
Review the project's documentation and code.
Identify a bug or feature to work on.
Submit a pull request with your changes.
Respond to feedback from the project maintainers.

Career center

Learners who complete AZ-104: Azure Storage, Compute, Containers, and Automation will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Azure Administrator

An Azure administrator implements, manages, and monitors an organization's Microsoft Azure environment. This involves configuring virtual networks, managing storage accounts, deploying virtual machines, and ensuring the security and compliance of cloud resources. This course directly prepares one for a role as Azure administrator. The course covers all the core areas of Azure administration, including managing data in storage accounts, creating and configuring VMs, working with containers, and automating deployments. The knowledge gained from the course helps build a strong foundation for administering Azure environments effectively. This course helps with the day-to-day tasks and procedures necessary to maintain and optimize an Azure environment.

See salaries and explore the career path for Azure Administrator

Cloud Architect

A cloud architect designs and oversees the implementation of cloud computing strategies for organizations. The cloud architect ensures that cloud solutions are secure, scalable, and reliable. This course is directly applicable to a cloud architect's role by building skills in Azure Storage, Compute, Containers, and Automation. The modules on automating deployment with templates, configuring virtual machines, and managing Azure App Service directly contribute to the architect's ability to design and implement robust cloud solutions. A fundamental understanding of Azure, which this course provides, helps build a strong foundation for cloud architecture work. The course will be useful in the creation, as well as the configuration of virtual machines.

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DevOps Engineer

A DevOps engineer automates and streamlines software development and deployment processes. This involves continuous integration, continuous delivery, and infrastructure as code. This course helps build a solid foundation for a DevOps engineer working with Azure. The focus on Azure Resource Manager templates for automating deployments, container management with Kubernetes, and configuration of Azure App Service improves deployment pipelines. This course helps with the automation skills needed to manage infrastructure efficiently. Learning about data import/export, redundancy, and object replication helps to prepare them for high availability deployment.

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Cloud Operations Engineer

A cloud operations engineer is responsible for the day-to-day management and maintenance of cloud infrastructure and services. This includes monitoring system performance, troubleshooting issues, and implementing changes. For a cloud operations engineer, hands-on experience in managing Azure Storage accounts, virtual machines, and container services is very useful. This course helps with skills in these areas, enabling the efficient operation of Azure environments. This course prepares you for the practical aspects of managing and maintaining cloud resources.

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Cloud Consultant

A cloud consultant advises organizations on how to best use cloud computing to meet their business objectives. This role involves assessing current IT infrastructure, recommending cloud solutions, and assisting with migration and implementation. This course helps a cloud consultant gain practical expertise in Azure. By mastering Azure Storage, Compute, Containers, and Automation, the cloud consultant is better equipped to recommend and implement solutions. The modules on configuring Azure Files and Blob Storage as well as automating deployments using templates are especially relevant for designing effective cloud strategies. Furthermore, the hands on experience in this course will prove extremely valuable when assessing what the client needs.

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Solutions Architect

A solutions architect designs and implements IT solutions to address specific business problems. This involves understanding business requirements, designing system architectures, and overseeing the implementation of solutions. This course is helpful to a solutions architect working with the Azure platform. An understanding of Azure Storage, Compute, Containers, and Automation, this course provides, is essential for designing effective solutions. The modules on automating deployment of resources using templates and creating and configuring VMs are particularly valuable for building scalable and robust solutions. Being able to manage domain names, as well as deployment settings, will also prove useful.

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Cloud Automation Engineer

A cloud automation engineer specializes in automating cloud infrastructure and application deployment processes. They use tools and techniques to streamline operations, reduce manual efforts, and improve efficiency. As a cloud automation engineer, skills in Azure Resource Manager templates, VM extensions, and container management are essential. This course helps with building expertise in these areas, enabling the automation of resource provisioning, application deployment, and infrastructure management within the Azure environment. This course might be useful to those who wish to further streamline the deployment of resources.

See salaries and explore the career path for Cloud Automation Engineer

Azure Data Engineer

An Azure data engineer designs, builds, and maintains data pipelines and infrastructure on the Azure cloud platform. They are responsible for managing data storage, processing, and analysis solutions. As an Azure data engineer, you need to master Azure Storage, including data import/export, redundancy, and object replication. This course helps with providing the practical skills to configure Azure Files and Blob Storage, optimize storage tiers, and automate data lifecycle management. This course will be prove useful for data management.

See salaries and explore the career path for Azure Data Engineer

Site Reliability Engineer

A site reliability engineer focuses on ensuring the reliability, scalability, and performance of software systems. They use automation, monitoring, and incident response to maintain system uptime and availability. A site reliability engineer benefits from understanding how to manage data redundancy, configure virtual machines, and automate deployments. This course helps with equipping you with the skills necessary to ensure the reliability of applications and services running on Azure. This course may be useful to those who wish to enhance the reliability of an Azure environment.

See salaries and explore the career path for Site Reliability Engineer

Cloud Security Engineer

A cloud security engineer is responsible for securing an organization's cloud infrastructure and data. This involves implementing security controls, monitoring for threats, and ensuring compliance with security policies and regulations. This course may be helpful to a cloud security engineer by providing valuable knowledge of Azure's security features. The course covers topics such as disk encryption for VMs, securing applications in Azure App Service, and configuring redundancy and object replication in Azure Storage. An understanding of these features is helpful for designing and implementing secure cloud solutions. This course provides a more thorough understanding of data management.

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Systems Engineer

A systems engineer is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing an organization's IT infrastructure. This includes servers, networks, and storage systems. This course may provide knowledge relevant to a systems engineer who manages cloud infrastructure. The course covers the management of data in Azure Storage accounts, the configuration of VMs, and the automation of resource deployment. This helps a systems engineer extend their expertise to the cloud. The course will also give an understanding of data redundancy and object replication.

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Database Administrator

A database administrator manages and maintains an organization's databases. This includes installing, configuring, and backing up databases. This course may be useful, as it touches on aspects of managing data in the cloud. The module on managing data in Azure Storage accounts, including data import/export, redundancy, and object replication, aligns with database management responsibilities. Azure Storage is often used for backing up databases. This course helps a database administrator expand their skills into cloud-based database management.

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Network Engineer

A network engineer designs, implements, and manages an organization's network infrastructure. This includes routers, switches, and firewalls. This course may be relevant to a network engineer looking to expand their skills into cloud networking. The course covers aspects of configuring virtual networks and network settings for VMs in Azure. While the course does not focus specifically on networking, the concepts covered help a network engineer understand how networking works in the Azure cloud environment. This course helps with managing the more complex network settings.

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IT Manager

An IT manager is responsible for overseeing an organization's IT operations. This includes managing IT staff, budgets, and projects. This course may equip an IT manager with a better understanding of Azure cloud services, enabling them to make informed decisions about cloud adoption and management. The course is helpful for understanding the types of services available in Azure, as well as how to automate deployments. This information helps in strategic planning and resource allocation within the IT department.

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Technical Trainer

A technical trainer delivers training programs on software, hardware, and IT systems. They need in-depth knowledge of the subject matter, as well as strong communication and presentation skills. This course helps build a strong foundation in Azure Storage, Compute, Containers, and Automation. The hands-on exercises and practical demonstrations will enhance your ability to teach others how to manage complex cloud environments and deploy Azure services. This course will prove useful when helping to explain the complexities of cloud based architecture.

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Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in AZ-104: Azure Storage, Compute, Containers, and Automation.

Azure for Architects

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Provides a comprehensive guide to designing and implementing solutions on Microsoft Azure. It covers a wide range of topics, including compute, storage, networking, and security. It is particularly useful for understanding the architectural considerations for building scalable and resilient applications on Azure. This book is more valuable as additional reading to provide breadth to the existing course.

Azure for Architects: Create secure, scalable, high...

Kindle Edition

Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies and Design...

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Provides a comprehensive overview of Azure architectural technologies. It is useful for understanding the design and implementation considerations for Azure solutions. While it covers a broader scope than this course, it provides valuable context and deeper insights into the technologies discussed. It is especially helpful for those aiming for Azure certifications.

Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies and Design...

Paperback

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Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies and Design...

Kindle Edition

Check price