Take this quick, 15-question AZ-900 pre-assessment to see where you stand, before you get started on the course!

This workbook has been carefully designed to complement the content covered in this course and to enhance your learning experience. It contains a summary of each lecture along with a set of thought-provoking "challenge questions" to help reinforce your understanding of the material.

This is the only AZ-900 course on Udemy that offers FREE ACCESS to the labITpro suite, to use as you work through the course. The labITpro suite is a collection of interactive, hands-on labs that you can actually perform (not just videos). No Azure subscription is even necessary.

labITpro is a fantastic complement to any Azure course, really, since it allows you to "get your hands dirty" without paying for Azure resources - and free access to it is only available to students who enroll in this course.

Enhance your AZ-900 exam preparation with a variety of tools: a custom 40-question mock exam that simulates the real AZ-900 format with multiple-choice, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank questions; a fun AZ-900 crossword puzzle to reinforce key concepts; and nearly 100 free online flashcards to review and solidify your knowledge.

This quiz is a fast-track option that allows you to validate your knowledge and bypass the lectures in this section. It consists of 27 questions and must be completed within 40 minutes. This is a fast-track, so a score of 100% is needed to pass.

Instructions:

• Answer each question the best you can. TAKE YOUR TIME!

• Scoring 100% demonstrates mastery of the material in this section, meaning you can confidently skip the lectures.

• Scoring below 100% means you should proceed through the lectures in this section to strengthen your understanding of the materials.

• If you pass this quiz, mark the lectures in this section complete and skip to the next section in the course, if you wish.

Passing the quiz without guessing demonstrates a grasp of the topics, but doesn't guarantee you'll pass the AZ-900 exam.

Cloud computing offers several key benefits, including scalability, allowing businesses to quickly adjust resources to meet demand, and cost-efficiency, as users pay only for the resources they use, eliminating the need for expensive upfront infrastructure investments. It also enhances flexibility by enabling access to services from anywhere with an internet connection, and provides automatic updates and maintenance managed by the cloud provider. Additionally, cloud computing improves disaster recovery and business continuity through data redundancy and global availability, ensuring high availability and minimal downtime.

Learn what Azure DNS is and why it's used.

This quiz is a fast-track option that allows you to validate your knowledge and bypass the lectures in this section. It consists of 22 questions and must be completed within 40 minutes. This is a fast-track, so a score of 100% is needed to pass.

Instructions:

• Answer each question the best you can. TAKE YOUR TIME!

• Scoring 100% demonstrates mastery of the material in this section, meaning you can confidently skip the lectures.

• Scoring below 100% means you should proceed through the lectures in this section to strengthen your understanding of the materials.

• If you pass this quiz, mark the lectures in this section complete and skip to the next section in the course, if you wish.

Passing the quiz without guessing demonstrates a grasp of the topics, but doesn't guarantee you'll pass the AZ-900 exam.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is one of the core models of cloud computing, alongside Software as a Service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS). IaaS provides virtualized computing resources over the internet, such as virtual machines, storage, and networking. It essentially allows organizations to rent IT infrastructure from a cloud service provider, rather than investing in physical hardware.

Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud computing model that provides a platform for developers to build, run, and manage applications without the complexity of maintaining the underlying infrastructure, such as servers, networks, and storage. PaaS offers a complete development and deployment environment in the cloud, where developers can focus on writing code and developing applications without worrying about the hardware and software management needed for their apps to run.

Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud computing model where software applications are hosted and managed by a third-party provider and made available to customers over the internet. In this model, users access the software through a web browser without the need to install or maintain it on their own hardware.

The Azure DNS Private Resolver service is a newer feature that facilitates private DNS resolution. In this lesson, you'll learn more about it.

In this lesson, we'll take a closer look at the various VPN gateways that are available in Azure.

This challenging 23-question quiz is a fast-track option that allows you to validate your knowledge and bypass the lectures in this section.

Instructions:

For each question, choose the best possible answer, and then click "Check Answer"

If you answer a question incorrectly, you should view the reference lecture provided.

Answering all questions correctly on the first try (without guessing) demonstrates mastery of the material in this section, meaning you can confidently skip the lectures. However, if you get any questions wrong, I STRONGLY encourage you to complete the video lectures and other course learning material in this section.

NOTE: Passing the quiz without guessing demonstrates a grasp of the topics, but doesn't guarantee you'll pass the AZ-900 exam.

In Azure, regions are physical locations where Microsoft operates data centers to deliver cloud services. Region pairs consist of two regions within the same geography for redundancy and disaster recovery. Sovereign regions like Azure Government or Azure China are isolated to meet local compliance and regulatory requirements.

Availability Zones in Azure are physically separate data centers within an Azure region. Each zone has independent power, cooling, and networking to provide high availability and fault tolerance. By distributing resources across multiple zones, Azure ensures resilience against data center failures, allowing services to remain operational even if one zone goes offline.

In Azure, resources are the fundamental building blocks of cloud services, including virtual machines, storage accounts, databases, and networks, used to create solutions. These resources are organized into resource groups, which act as logical containers to group related resources for easier management and organization. Resource groups allow you to apply common configurations, such as access control policies, monitoring, and lifecycle management, to all resources within the group. This helps streamline administration and ensures that related resources are managed together efficiently, making it easier to scale and maintain cloud solutions.

An Azure Subscription is a billing and management unit that holds Azure resources. It tracks usage costs and allows for access control and policy management. Multiple subscriptions can be used to separate projects or departments for better organization and governance.

Management Groups in Azure are hierarchical containers used to organize and manage multiple subscriptions. They allow you to apply policies, compliance, and access control consistently across all subscriptions within the group. This helps streamline governance and ensure uniform management across large organizations or complex cloud environments.

To organize resources in Azure efficiently, use resource groups to group related resources and apply consistent policies. Implement naming conventions, tags, and role-based access control (RBAC) to ensure clarity, security, and easier management. Use management groups to apply policies across multiple subscriptions and separate environments for better governance.

To design highly available applications in Azure, use Availability Zones within a region for datacenter redundancy and Region Pairs for disaster recovery across regions. Implement load balancers to distribute traffic and use geo-redundant storage (GRS) to ensure data consistency. This approach maximizes uptime and ensures resilience.

In this lesson, you'll learn what Azure ExpressRoute is, and what it offers.

In this lecture, we’re going to cover various compute services that are available in Azure. We'll cover Azure Virtual Machines, VM Scale Sets, App Services and Azure Functions. We'll also touch on Container Services and Kubernetes.

In this lab, you’ll learn how to deploy and configure an Azure Virtual Machine (VM) using the Azure portal. The lab walks you through the steps of creating a new virtual machine, configuring its settings, including availability zones, security options, and network configuration.

You’ll also learn how to attach and configure disks for your VM, manage network access, and ensure that resources such as IPs and NICs are properly deleted when the VM is removed.

In this lab, you’ll learn how to deploy and configure an Azure Virtual Machine Scale Set (VMSS) using the Azure portal.

A VM Scale Set is an Azure compute resource that allows you to deploy and manage a set of identical VMs. This lab walks you through the process of setting up the scale set, configuring auto-scaling based on CPU usage, and attaching storage to the VMs.

You’ll also configure network settings and management options to ensure smooth operations.

By the end of this lab, you’ll have deployed a scalable, flexible infrastructure capable of automatically scaling in or out based on workload demands.

In this lesson, we'll take an introductory look at Azure Container Instances and Azure Kubernetes Service.

Azure Virtual Desktop is a desktop and app virtualization service that runs on the cloud. It allows for the virtualization of both desktops and applications, providing a scalable and flexible environment.

In this lecture, we'll cover key Azure management tools, including the Azure Portal, Azure PowerShell, the Azure CLI, and more.

An overview of Azure virtual networks and related services.

In this lab, you’ll learn how to create and configure a Virtual Network (vNet) and Subnet in Microsoft Azure.

Virtual networks are essential for organizing and managing network traffic within the Azure environment, and subnets allow you to segment your vNet for better control over resource communication.

This lab walks you through the process of creating a new vNet, configuring address spaces, and setting up subnets to meet the needs of different applications. You’ll also apply network security features like encryption and use tags to categorize your vNet.

In this brand new lecture, we'll take a look at what vNet peering is and why it's used.

For those of you interested in broadening your Azure knowledge, I recommend exploring my  20-Minute Tech Talk on Azure Traffic Manager. This talk takes a dive into Azure Traffic Manager, a versatile tool within Azure's services for managing and optimizing web traffic across global Azure regions.

While this tech talk is not a requirement for the AZ-900 course, it offers valuable additional learning for anyone curious about advanced traffic management capabilities and strategies in Azure. It's a great resource for enhancing your understanding of Azure's networking features.

The intent of this tech talk is to provide you with enough knowledge to speak intelligently about Azure Traffic Manager, whether it’s with your peers, or during a job interview. You won’t become a Traffic Manager expert by watching this 20-minute tech talk, but you WILL be able to confidently discuss Azure Traffic Manager, should you find yourself discussing it in a job interview.

In this lesson, you'll learn what Private Links are in Azure, what Private Endpoints are, and how they are related.

For those interested in expanding their knowledge beyond this AZ-900 course content, I recommend checking out my 20-Minute Tech Talk on Azure Bastion.

This tech talk offers an insightful look into Azure Bastion, a powerful tool within Azure's networking capabilities, providing a secure, manageable, and efficient way to access Azure VMs remotely. While this knowledge is not required for completing the AZ-900 course, it provides valuable additional learning for anyone interested in the practical applications and benefits of Azure Bastion in real-world scenarios.

The intent of this tech talk is to provide you with enough knowledge to speak intelligently about Azure Bastion, whether it’s with your peers, or during a job interview. You won’t become an Azure Bastion expert by watching this 20-minute tech talk, but you WILL be able to confidently discuss Azure Bastion, should you find yourself discussing it in a job interview.

A quick introductory look at the different types of Azure storage accounts.

In this lab, you’ll learn how to create and configure an Azure Storage Account using the Azure portal.

The lab provides step-by-step instructions, walking you through the process of setting up a storage account, selecting key configuration options, and enabling advanced features like geographic redundancy, network access controls, and blob versioning.

By the end of the lab, you’ll have hands-on experience with setting up a storage account, configuring its security settings, and deploying it within a specific Azure environment.

In this lesson, you'll get a closer look at Azure Blob storage.

In this lesson, you'll get a closer look at Azure Files.

In this lab, you will learn how to create and configure an Azure File Share within an existing Azure storage account. Azure File Share allows you to set up a fully managed file share in the cloud, accessible through standard protocols like SMB and NFS.

This lab will guide you through the step-by-step process of creating a file share, selecting appropriate access tiers, and reviewing important configuration settings. By the end of this lab, you will have hands-on experience creating a file share that is optimized for frequent data access and ready to be used for storing and sharing files.

Learn what Azure Queues is and what it does.

A closer look at what Table Storage is and what it's used for.

Learn about what managed disks are, why they are used, and about the different disk roles.

In this lesson, you'll learn about the differences between Locally Redundant Storage and Zone Redundant Storage.

In this lesson, you'll learn about Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS) and Geo-Zone Redundant Storage (GZRS).

In this lecture, you'll learn about AzCopy and about Storage Explorer.

Learn what Azure File Sync is and what it does.

Learn what Azure Migrate is, why it's used, and what offerings comprise the service.

In this lesson, we'll take a close look at what Azure Active Directory is and at what it does.

In this lab, you will gain hands-on experience with Microsoft Entra ID by creating and configuring a new user account in the Microsoft Entra Admin Center. This process is fundamental for managing identities within an organization, and you will explore key features such as adding user details and configuring user properties.

By the end of the lab, you will understand how to effectively manage user accounts in Entra ID, ensuring that users have the correct permissions and settings for accessing resources within your environment.

In this lesson, we'll take a close look at what Azure AD Domain Services is and at what it does.

In this lesson, you'll get a closer look at SSPR, MFA, and Passwordless Authentication in Azure AD.

Learn what Conditional Access is, and what it does.

Learn what Azure AD RBAC is and what it's used for.

In this lab, you will learn how to assign Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) roles to users in Microsoft Azure. You will be guided through the process of selecting a resource group, assigning the “Virtual Machine Contributor” role to a specific user, and verifying the role assignment. This exercise ensures you can effectively manage access within a resource group, allowing team members to perform tasks according to their assigned roles while maintaining security and compliance.

Learn what the Zero-Trust Methodology is and where it fits in.

Learn what Defense in Depth is and how it helps with security.