How to become Azure Administrator

How to Become an Azure Administrator?

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Microsoft Azure is presently one of the biggest leaders in the cloud computing landscape alongside AWS and Google Cloud Platform. Azure is the preferred public cloud by businesses of all sizes. The large network of data centers and high security for private connections and storage solutions make Azure the chosen favorite. Almost 80% of companies in Fortune 500 depend on Microsoft Azure. Therefore, you can understand that the demand for jobs in Azure-specific roles is increasing gradually.

One of the most popular job roles related to the Microsoft Azure platform is the Azure administrator role. Since Azure is continuously expanding its collection of cloud services, companies can move faster in their digital transformation journey. Therefore, IT professionals can secure promising advantages for their careers by acquiring Azure skills and the relevant Azure Certification. The following discussion will take you through essential concerns on how to become Azure Administrator. So, let’s get ahead!

Check Now: Microsoft Azure Certification Training Courses

Path to Become an Azure Administrator

Prior to the discussion on steps for becoming an Azure administrator, let us find out the starting point. If you want to become azure admin, then you have to start with azure fundamentals. Individuals with professional experience in Azure-specific job role could aim at improving their skills with official certification. However, you could also be included in other scenarios. So, let us outline each possible scenario of your starting point in the journey of becoming an Azure administrator.

First of all, you may be just starting off with cloud concepts without any clear idea of the job role. The second scenario may involve people having familiarity with other public clouds without any Azure experience. Another possible scenario may involve on-premise sysadmins trying to change to a cloud-based role. The recommended solution for these scenarios is to take the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification exam with the code AZ-900. AZ-900 exam preparation can help you understand basic Azure concepts and follow the Azure learning path for the administrator role.

Reasons to Choose Administrator Jobs in Azure

Many readers might be wondering about reasons to become Azure administrator, aren’t you? First of all, you get excellent career opportunities when you become an Azure admin. Every employer looks for potential candidates having official azure certification. The training in azure system administration tasks validates your capabilities before employers and clients. As a result, you can land up with promising jobs and also get raises in your earnings. Estimates have indicated that online course certifications increase salaries by 20 to 40 percent. 

Furthermore, you also have the chance of getting employment in one of the Fortune 500 companies. The flexibility of working in different industry sectors is also a promising reason to choose a career in Azure administration. Furthermore, an Azure administrator certification helps you understand the application of azure concepts in solving business problems. Most important of all, around 365,000 new companies adopt MS Azure every year. This indicates a promising future for your career.

Have a look at the Google trends, giving an insight into the increasing demand of the Microsoft Azure administrator role.

Azure Administrator Trends

Are you a cloud professional preparing for an Azure interview, we recommend you to prepare with the top Azure interview questions.

Basic Skills of an Azure Administrator

The sole response for how to become an azure administrator lies in skill development. Azure is a promising platform known for its user-friendly nature. However, you should also focus on understanding the basic technologies before thinking of a career in Azure system administration. The basic azure administrator skills you need to have are below.

  • A clear understanding of core Azure services is highly crucial for an Azure platform-specific job role. You need to understand the basic functioning of networking, databases, software, and servers in the cloud. Individuals with previous experience in AWS or Google Cloud can help considerably for the transition to the Azure platform.
  • Basic Microsoft knowledge is mandatory for professionals looking for a career in Azure system administration. You need to have experience in using products such as PowerShell and Office 365. As a result, you can understand the ways in which these services integrate with Azure.
  • Another important aspect to focus on is programming knowledge. Azure administrators need to have expertise in any one of the programming languages. Basic knowledge in open-source frameworks such as ASP.NET and programming languages such as JavaScript, SQL Server, and HTML5 is preferable.

Want to establish a career as an Azure developer? Get started with the expert guide to becoming an Azure developer.

Best practices to become an Azure Administrator

Becoming an Azure Administrator is the best reward for a person willing to start a career in cloud computing.  However to become successful in this career you have to follow certain practices and keep up with the latest developments. The following are the best practices to become an Azure Administrator:

  • Follow azure well-architected framework
  • Backup your data regularly
  • Monitor spending and  optimize your cloud cost
  • Implement a Disaster recovery plan
  • Use azure monitoring to monitor your resources regularly
  • Use the azure policy for governance
  • Improve security by implementing azure security center

Emphasis on Role-Specific Skills

You should also take a closer look at the role-specific azure administrator skills. The skills are highly crucial for ensuring alignment with the role of an Azure administrator. The role of Azure administrators is to implement, monitor and maintain MS Azure solutions and major services related to compute, network, security, and storage. So, here are some specific skills which you need to focus on for a promising career in Azure system administration.

  • The azure administrator job description generally involves running VMs on the cloud. Therefore, you can ensure success in your job role through expertise in industry-leading hypervisor platforms such as Microsoft Hyper-V.
  • Containers are the new approach for the virtualization of services, and container orchestration platforms are crucial for managing containers. Therefore, you need to gain skills in Docker and Kubernetes for a successful career in Azure system administration.
  • Azure administrators also need to manage storage solutions for VM virtual hard disks, database files, user data, and application data. Therefore, Azure administrators need to learn the use of specific Microsoft tools for storage administration.
  • You need to have skills for securing data against unauthorized access as well as backing up data.
  • Administrators should also ensure that the data backups are ideal for restoration when needed.
  • An azure administrator should also have skills for configuring long-term archival storage alongside maintaining corporate compliance.
  • The azure administrator job description also requires skills in networking. Candidates should have comprehensive knowledge of networking tasks and the complete Azure networking stack.
  • You should have skills in deployment and configuration of virtual networks and orchestration of routing paths, particularly for hybrid cloud. Azure administrators should also have expertise in the management of public and private IP addresses for VMs and selected Azure resources.
  • The final mention in specific skills for azure administrators relates to security. Candidates should have profound expertise in using Microsoft’s diverse security controls.
  • In addition, you should have skills for encryption of data in rest, use, and transit states. The other important skills include protection of Azure Active Directory accounts and reducing attack vulnerabilities in Azure resources.

Ready to take the AZ-106 certification exam? Check your preparation level with the AZ-104 practice tests.

The Job Description of Azure System Administration Personnel

You should also take a look at the job description of Azure administrators to build a successful career. Basically, azure administrators have to deal with implementation, monitoring, and maintenance of Azure solutions. However, the additional aspects noted commonly in the job description of azure administrators.

  • Working in a combined Windows and Unix software environment
  • Managing cloud infrastructure service instances and multiple cloud servers
  • Leading, monitoring and maintenance of multiuser computing environment according to organizational requirements
  • Setting up public and private cloud systems
  • Balancing workloads and deploying them
  • Selection of cloud provides in accordance with requirements
  • Implementing cost-effective cloud-based systems according to technical specifications of the organization

Certification Needed for a Job in Azure Administration

One of the most important factors in your journey to an administrator job role on the azure platform is Azure certification. Official Azure administrator certification is crucial for showing your skills to potential employers and clients. With the certification, you can prove your commitment to the field of Azure system administration. Most important of all, you get industry-level recognition with the official azure certification alongside promising improvements in your salary.

So, you should go for the Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator Associate certification exam AZ-103 to start your career in Azure administration. Let’s have a look at the more details of Azure administrator certification.

Prerequisites for Azure Administrator Certification

Candidates looking for a job in Azure system administrator should also note the prerequisites for associate-level certification. You should have at least one year of experience in on-premises system administration with diverse platforms. Most important of all, you need to have basic cloud computing skills. The recommended course of action would be to take the Azure fundamentals certification exam. Furthermore, you should also have profound expertise in any one of the programming languages used in the cloud.

Preparing for AZ-104 Azure Administrator certification? Follow this comprehensive AZ-104 exam preparation guide and get ready to pass the exam.

Abilities Tested in the Certification

The Microsoft AZ-104 certification exam for the Azure administrator associate level would test the following abilities.

  • Management of Azure identities and governance.
  • Implementation and management of storage.
  • Deploying and managing Azure compute resources.
  • Configuring and managing virtual networks.
  • Monitoring and backup of Azure resources.

Salary of Micorosft Azure Administration Professionals

The most important factor that drives individuals towards a career in Azure system administration is Azure administrator salary. As per Nigel Frank’s Azure Administrator Salary Survey, The average annual salary for an Azure Administrator in the US is $100,000. However, it may vary from $80,000 to $125,000 depending on the skill level of the professional.

For example, the Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator salary for entry-level professionals is $80,000 annually on average. On the other hand, high-level professionals can get almost $125,000 annually on average. These estimates clearly indicate a promising career for you in an Azure administrator’s job role.

Conclusion

On a concluding note, the job opportunities are plenty in jobs for Azure system administration. As an Azure administrator, candidates become part of an ever-growing cloud platform that is also achieving great heights of success. Most important of all, candidates can find flexible approaches for entering a career in Azure system administration. Basic skills such as cloud computing concepts, programming, and knowledge of Microsoft products help considerably at the starting point. Candidates should focus on role-specific skills such as administration of compute, storage, network, and security resources.

Furthermore, you should also learn the importance of Azure certification for strengthening the foundation of your career in Azure. To help you become a certified Azure professional, we offer AZ-104 online course. So, get started right away with your Azure administrator certification preparation and get ahead towards a promising career! Also for those who are preparing for a Microsoft Azure DevOps Certification, you must either earn the Azure Administrator Associate or Azure Developer Associate certification.

About Pavan Gumaste

Pavan Rao is a programmer / Developer by Profession and Cloud Computing Professional by choice with in-depth knowledge in AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform. He helps the organisation figure out what to build, ensure successful delivery, and incorporate user learning to improve the strategy and product further.

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