Thinking About the AZ-104? Here’s How Hard It Is

The Microsoft Azure AZ-104 certification exam is designed for professionals who manage cloud services that span storage, networking, security, and compute capabilities within Microsoft Azure. Earning the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate certification signifies that the individual has proven skills in implementing, monitoring, and maintaining Microsoft Azure solutions. This includes major services related to identity, governance, virtual machines, containers, networks, and more.

This part covers an introduction to the certification, who should take it, why it matters, and the fundamental topics that make up the core of the AZ-104 exam.

What Is the AZ-104 Exam?

AZ-104 is the official exam that validates a candidate’s expertise in the role of an Azure Administrator. The exam tests skills across five main areas of cloud administration, including identity and governance, storage, compute resources, networking, and monitoring.

A successful candidate is expected to understand the day-to-day responsibilities of administering Azure-based environments. This involves managing Azure identities, deploying virtual machines, configuring networking, and implementing monitoring solutions.

Why Take the AZ-104 Exam?

For many professionals, achieving the Azure Administrator Associate certification is a stepping stone toward a broader cloud career. The certification is well-regarded across industries and is often listed as a preferred qualification for job roles involving cloud systems and operations.

Holding this credential shows potential employers that you:

• Can confidently manage cloud infrastructure using Azure tools and services
  
• Understand core services such as Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Active Directory, and networking.
  
• Have hands-on experience with managing cloud-based resources and users.
  
• Are familiar with security, compliance, and monitoring strategies within Azure
  

Additionally, the certification helps improve professional credibility, boosts salary prospects, and may fulfill prerequisites for more advanced certifications within the Microsoft Azure ecosystem.

Target Audience

Cloud computing has become a vital part of the modern IT landscape, and Microsoft Azure is one of the leading platforms in this space. As more organizations move their services to the cloud, the need for skilled professionals who can manage, monitor, and maintain Azure environments continues to grow. Certifications like the Microsoft Azure Administrator (often represented by exams such as AZ-104) help validate the skills necessary to succeed in these roles. But who is the certification really for?

Understanding the target audience is crucial for determining whether an Azure administrator-level certification is the right investment of your time and effort. This credential is not an entry point for absolute beginners. Instead, it’s intended for professionals who already possess some technical experience and want to specialize in Azure infrastructure services.

Let’s explore the primary roles and professionals who benefit most from pursuing Azure administrator certifications.

1. System Administrators

System administrators are often the backbone of IT infrastructure within organizations. Their responsibilities typically include deploying, managing, and troubleshooting servers, applications, and network components. As organizations increasingly shift from on-premises solutions to cloud-based infrastructure, system administrators need to adapt their skills to stay relevant.

For system administrators, an Azure certification provides formal validation of their cloud skills and helps bridge the gap between traditional on-prem IT management and modern cloud environments. Many of the tasks they already perform—such as user management, storage configuration, and system monitoring—have direct parallels in Azure, albeit with different tools and best practices. The certification ensures that these professionals understand the Azure equivalents of what they’ve managed on local servers for years.

2. Cloud Administrators

As the title suggests, cloud administrators are responsible for the day-to-day operation of cloud services within an organization. They configure virtual machines, manage storage and networking resources, implement security policies, and ensure high availability. Unlike traditional system administrators, cloud administrators operate in a highly virtualized, elastic environment where services can be scaled up or down on demand.

Professionals already working in cloud administration, particularly those with experience on platforms like AWS or Google Cloud, may find Azure certifications useful for expanding their skill set or shifting to organizations that rely on Microsoft technologies. Since many businesses use multi-cloud or hybrid cloud environments, proficiency in Azure can enhance versatility and job opportunities.

Azure-specific knowledge, such as working with Azure Resource Manager (ARM), understanding role-based access control (RBAC), and managing subscriptions, is essential in this role. The certification helps cloud administrators demonstrate that they can effectively manage these Azure components to support enterprise workloads.

3. Network Engineers

Networking remains a fundamental pillar of any IT infrastructure, on-premises or in the cloud. For network engineers, the transition to Azure introduces concepts like virtual networks, subnetting in cloud environments, Network Security Groups (NSGs), ExpressRoute, VPN gateways, and Azure Load Balancer configurations.

Azure administrator certifications help network engineers understand how networking works in the cloud and how it integrates with other services. This is particularly relevant in enterprise environments where connectivity between on-premise data centers and Azure resources needs to be seamless, secure, and resilient.

Certifying in Azure allows network professionals to broaden their expertise and contribute to projects involving hybrid networking, cloud migrations, and cloud-native application deployments.

4. Infrastructure Engineers

Infrastructure engineers are responsible for the design, setup, and maintenance of IT infrastructure. Their job is to ensure systems are scalable, efficient, secure, and aligned with business goals. As organizations evolve and modernize, infrastructure engineers are increasingly expected to manage resources not just on physical hardware, but also in the cloud.

For these professionals, Azure certifications serve as a bridge to future-proof their careers. They learn how to design and implement infrastructure in Azure using services like Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Storage, and Azure Monitor. The certification also provides knowledge of governance and cost optimization—key concerns for any infrastructure-focused role.

By becoming proficient in Azure, infrastructure engineers become capable of managing complex environments that span on-premises, hybrid, and full-cloud models.

5. DevOps Engineers Transitioning into Azure

DevOps engineers focus on automating software development and IT operations. Many DevOps professionals work across various tools and platforms to streamline the deployment, testing, and monitoring of applications. As businesses adopt Azure DevOps and Azure-native infrastructure, DevOps engineers must familiarize themselves with Azure’s capabilities.

While more advanced certifications may focus on DevOps specifically, administrator-level Azure certifications are often the entry point. They help DevOps professionals understand the Azure infrastructure they’ll be automating. Key areas include managing virtual machines with Infrastructure as Code (IaC), automating deployments using templates and scripts, and integrating continuous delivery pipelines with Azure resources.

This foundation allows DevOps engineers to operate more efficiently in Azure environments and ensures that automation is secure, compliant, and performance-optimized.

6. IT Professionals with Basic Infrastructure Knowledge

Even if you’re not currently in a specialized role like system administrator or cloud engineer, the Azure administrator certification can still be valuable if you have a working knowledge of IT infrastructure. If you understand how Windows Server works, have experience managing user accounts or permissions, or have been involved in supporting IT systems, then you already have a useful base.

This certification helps you take that experience and apply it to Azure. You’ll learn how to manage identities using Azure Active Directory, configure storage solutions, deploy virtual machines, and monitor resources effectively. It’s ideal for professionals seeking to transition into cloud-focused roles or to add cloud expertise to a more generalist IT resume.

The Azure Administrator certification is best suited for IT professionals with a background in infrastructure, networking, or systems management who are ready to extend their expertise into the cloud. Whether you’re a system administrator moving into cloud operations, a DevOps engineer supporting Azure environments, or a network specialist needing cloud connectivity skills, this certification offers a focused path to upskill.

In a job market that increasingly favors cloud fluency, getting certified not only improves your technical knowledge—it also enhances your credibility, opens new career doors, and supports long-term professional growth in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.

Exam Format and Structure

Understanding the format is essential before you start preparing. The AZ-104 exam is structured to evaluate practical knowledge in a dynamic testing format. Here’s what you can expect:

• Number of questions: Typically between 40 and 60
  
• Duration: 120 minutes
  
• Passing score: 700 out of 1000
  
• Question types: Multiple-choice, drag and drop, case studies, mark review, scenario-based
  
• Delivery method: Online proctored or in testing centers
  
• Exam fee: USD 165
  
• Language availability: English
  

There is no penalty for guessing, so it is always recommended to attempt all questions, even if unsure.

Key Skills Measured

The AZ-104 exam is divided into five main domains. Each domain has a specific weight in terms of how many questions it contributes to the exam:

1. Manage Azure identities and governance (20–25%)
   
2. Implement and manage storage (15–20%)
   
3. Deploy and manage Azure compute resources (20–25%)
   
4. Configure and manage virtual networking (15–20%)
   
5. Monitor and maintain Azure resources (10–15%)
   

These domains form the core around which the entire exam is designed. A solid understanding of these areas, both theoretically and practically, is necessary to succeed.

Glossary of Key Terms

Understanding the terminology used in Azure is an essential part of your preparation. Some of the most frequently encountered terms in the exam include:

• Azure Active Directory: Used for identity and access management in the cloud
  
• Azure Resource Manager: A deployment and management service for Azure
  
• Virtual Machines (VMs): Emulated computer systems running in Azure’s cloud infrastructure
  
• Azure Blob and File Storage: Services for storing unstructured and structured data
  
• App Services: Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offerings for hosting web apps and APIs
  
• Azure Monitor: For tracking the performance and health of resources
  
• Azure Security Center: For managing security across hybrid cloud environments
  
• Virtual Networks: Logically isolated networks that provide connectivity between Azure resources
  
• Azure DevOps: A set of development tools for building, deploying, and managing code and infrastructure
  

Each of these terms represents a core concept you will likely be tested on in the exam.

Foundational Knowledge Requirements

While the AZ-104 exam is not considered entry-level, it is designed to be accessible to IT professionals who have:

• A foundational understanding of networking, virtualization, and cloud concepts
  
• Experience using command-line interfaces such as PowerShell or CLI
  
• Familiarity with Windows and Linux operating systems
  
• Basic knowledge of Active Directory and basic security practices
  

You are not required to have a developer background, but hands-on experience in an Azure environment is highly recommended. Ideally, candidates should have 6 months of experience administering Azure and its key services.

Role of Experience in Passing the Exam

The difficulty of the AZ-104 exam can vary significantly depending on your hands-on experience. Candidates with experience in managing Azure services, deploying VMs, managing permissions, and setting up network configurations will find the exam more manageable.

For those new to Azure, the exam may appear complex due to the variety of topics and level of depth required. However, this challenge can be addressed through structured study and practice.

Identity, Governance, and Storage in the AZ-104 Exam

Microsoft Azure administrators are responsible for managing access to resources, ensuring compliance through governance structures, and maintaining secure, scalable storage solutions. In this section, we’ll explore the key areas you need to master in the first two domains of the AZ-104 exam:

• Manage Azure identities and governance
  
• Implement and manage storage.
  

These sections carry a combined weight of around 35–45% in the exam, making them foundational to your success.

Domain 1: Manage Azure Identities and Governance

Identity and access management (IAM) is at the core of secure cloud operations. Azure uses its identity platform, Azure Active Directory, to manage users, groups, and access to cloud resources.

Key Concepts You Should Know

Azure Active Directory (Azure AD)
This is the backbone of identity services in Azure. You’ll need to know how to create and manage users and groups, set access permissions, and configure external collaboration.

User and Group Management
Tasks include creating users manually or in bulk, assigning roles, and managing group memberships. Learn how to manage access for external (guest) users and configure self-service password reset options for internal users.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
RBAC is used to restrict resource access by assigning roles to users, groups, or service principals at specific scopes (subscription, resource group, or individual resource level). You’ll need to know how to assign built-in roles and create custom roles if necessary.

Resource Governance
Azure provides tools like management groups, resource groups, policies, and blueprints to help you organize and govern resources. You must know how to:

• Create and manage management groups for organizing subscriptions
  
• Apply policies to enforce compliance (e.g., restrict VM sizes, locations)
  
• Use resource locks to prevent accidental deletion.
  
• Manage tags for tracking cost and organizing assets.
  
• Set up budgets and configure cost alerts.
  

Common Exam Tasks

• Create users and groups.
  
• Assign roles using the Azure portal, CLI, or PowerShell.
  
• Configure and evaluate RBAC permissions
  
• Set up Azure policies and management groups.
  
• Create and apply resource locks.
  
• Interpret access assignments and audit logs.
  

Domain 2: Implement and Manage Storage

Azure provides a variety of storage options, including blob storage, file shares, and data lakes. Understanding how to deploy, configure, and secure these storage options is essential.

Types of Storage Accounts

Azure offers different types of storage accounts tailored to performance and redundancy needs:

• General-purpose v2 accounts: Support all storage services and features
  
• Premium performance accounts: Designed for workloads requiring low latency
  
• Blob storage accounts: Optimized for storing unstructured data
  

You’ll need to know how to select the appropriate account type based on business requirements.

Access Configuration

Controlling who can access storage and how is a major focus of this domain.

• Access keys: Two keys are provided per account, which can be rotated for security
  
• Shared Access Signatures (SAS): Provide limited access to storage resources without exposing account keys
  
• Stored access policies: Provide additional control over SAS tokens
  
• Azure AD authentication: Can be used to provide identity-based access to storage
  

Data Protection and Redundancy

Azure storage offers multiple redundancy options to protect against hardware or zone failures:

• Locally-redundant storage (LRS): Copies data within a single data center
  
• Zone-redundant storage (ZRS): Distributes data across multiple zones within a region
  
• Geo-redundant storage (GRS): Replicates data to a secondary region for disaster recovery
  
• Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS): Adds read-only access to the secondary region.
  

Be familiar with these types and how to configure them for different scenarios.

Blob Storage Management

Blob storage is used for storing large amounts of unstructured data such as images, videos, or logs.

Important tasks include:

• Creating containers and setting access levels (private, blob, container)
  
• Managing blob tiers (hot, cool, archive) to optimize costs
  
• Setting up lifecycle rules for data retention
  
• Configuring versioning and soft deletion to protect against accidental deletion
  

Azure Files

Azure Files provides fully managed file shares in the cloud. Key features to learn:

• Creating file shares and managing quotas
  
• Setting up Active Directory-based authentication
  
• Configuring snapshots for backup and recovery
  
• Mapping file shares to Windows and Linux systems
  

Tools for Storage Management

You should be familiar with:

• Azure Storage Explorer: A desktop tool to interact with Azure Storage
  
• AzCopy: A command-line tool used to transfer data efficiently
  
• PowerShell and CLI: Automating storage management tasks
  

Common Exam Tasks

• Configure storage accounts and access tiers
  
• Set up blob containers and file shares.
  
• Generate SAS tokens and assign permissions.
  
• Implement redundancy and encryption.
  
• Manage storage account keys and policies.
  
• Monitor usage and manage costs with insights from Azure Monitor.
  

Tips for Mastering These Domains

1. Practice Hands-On: Use a free Azure account or sandbox to create and manage storage accounts and Azure AD roles.
   
2. Understand RBAC Hierarchy: Know the difference between scopes (management group, subscription, resource group, resource) and where to apply roles.
   
3. Use Built-In Tools: Learn how to use Azure Storage Explorer and AzCopy for day-to-day operations.
   
4. Set Up Cost Alerts: Practice setting up budgets and configuring alerts to monitor storage costs.
   
5. Review Documentation: Azure’s documentation is extremely useful for understanding storage architecture and identity configurations.
   

Compute and Networking in Microsoft Azure AZ-104

Understanding Azure compute and networking services is fundamental for anyone working in a cloud environment. These services are the backbone of any Azure deployment, supporting applications, services, and internal communication. In this part, we explore how to provision virtual machines, manage containers, configure app services, and implement networking infrastructure.

Domain 3: Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Resources

This section assesses your ability to manage virtual machines, app services, containers, and automation via templates.

Automate Deployment with ARM Templates or Bicep

You need to understand how to work with Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates and Bicep files. This includes the ability to:

• Read and interpret existing templates
  
• Modify templates to suit new scenarios.
  
• Export templates from existing resources
  
• Deploy resources with templates using Azure Portal, PowerShell, or CLI.
  

Being comfortable with both ARM JSON syntax and the Bicep DSL is advantageous, as Microsoft is shifting towards Bicep for easier template authoring.

Create and Configure Virtual Machines (VMs)

VM management is a core task for Azure administrators. You should be able to:

• Create Windows and Linux VMs via Portal, CLI, or PowerShell
  
• Select the appropriate VM size and region.
  
• Add and manage data disks.
  
• Configure availability options: Availability Sets and Availability Zones
  
• Move VMs between resource groups and subscriptions
  
• Use Azure Disk Encryption to protect data.
  

Performance optimization, cost management, and security configurations for VMs will likely appear on the exam.

Virtual Machine Scale Sets

You must understand how to deploy and manage VM scale sets. These allow automatic scaling of VM instances based on demand. Key tasks include:

• Creating scale sets
  
• Managing autoscale settings
  
• Deploying identical VMs as a group
  

Provision and Manage Containers

You’ll need to work with container-based services like:

• Azure Container Instances (ACI): Useful for quick, isolated container runs without orchestration
  
• Azure Container Apps: Supports microservice architectures and Dapr integration.
  
• Azure Container Registry (ACR): Hosts your private Docker images
  

Understanding the basic deployment, configuration, and scaling of container services is important.

Configure Azure App Services

Azure App Service is a managed platform for hosting web apps and APIs. For the exam, make sure you can:

• Create App Service plans and configure scale settings
  
• Deploy and configure web apps.
  
• Enable HTTPS and manage TLS certificates.
  
• Use deployment slots for staging and production rollouts.
  
• Map custom domains to your app.
  
• Back up and restore web apps
  

Monitoring and troubleshooting App Services is also within scope.

Domain 4: Implement and Manage Virtual Networking

Virtual networks are essential to secure and scalable cloud infrastructure. You must know how to configure networks, secure connections, and integrate services.

Configure and Manage Virtual Networks

Start with understanding Azure Virtual Network (VNet) fundamentals:

• Create VNets and subnets
  
• Configure address spaces and subnets
  
• Use Network Watcher to monitor connectivity.
  

Next, move to more advanced tasks:

• Configure VNet Peering for communication between VNets
  
• Set up Public IP addresses.
  
• Design IP addressing schemes
  

Configure Secure Access to VNets

Azure provides several features to secure access to and within VNets:

• Network Security Groups (NSGs): Used to allow or deny traffic to resources. Know how to create NSGs, assign them to subnets or NICs, and evaluate effective security rules.
  
• Application Security Groups (ASGs): Group VMs with similar functions for simplified rule management.
  
• Azure Bastion: Allows secure, RDP/SSH access to VMs without exposing public IPs.
  
• Private Endpoints: Connect private networks to Azure PaaS services without exposing traffic to the public internet.
  
• Service Endpoints: Extend VNet identity to specific Azure services for improved security.
  

You’ll also need to know how to configure and use route tables and user-defined routes for traffic control.

Configure Name Resolution and Load Balancing

Name resolution and load balancing help improve resource discoverability and performance:

• Configure Azure DNS zones and records for custom domains
  
• Set up internal and public load balancers.
  
• Understand how Azure distributes traffic using health probes and backend pools.
  
• Troubleshoot load balancing issues
  

Network Monitoring Tools

You should also be comfortable with Azure’s network monitoring tools:

• Connection Monitor: Tests end-to-end connectivity
  
• NSG Flow Logs: Records traffic flowing through NSGs
  
• Packet Capture: Available through Network Watcher to analyze packet-level details
  

Tips for Success in Computing and Networking

1. Use Azure Free Tier and Sandbox Labs: Practice deploying VMs, configuring NSGs, setting up web apps, and creating virtual networks.
   
2. Understand High Availability Concepts: Know how to configure redundancy and disaster recovery for compute resources.
   
3. Visualize Network Design: Use diagrams or mind maps to represent VNet layouts, subnetting, and peerings.
   
4. Learn CLI and PowerShell Commands: Many tasks can be accomplished more efficiently using scripts. Being familiar with CLI adds flexibility during the exam and in real-world scenarios.
   
5. Review Cost Optimization: Learn how compute size, storage type, and networking configurations affect pricing.
   

Monitoring, Backup, and Final Preparation for AZ-104

The last domain of the AZ-104 exam is all about how Azure Administrators monitor resources, ensure system health, respond to alerts, and implement data protection strategies. These responsibilities are critical to maintaining service uptime and data resilience.

Domain 5: Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources (10–15%)

Monitor Azure Resources

Monitoring is not just about watching metrics—it’s about using data to proactively manage performance and availability.

Key monitoring components:

• Azure Monitor: Central hub for collecting, analyzing, and acting on telemetry from Azure environments. Understand how to:
  
  • Interpret resource metrics
    
  • Configure diagnostic settings
    
  • View logs and performance data
    
  • Create dashboards for visibility.
    
• Log Analytics: Part of Azure Monitor, Log Analytics lets you query logs using Kusto Query Language (KQL). Practice writing basic queries to:
  
  • Search logs for patterns
    
  • Join log data across resources.
    
  • Identify root causes of issues.
    
• Alerts and Action Groups: Alerts notify you about anomalies, like high CPU usage or failed deployments.
  
  • Understand how to define metric-based or log-based alerts.
    
  • Set up action groups to trigger emails, SMS, or automated actions like running a Logic App.
    
• VM Insights and Storage Insights: These are preconfigured monitoring solutions for virtual machines and storage accounts.
  
• Azure Network Watcher: A must-know tool for troubleshooting network issues. It includes:
  
  • IP Flow Verify
    
  • NSG Flow Logs
    
  • Packet Capture
    
  • Connection Troubleshooting
    

Mastering these tools means you can both detect issues and reduce mean time to resolution (MTTR).

Implement Backup and Recovery

Disaster recovery and data backup are mission-critical in cloud environments.

Core services to know:

• Recovery Services Vault: Used to manage backup and site recovery. Know how to:
  
  • Create a vault
    
  • Register Azure VMs
    
  • Define backup policies for scheduling and retention.
    
  • Perform backups and restores.
    
• Azure Backup:
  
  • Backup VMs, files, folders, and SQL databases
    
  • Use backup reports to check health and compliance.
    
• Azure Site Recovery:
  
  • Set up replication between the primary and secondary regions.
    
  • Configure failover and failback for VMs and applications
    
  • Understand how recovery plans automate failover actions.
    
• Backup Vaults: A Newer approach compared to Recovery Services Vault for Azure-native backup.
  

Ensure you’re clear on the differences between vault types and when to use each.

Exam Difficulty and Strategy

Now that you’ve covered all the exam domains, let’s focus on how to approach the exam effectively.

Understanding AZ-104 Difficulty

The AZ-104 exam is considered intermediate. It’s not beginner-friendly, but it’s also not overly advanced like the AZ-305 (Solutions Architect). You’re expected to have a solid foundation in:

• Day-to-day Azure resource management
  
• Identity and access controls
  
• Basic networking and security configurations
  
• Cost monitoring and optimization
  
• Understanding infrastructure-as-code principles
  

If you’ve used Azure for 6 months in a technical capacity and spent time with hands-on labs or sandbox practice, you’ll likely find the exam challenging but manageable.

Exam Format Recap

• Duration: 120 minutes
  
• Questions: 40–60
  
• Passing Score: 700/1000
  
• Question Types: Multiple-choice, drag-and-drop, case studies, short answers
  
• Language: English
  
• Delivery: Online or at a test center
  

Use the process of elimination to narrow down your choices. Microsoft tends to offer very close answer options—your job is to find the most accurate one.

Final Exam Prep Tips

1. Use Learning Paths: Finish all official learning modules aligned to the AZ-104 certification objectives.
   
2. Hands-on Labs: Use Azure free tier or sandbox environments to deploy and manage VMs, configure VNets, use NSGs, and test backups.
   
3. Practice with Case Scenarios: The exam tests more than definitions—it asks you to choose actions based on scenarios. Familiarize yourself with real-world situations.
   
4. Memorize Key Services and Roles:
   
   • Azure AD vs Azure Roles
     
   • NSGs vs ASGs
     
   • App Service vs Container Instances
     
5. Review Exam Objectives Frequently: These are available on the official skills outline PDF. Check off each skill as you gain confidence.
   
6. Simulate the Exam: Use practice exams to evaluate timing, focus, and retention. Don’t just take one—aim for at least 3 practice runs.
   
7. Don’t Cram Last-Minute: Give yourself a buffer day before the test to rest, review lightly, and prepare mentally.
   

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Ignoring Identity and Governance: Many candidates focus only on compute and networking, but access control and role assignments carry high weight in the exam.
  
• Underestimating Templates: ARM and Bicep templates are not optional topics. Learn their structure and capabilities.
  
• Skipping Azure Monitor: Expect detailed questions on monitoring, alerting, and diagnostics settings.
  
• Misreading Questions: Some questions have a best-practice nuance. Read the last sentence carefully—it’s often where the core demand is.
  

What to Do Post-Exam

After the test, your score will be displayed instantly. If you pass, you’ll earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate credential.

If you don’t pass:

• Review your performance areas (you’ll see domain-level feedback).
  
• Focus study efforts on weaker areas.
  
• You can retake the exam after 24 hours on your first attempt.
  

The AZ-104 exam is designed to test real-world administrative skills, not just memorization. It blends technical depth with practical scenario judgment. If you’ve followed a structured preparation approach across identity, compute, storage, networking, and monitoring, your chances of success are high.

Invest the time in hands-on practice, build confidence through mock exams, and go into your test session with clarity. This is more than just a badge—it’s proof of your capability in managing enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure.

Final Thoughts

The Microsoft AZ-104 exam is more than a certification—it’s a validation of your ability to operate in a modern cloud environment. As organizations migrate their operations to the cloud, professionals with hands-on Azure administration expertise are in growing demand. Passing AZ-104 shows that you can manage key aspects of cloud infrastructure, from identity and access control to monitoring and recovery.

This exam is designed for individuals who are serious about becoming Azure administrators or expanding their skill set in cloud technologies. It’s not an entry-level test, so you should expect to invest time in both study and practical experience. That being said, it is achievable with consistent preparation and a clear understanding of the skills measured.

Here’s a quick summary of what will help you succeed:

• Understand the exam domains thoroughly: Each domain carries weight and represents real responsibilities in an Azure environment. Identity management, resource provisioning, security configuration, networking, and monitoring are all equally important.
  
• Get hands-on practice: Don’t rely solely on theory. Use the Azure portal or a sandbox to create VMs, deploy storage accounts, set up virtual networks, and configure monitoring tools. Practical experience will help you confidently answer scenario-based questions.
  
• Use quality learning resources: Choose preparation materials that match the official skills outline. Focus on understanding concepts over memorizing answers.
  
• Practice under test conditions: Use timed practice tests to simulate exam pressure and refine your time management strategy.
  
• Review your weak areas: After each practice test or study session, take note of what you struggled with. Spend extra time strengthening those areas.
  
• Be familiar with Azure tools and services: Learn the differences between services like App Service vs. Container Apps, or how Azure Monitor differs from Network Watcher. These distinctions often come up in questions.
  

AZ-104 is a strategic certification that opens doors to more advanced roles and certifications in Azure architecture, DevOps, and security. If your career path is cloud-focused, this certification is a strong foundation.

Approach the exam with focus and patience. It’s a challenge, but with thorough preparation, you’re likely to succeed. Once certified, you’ll not only gain recognition but also confidence to manage real Azure environments.

When you’re ready, take the exam with a calm mindset and treat it as a demonstration of what you’ve already learned and practiced. Good luck, and feel free to reach out if you’d like help with a study plan, revision notes, or more practice content. You’ve got this.