Exam Overview and Structure

The Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) exam is the entry point for professionals seeking to prove their understanding of cloud services, particularly those offered by Microsoft Azure. It is the foundational level of Microsoft’s Azure certifications and is designed to validate the candidate’s basic knowledge of cloud concepts, core Azure services, security, privacy, compliance, and trust, as well as Azure pricing and support. This exam is intended for individuals from both technical and non-technical backgrounds who have an interest in understanding cloud services, and how those services are provided with Microsoft Azure.

Exam Purpose and Target Audience

The AZ-900 exam is intended for candidates who are just beginning to work with cloud-based solutions and services or are new to Azure. It is an opportunity for individuals looking to demonstrate their foundational-level knowledge of cloud services and how those services are provided with Azure. This includes marketers, salespersons, administrators, and IT professionals who may not necessarily manage cloud services directly but need to have an understanding of them.

Exam Details

  1. Certification Name: Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals
  2. Exam Code: AZ-900
  3. Prerequisites: None
  4. Languages: English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Arabic (Saudi Arabia), Indonesian (Indonesia), and Serbian (Latin)
  5. Registration Fee: Varies by location, typically around $99 USD

Exam Content and Weighting

The AZ-900 exam covers several core areas of knowledge:

  1. Describe Cloud Concepts (20-25%)
    a. Understand the benefits and considerations of using cloud services.
    b. Understand the principles of cloud computing such as High Availability, Scalability, Elasticity, Agility, Fault Tolerance, and Disaster Recovery.
    c. Compare and contrast the three types of cloud models (Public, Private, and Hybrid).
  2. Describe Core Azure Services (15-20%)
    a. Understand the core Azure architectural components, such as subscriptions, management groups, resources, and Resource Groups.
    b. Describe some of the core products available in Azure.
    c. Describe some of the solutions available on Azure.
  3. Describe Core Solutions and Management Tools on Azure (10-15%)
    a. Understand Azure management tools and the functionalities they provide.
    b. Understand Azure solutions such as IoT, Big Data, and Analytics.
  4. Describe General Security and Network Security Features (10-15%)
    a. Understand Azure security features and network security tools and their purposes.
  5. Describe Identity, Governance, Privacy, and Compliance Features (20-25%)
    a. Understand Azure identity services and Azure governance features.
    b. Understand privacy, compliance, and data protection standards in Azure.
  6. Describe Azure Cost Management and Service Level Agreements (10-15%)
    a. Understand methods for planning and managing costs.
    b. Understand the basics of Azure service-level agreements (SLAs) and service lifecycles.