Microsoft offers certification courses that are vital to the functioning of enterprises across the world.
These courses train professionals and give them expertise in different Microsoft products that help enterprises in their daily operations.
This has led to a great rise in demand for professionals skilled and certified in different categories like .NET, Azure, MS Project, Visual Studio, and more.
In 2018, Microsoft announced various changes to their certification path for Azure, ensuring that all Azure certification became specifically role-based.
Azure certifications no longer look at technologies as a whole. Rather, they have become more job-centric in their approach towards developing their certification programs.
With this type of pathway, you can choose a certification that is the most closely aligned to your current job role and learn the necessary skills that will upgrade your performance and value as an employee.
For Azure, Microsoft has divided its certifications into 3 levels, varying based on the job roles they are designed for. These levels are:
- Fundamental
- Associate
- Expert
Importance of an Azure Certification:
Microsoft certifications demonstrate an individual’s expertise and skill level in handling different obstacles related to Azure.
Many individuals get the training and course material for free, from which they study and improve their skills without taking the certification.
While this is a temporary benefit, a Microsoft-certified professional is invaluable.
Organizations across the world highly value professionals with Azure certifications and offer significant remuneration.
There are various certifications available under each of the Microsoft Azure certification levels. Which one should you choose?
Check out the list below and choose the one that is the closest to the skill set you are looking to enhance.
Top 10 Microsoft Azure Certifications for You in 2021:
1. AZ-900 Certification: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals-
This certification has been designed for beginners who have only basic knowledge of Azure and its services.
It teaches you the various cloud concepts along with Azure security, services, the calculation of pricing, and much more.
2. AI-900: Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals-
Of its many capabilities, Azure can also deploy AI solutions for organizations.
The AI-900 certification can show you how this works and also teach you the basic concepts of Microsoft Artificial Intelligence.
3. DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals-
The data fundamentals certification is for freshers in the industry.
It teaches you the basics of data and tells you how you can implement them in Microsoft Azure, for example, through database management and data analytics.
This prepares you for higher levels of certification, which you can appear for once you clear the DP-900 exam.
4. AZ-103: Microsoft Azure Administrator-
This is an intermediate-level certification for those who have experience or working knowledge of the PowerShell command line as well as operating systems.
It teaches you how to manage cloud services, from storage to networking. It gives you in-depth knowledge, more than you would have gotten at the fundamental level.
5. AZ-203: Developing Solutions-
This certification course requires one year of experience as an Azure cloud solutions developer. If you meet the criteria, this is the course for you.
The AZ-203 course teaches how everything you need to know about designing, building, and developing solutions for enterprises on Azure cloud services.
6. AZ-500: Microsoft Azure Security Technologies-
This Microsoft certification course has been designed for professionals in cloud security job roles. If you want to advance your career in cloud security, this course has been designed for you.
The Microsoft Azure Security Technologies course prepares for several operations in this field, such as implementing solutions to increase security, deploying threat protection for enterprise applications, and maintaining and fixing security vulnerabilities.
7. AI-102: Microsoft Azure AI Engineer Associate-
If you are applying for this certification, you need to have the expertise needed to build, manage and deploy AI solutions to leverage different services like Cognitive Services, Cognitive Search as well as a Bot framework.
The new AI-102 certification will show you how to design and implement AI solutions and recommend the right tools needed while working with machine learning and the application of NLP.
8. DP-300: Administering Relational Databases-
This certification course will teach you everything you need to know about managing ad design databases through Microsoft SQL Server.
It also shows you how to use various other Microsoft data services.
Clearing the DP-300 exam prepares you to monitor performance and secure databases along with all other skills you will need through this role.
9. AZ-303: Azure Solutions Architect Expert-
This is one of the most advanced certification levels that Microsoft offers.
Once you clear this certification, you will learn how to design and implement solutions for an application running on Microsoft Azure.
These could be networking or security applications, or any other.
10. DP-200: Implementing an Azure Data Solution-
If data is your forte, this certification is made for you.
The Implementing an Azure Data Solution certification teaches you the implementation of data solutions through services like SQL database or Synapse analytics.
Which Azure certification is the closest to your area of interest? Pick one and take your career to new heights today.
