Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) Study Guide

Foreword

Over the past decade working in cloud and developer technologies, I’ve learned that success in this space depends not just on mastering tools but on understanding the principles that connect them. Whether it’s Linux, software development, Kubernetes, or AI-assisted tools like GitHub Copilot, the foundational concepts of cloud computing remain the bedrock of everything we do. That’s why I believe books like this—clear, approachable, and rooted in real-world experience—are invaluable for anyone starting their Azure journey.

I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Jack for over 10 years, collaborating across customer engagements, technical workshops, and community events. We’ve tag-teamed on countless training sessions for joint customers, and I’ve had the pleasure of speaking at several of the Toronto-based meetup groups that Jack has tirelessly organized. What’s always stood out to me is his ability to make complex topics accessible—blending technical precision with a teacher’s instinct for clarity.

One of my favorite examples of this can be found in Chapter 3, where Jack explains the infrastructure, platform, and software as a service models (IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS) through a set of analogies that perfectly demystify the differences for anyone new to cloud. His approach helps readers visualize how the shared responsibility model works and maps those concepts to real-world equivalents in a way that’s both intuitive and memorable. It’s exactly the kind of teaching that ...