Exam AZ-303: Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies Crash Course
Topic: System Administration
In this online course, Microsoft MVP and Microsoft Certified Azure Solutions Architect Tim Warner walks you through what to expect on the AZ-303 Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies exam. The new Azure certifications are aligned to industry job roles; earning Azure certification both validates your specific Azure skill set and increases your value in today's crowded IT job market. You will derive great benefit from this course even if certification is not your goal. Specifically, you will develop the knowledge and skills required to do the work of the Azure cloud solutions architect (CSA).
What you'll learn-and how you can apply it
At course conclusion, you will be able to:
- Complete your AZ-303 exam preparation with confidence
- Deploy and manage Azure infrastructure
- Implement Azure workloads in the platform as a service (PaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) scenarios
- Create and deploy cloud apps
- Implement authentication mechanisms for cloud apps
This training course is for you because...
- AZ-303 certification candidates
- Current or prospective Azure cloud solution architects (CSAs)
- On-premises data center administrators and/or developers who are pressured to “skill up” in Azure
- Microsoft Partners who require certification to achieve a competency rating
Prerequisites
The Microsoft Certified Azure Solutions Architect is an expert-level credential. Accordingly, the learner needs to have a healthy skills balance:
- Azure administrator: Deploying, managing, and troubleshooting all sorts of Azure resources by using Azure portal and Azure PowerShell
- Azure developer: Coding and maintaining PaaS and IaaS applications, most of which rely on Azure AD, databases, and so forth
- Azure architect: Choosing which Azure services to compose for a customer to meet their business goals and financial/technical constraints
Course Setup
To follow along with the demonstrations and practice on his or her own, the learner should have the following environment available:
- Windows or macOS computer
- Web browser and Internet connection
- Microsoft account to create an Azure trial subscription (free)
- Microsoft Azure 30-day trial (free)
- A paid Azure subscription if they already used their trial
And please retrieve Tim’s course files from his 303 GitHub repository: https://github.com/timothywarner/az303
Recommended Preparation
- Read Exam Ref 70-535 Architecting Microsoft Azure Solutions, First Edition from Microsoft Press. Although this book covers the old Azure Architect exam, it's content remains valid for our purposes
- Watch Become a High Earning Cloud Architect from Stone River eLearning. Despite the fact the author focuses on Google Cloud Platform, his advice pertains to Microsoft Azure just as well
- Study the exam page: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/exams/az-303. This content is your "base of operations" for certification success
Recommended Follow-up
- Study the Microsoft Azure Architecture Center. This content is a daily reference for the Microsoft cloud solutions architect
- Study the Microsoft Azure Application Architecture Guide. This site goes into great depth, and is a super valuable resource
- Refer to the diagrams at the Microsoft Azure Solutions Architectures website. These are handy for cert prep and for the real world
- Work through the Solution Architect learning path at Microsoft Learn. Here you'll gain hands-on familiarity with Azure services while you reinforce what you learned in our class
About your instructor
-
Tim Warner is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in Cloud and Datacenter Management based in Nashville, TN. He is a Pluralsight staff instructor, a Microsoft Press author, and a part-time Microsoft Azure solutions consultant. Tim’s professional specialties include Microsoft Azure, cross-platform PowerShell, and all things Windows Server-related. You can reach Tim via Twitter (@TechTrainerTim), LinkedIn or his personal website, techtrainertim.com
Schedule
The timeframes are only estimates and may vary according to how the class is progressing
DAY 1
Introduction (10 minutes)
- Set expectations: Explain exam (AZ 303)
- Perform high-level course overview
- Give tips and tricks to maximize benefit from this course
Module 1: Deploy and Configure Azure Infrastructure (70 min)
- Analyze resource utilization and consumption
- Create and configure storage accounts
- Create, configure, and automate deployment of Windows and Linux virtual machines (VMs)
- Create connectivity between virtual networks
- Implement and manage virtual networking
- Manage Azure Active Directory (Azure AD)
- Implement and Manage Hybrid Identities
10-min break
Module 2: Implement Azure Workloads and Security (70 min)
- Migrate servers to Azure
- Configure serverless computing
- Implement application load balancing
- Integrate an on-premises network with an Azure virtual network
- Manage role-based access control (RBAC)
- Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Synthesis (20 min)
- Q&A
- Content review
- Takeaways
- What we'll cover in Day 2
DAY 2
Introduction (10 minutes)
- Briefly review Day 1 material
- Perform Day 2 content overview
- Answer any outstanding questions from Day 1
Module 3: Create and Deploy Apps in Azure (45 min)
- Create web apps by using PaaS
- Design and develop apps that run in containers
Module 4: Implement Authentication and Secure Data in Azure (30 min)
- Implement authentication
- Implement secure data solutions
10-min break
Module 5: Develop for the Cloud and for Azure Storage (45 min)
- Develop solutions that use Cosmos DB storage
- Develop solutions that use a relational database
- Configure a message-based integration architecture
- Develop for autoscaling
Module 6: Exam AZ-300 Exam Strategy (40 min)
- Grasp the content
- Acquire the hands-on skills
- Master computer-based testing
- Comprehend what to expect before, during, and after the exam
Synthesis (20 min)
- Content review
- Q&A
- Takeaways
- Next steps/Goodbye