Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification and Beyond - Second Edition

Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification and Beyond - Second Edition

by Steve Miles
Released January 2024
Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
ISBN: 9781837630592

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

Advance your career by learning how to apply Azure Fundamentals effectively with this comprehensive guide, accompanied by web-based tools such as mock exams, flashcards, and hands-on activities

Key Features

  • Master the fundamentals of Azure through a comprehensive exploration of compute, network, and storage services
  • Learn essential tools and strategies for securing, governing, and administering Azure effectively
  • Use the mobile-friendly bonus website that comes with the book to gain ample practice on the go

Book Description

Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification and Beyond, Second Edition, combines the comprehensive cloud fundamentals book with Packt’s powerful exam training platform, offering a holistic learning experience designed to help you not just ace the AZ-900 exam but also apply that knowledge to excel in your career.

Guiding you in building robust foundational knowledge of the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, this book helps you prepare for the AZ-900 exam confidently. The online content, included with every purchase, will help you memorize key concepts and assess your exam readiness.

Starting with an introduction to cloud computing and its advantages, the book systematically guides you through Azure architecture and services before progressing to management and governance within Azure. The online platform unlocks unlimited access to mock exams with exam-like timers, detailed solutions for each question, interactive flashcards, exam tips, and interactive activities—all accessible from your computer, tablet, and smartphone.

By the end of this book, you’ll be well prepared to pass the AZ-900 exam and have the foundational knowledge to delve into advanced cloud concepts.

What you will learn

  • Become proficient in foundational cloud concepts
  • Develop a solid understanding of core components of the Microsoft Azure cloud platform
  • Get to grips with Azure's core services, deployment, and management tools
  • Implement security concepts, operations, and posture management
  • Explore identity, governance, and compliance features
  • Gain insights into resource deployment, management, and monitoring

Who this book is for

This Azure fundamentals book is for individuals with technical or non-technical backgrounds who want to learn and explore the field of cloud computing with Microsoft Azure. There are no prerequisites to get started, only a willingness to learn and explore cloud concepts and Microsoft Azure.

Table of contents

  1. Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification and Beyond Second Edition
  2. Foreword
  3. Contributors
  4. About the Author
  5. About the Reviewer
  6. Preface
    1. Second Edition
    2. Online Practice Resources
    3. Who Is This Book For
    4. What This Book Covers
    5. Requirements for Online Content
    6. How to Get the Most Out of This Book
    7. Download the Color Images
    8. Conventions Used
    9. Get in Touch
    10. Download a Free PDF Copy of This Book
  7. Chapter 1: Introduction to Cloud Computing
    1. Making the Most Out of this Book – Your Certification and Beyond
    2. What is Cloud Computing?
      1. The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing
    3. Evolution of the Cloud Computing Model
      1. Evolution of Cloud Computing Architectures
    4. Why Cloud Computing?
    5. Cloud Computing’s Target Audience
    6. Cloud Computing’s Hierarchy of Needs
    7. What Is the Shared Responsibility Model?
    8. What Are the Cloud Computing Delivery Models?
      1. Comparing the Cloud Computing Delivery Models
      2. Characteristics of Public Cloud Computing Resources
      3. Characteristics of Private Cloud Computing Resources
      4. Characteristics of Hybrid Cloud Computing Resources
    9. What Are Cloud Computing Service Models?
      1. A Closer Look at the Cloud Computing Service Models
      2. What Is Serverless Computing?
    10. Comparing the Cloud Computing Service Models
      1. Characteristics of IaaS
      2. Characteristics of PaaS
      3. Characteristics of FaaS (Serverless)
      4. Characteristics of SaaS
    11. Summary
    12. Exam Readiness Drill – Chapter Review Questions
      1. Exam Readiness Drill
        1. ATTEMPT 1
        2. ATTEMPT 2
        3. ATTEMPT 3
    13. Working On Timing
    14. Additional Information and Study References
  8. Chapter 2: Benefits of Using Cloud Services
    1. Cloud Computing as a Digital Transformation Enabler
      1. Digital Transformation Triggers
      2. Migration Approach
    2. Cloud Computing Mindset
      1. What Is a Traditional Computing Model Mindset?
      2. What Is a Cloud Computing Mindset?
    3. Cloud Computing Operations Model
      1. Operational Benefits of Cloud Computing
        1. What Is Scalability?
        2. What Is Elasticity?
        3. What Is Agility?
        4. What Is High Availability?
        5. What Is Disaster Recovery?
      2. Comparing Disaster Recovery, High Availability, and Backup
      3. Challenges of Implementing Business Continuity
    4. Economics of Cloud Computing
      1. Consumption Model
      2. Defining the Expenditure Models
      3. Applying Cost Expenditure Models to Cloud Computing
    5. Summary
    6. Exam Readiness Drill – Chapter Review Questions
      1. Exam Readiness Drill
        1. ATTEMPT 1
        2. ATTEMPT 2
        3. ATTEMPT 3
    7. Working On Timing
    8. Additional Information and Study References
  9. Chapter 3: Azure Core Architectural Components
    1. Azure Global Infrastructure
      1. Azure Regions and Geographies
        1. Azure Edge Zones
        2. Azure Sovereign Regions
      2. Availability Components
        1. Adopting an Availability Model
        2. Availability Sets
        3. Fault Domains
        4. Update Domains
        5. Availability Zones
        6. Proximity Placement Groups
    2. Azure Resource Management
      1. Azure Management Scopes
      2. Azure Management Groups
      3. Azure Subscriptions
        1. Relationship between Tenants and Subscriptions
        2. Multiple Subscriptions
      4. Azure Resource Manager (ARM)
        1. Resource Groups
        2. Resource Group Characteristics
        3. Azure Resource Group Organization
    3. Summary
    4. Exam Readiness Drill – Chapter Review Questions
      1. Exam Readiness Drill
        1. ATTEMPT 1
        2. ATTEMPT 2
        3. ATTEMPT 3
    5. Working On Timing
    6. Online Hands-On Activities
    7. Additional Information and Study References
  10. Chapter 4: Azure Core Resources
    1. Azure Resources
    2. Azure Compute Resources
      1. Virtual Machines
        1. Physical Machines versus Virtual Machines
        2. VM Types
        3. VM Deployment Considerations
      2. Container Services
        1. Virtualization versus Containerization
        2. Azure Container Instances (ACI)
        3. Azure Container Apps (ACA)
        4. Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
      3. Azure App Service
      4. Azure Functions
      5. Azure Virtual Desktop Service
    3. Azure Network Services
      1. Azure Virtual Networks
        1. VNet Segmentation
        2. Internal Virtual Network (VNet) Routing
        3. External Virtual Network (VNet) Routing
        4. Virtual Network Peering
        5. Virtual Private Network (VPN) Gateways
        6. Point-to-Site VPN
        7. Site-to-Site VPN
        8. ExpressRoute
      2. Azure DNS
        1. Azure DNS Private Zones
        2. Azure DNS Drawbacks
      3. Windows Server DNS on Azure VMs
      4. Hybrid Name Resolution
    4. Azure Storage Services
      1. Storage Types
      2. File Storage
      3. Container (Blob) Storage
      4. Queue Storage
      5. Disk Storage
      6. Storage Accounts
      7. Storage Tiers
      8. Storage Replication
      9. Storage Copying
      10. Data Stores
    5. Summary
    6. Exam Readiness Drill – Chapter Review Questions
      1. Exam Readiness Drill
        1. ATTEMPT 1
        2. ATTEMPT 2
        3. ATTEMPT 3
    7. Working On Timing
    8. Online Hands-On Activities
    9. Additional Information and Study References
  11. Chapter 5: Azure Identity and Access
    1. Authentication and Authorization
    2. Microsoft Entra ID
      1. Comparing Active Directory (AD) and Microsoft Entra ID
      2. Microsoft Entra Domain Services
      3. Single Sign-On (SSO)
      4. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and Conditional Access
      5. Passwordless Authentication
    3. Identity and Access Management (IAM)
      1. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
      2. Azure Subscription Access Control
      3. Azure Roles
      4. External Identity Access
    4. Summary
    5. Exam Readiness Drill – Chapter Review Questions
      1. Exam Readiness Drill
        1. ATTEMPT 1
        2. ATTEMPT 2
        3. ATTEMPT 3
    6. Working On Timing
    7. Online Hands-On Activities
    8. Additional Information and Study References
  12. Chapter 6: Azure Security
    1. Threat Landscape
      1. Common Threats
      2. What Can Be Done to Prevent Threats?
    2. Security Posture
    3. Zero Trust
    4. Defense-in-Depth (DiD)
    5. Microsoft Defender for Cloud
    6. Microsoft Sentinel
    7. Summary
    8. Exam Readiness Drill – Chapter Review Questions
      1. Exam Readiness Drill
        1. ATTEMPT 1
        2. ATTEMPT 2
        3. ATTEMPT 3
    9. Working On Timing
    10. Online Hands-On Activities
    11. Additional Information and Study References
  13. Chapter 7: Azure Cost Management
    1. Factors Influencing Costs in Azure
      1. Reducing and Controlling Costs
    2. Azure Cost Management
    3. The Azure Pricing Calculator
    4. The Azure TCO Calculator
    5. Summary
    6. Exam Readiness Drill – Chapter Review Questions
      1. Exam Readiness Drill
        1. ATTEMPT 1
        2. ATTEMPT 2
        3. ATTEMPT 3
    7. Working On Timing
    8. Additional Information and Study References
  14. Chapter 8: Azure Governance and Compliance
    1. Microsoft Purview in Azure
    2. Azure Policy
    3. Resource Locks
    4. Tags
    5. Azure Service Lifecycle
    6. Core Security, Privacy, and Security Tenets
    7. Trust Center
    8. Summary
    9. Exam Readiness Drill – Chapter Review Questions
      1. Exam Readiness Drill
        1. ATTEMPT 1
        2. ATTEMPT 2
        3. ATTEMPT 3
    10. Working On Timing
    11. Online Hands-On Activities
    12. Additional Information and Study References
  15. Chapter 9: Azure Resource Deployment and Management
    1. Azure Portal
    2. Azure PowerShell
    3. Azure CLI
    4. Azure Cloud Shell
    5. Azure Resource Manager (ARM) Templates
    6. Azure Arc
    7. Summary
    8. Exam Readiness Drill – Chapter Review Questions
      1. Exam Readiness Drill
        1. ATTEMPT 1
        2. ATTEMPT 2
        3. ATTEMPT 3
    9. Working On Timing
    10. Additional Information and Study References
  16. Chapter 10: Azure Monitoring and Tools
    1. Azure Advisor
    2. Azure Monitor
    3. Azure Service Health
    4. Summary
    5. Exam Readiness Drill – Chapter Review Questions
      1. Exam Readiness Drill
        1. ATTEMPT 1
        2. ATTEMPT 2
        3. ATTEMPT 3
    6. Working On Timing
    7. Additional Information and Study References
  17. Chapter 11: Accessing the Online Practice Resources
    1. How to Access These Resources
      1. Purchased from Packt Store (packtpub.com)
      2. Packt+ Subscription
      3. Purchased from Amazon and Other Sources
        1. STEP 1
        2. STEP 2
        3. STEP 3
        4. STEP 4
        5. STEP 5
    2. Troubleshooting Tips
    3. Practice Resources – A Quick Tour
      1. A Clean, Simple Cert Practice Experience
      2. Practice Questions
      3. Flashcards
      4. Exam Tips
      5. Chapter Review Questions
      6. Hands-On Activities
    4. Share Feedback
    5. Back to the Book
  18. Appendix: Assessing AZ-900 Exam Skills
    1. Skills Measured
    2. Why subscribe?
  19. Other Books You May Enjoy
    1. Share Your Thoughts
    2. Download a Free PDF Copy of This Book

Product information

  • Title: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification and Beyond - Second Edition
  • Author(s): Steve Miles
  • Release date: January 2024
  • Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781837630592