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AZ-104 Certification Exam

All you need to know about AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator Certification

Thinking about gearing up your cloud career? Then the AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator certification is definitely worth your choice.

If you are already working with Azure or planning to do so, then this is the right time. Currently, it’s one of the most in-demand cloud certifications for professionals who want to work hands-on with Azure environments.

If you are ready to get started with AZ-104 certification, read through this blog covering what the AZ-104 exam is all about and why it could be the best move in your career ladder.

Why AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator Certification Is in High Demand in 2026

When it comes to cloud security, Azure tops the list and there is no doubt why the AZ-104 certification is recognized worldwide, including India, the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and the APAC region. No matter where you are based, this certification adds up value to your profile in the job market.

Azure skills are most sought after across IT services, fintech companies, SaaS providers, and large enterprise consulting firms in India. Most of these organizations run complex cloud setups and need skilled administrators who can run them seamlessly.

Companies operating hybrid and multi-region Azure environments rely heavily on AZ-104 certified professionals in the global market. Azure administrators play a key role in managing governance, security, performance, and cost optimization that helps in business growth.

So if you want a certification that is widely recognized, and aligned with real-world cloud roles, AZ-104 exam is the right choice this year.

 

How AZ-104 Certification Helps You Build Real-World Azure Administrator Skills

AZ-104 certification verifies your ability to administer and operate real-world Microsoft Azure use cases. It tests your ability on identity and access management technologies like Azure Active Directory and role-based access control (RBAC), and it covers provisioning and managing Azure resources.

The certification emphasizes network configuration, security controls, and data protection within Azure workspaces. You will need to prove your skills in monitoring Azure workloads, performance optimization, and operational health, while AZ-104 training provides hands-on experience with core Azure services used in enterprise environments.

It also helps to gain practical expertise in Azure operational workflows commonly followed across organizations worldwide.

 

Key Azure Skills You Learn from the AZ-104 Certification

The AZ-104 exam tests your skills more in Azure infrastructure administration. You work with Azure environment configuration to learn effective governance and security. Key learning areas include:

  • Azure Application Gateway routes traffic and load-balances web applications efficiently.
  • Azure App Service helps to create and deploy cloud applications on a device-agnostic basis and connect to the Azure server infrastructure.
  • Application Insights tracks Application Performance, bottlenecks, and technical issues, and enhances user satisfaction.
  • Azure Monitor deploys advanced monitoring capabilities to: Identify performance bottlenecks across apps, review VM and container insight, and bring up with Log Analytics.

 

Role-Based Skills Gained with AZ-104 Azure Administrator Certification

More than technical skills, the AZ-104 Azure Administrator certification equips you with role-based, job-ready skills that directly map to real-world Azure administrator responsibilities. These skills prepare you to manage, secure, and optimize enterprise Azure environments in a better way.

Network Configuration

  • Create, implement, and oversee Azure Virtual Networks (VNets) to facilitate scalable and safe cloud infrastructures. 
  • To manage incoming and outgoing traffic, set up route tables, subnets, and network security groups (NSGs).
  • Execute and oversee hybrid connection solutions, such as ExpressRoute and VPN Gateway.
  • In intricate hybrid and multi-network systems, manage and personalise network routing.
  • Investigate network performance and connectivity problems with Azure resources.

Analytics and Monitoring of Log

  • Setting up Azure Monitor and Log Analytics workspaces allows for centralised monitoring. 
  • Create, refine, and debug Log Analytics (KQL) queries to obtain valuable information.
  • To find patterns and abnormalities, filter, group, and examine telemetry, logs, and metrics. 
  • Make dashboards, reports, and alarms to keep an eye on the health of your system.

Compute and Virtualization

  • Install, set up, and oversee Azure virtual machines and scale sets. Utilise VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V principles for migrated and hybrid workloads. 
  • Use availability sets and availability zones to control virtual machine availability.
  • For computational workloads, put backup, recovery, and scaling techniques into practice. 
  • Optimise cost and compute performance for various sorts of workloads.

Security and Identity Protection

  • Azure security provides end-to-end security by encrypting data at rest, in transit, and during processing. 
  • It also safeguards Azure Active Directory (AD) identities. They include users, groups, and services. 
  • By using conditional access regulations and role-based access control (RBAC). It offers minimum privilege access, guaranteeing that only individuals with valid permission have access. 
  • It improves overall resilience and reduces attack surfaces across all resources. 
  • Azure-native security solutions help businesses maintain robust security by enabling ongoing monitoring, threat detection, and response.

 

Who Should Take the AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator Exam?

The AZ-104 exam will best suits if you:

  • Work with cloud-centric cloud infrastructure services, or use cloud-based solutions. 
  • Have a technical background and want to upgrade your Azure administrator skills. 
  • Want hands-on experience managing Azure resources. 
  • Are professionals with existing Azure practice and demand more comprehensive skills in implementation and monitoring. 

This certification gives you a total overview of Azure cloud infrastructure and substantially enhances your domain expertise.

 

Azure Administrator Role and Responsibilities After AZ-104 Certification

Organizations regard an Azure administrator as an asset who handles enterprise cloud operations.

  • Deploying and maintaining Azure resources.
  • Troubleshooting Azure service issues.
  • Configuring resources based on organizational requirements.
  • Monitoring and optimizing performance.
  • Implementing security controls to protect Azure environments.

 

Why AZ-104 Is Worth It for Azure Administrators in 2026?

Microsoft certification is recognized worldwide, and AZ-104 is not exempt from this list. This credential can tremendously add to your level of professional integrity. As per industry data,

  • 70% of recognized professionals are reporting an increase in earnings. 
  • 84% gain more job opportunities following certification. 

 

Career Benefits of AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator Certification

  • You will be a highly valued Azure resource for your organization. 
  • Grasp the entire Azure administration capabilities. 
  • Develop technical skills such as: 
    • Restarting Azure clusters and components. 
    • Subscriber management and resolving Azure problems. 
    • Automating with scripts and running activities. 
    • Architecting systems in compliance with customer & compliance needs. 

 

AZ-104 Azure Administrator Salary and Job Market Outlook (India, USA, UK)

The Azure Administrators earn really high based on their experience and their geographic location. Many leading companies like Accenture, Wipro, Capgemini, and other global enterprises are already hiring AZ-104 certified employees. 

 

Prerequisites and Skills Required for the AZ-104 Exam

Some of the skills required are Azure Portal, Azure CLI, PowerShell, Resource Manager, and workloads and compliance 

You will also need to be acquainted with the core IT concepts like Virtualisation, Networks, Servers, and Operating Systems. Proposed basic knowledge base/ basics are: 

  • Virtual machines, virtual disks, and networking. 
  • TCP/IP, VPNs, DNS, encryptions and firewalls. 
  • Azure Active Directory, like LDAP, domains, and Kerberos.
  • Backup and disaster recovery solutions. 

 

AZ-104 Exam Domains and Weightage Explained 

Getting to know the focus area helps you reduce study time and this can make or break your exam. The AZ-104 is divided into five key domains with varied weightages.

AZ-104 Skills Set

Domain Weightage
  • Manage Azure identities and Azure governance
(20–25%)
  • Implement and manage storage
(15–20%)
  • Deploy and manage Azure compute resources
(20–25%)
  • Implement and manage virtual networking
(15–20%)
  • Monitor and maintain Azure resources
(10–15%)

 

What do these Domains Cover?

  • Your ability to configure Azure Active Directory, RBAC, and governance policies will be evaluated across these areas. 
  • Control access controls, files, blobs, and Azure storage accounts.
  • Install and manage containers, app services, and virtual machines. Create and oversee Azure subnets, virtual networks, and connections. 
  • Keep an eye on performance and put backup, recovery, and alarms in place.

 

Best AZ-104 Study Materials and Resources for Exam Preparation

The following are the fundamentals for effective Microsoft Azure AZ-104 preparation

  1. Microsoft Learn AZ-104 learning paths 
  2. Instructor-led AZ-104T00 video training 
  3. Official Azure documentation 
  4. GitHub AZ-104 hands-on labs 
  5. Practice exams and Microsoft Exam Sandbox 
  6. Microsoft Learn Community discussions 

Practicing in the real world is the most practical way to develop that confidence. 

 

 

How to Prepare for the AZ-104 Exam: Study Plan and Tips

  • Make sure to thoroughly know the exam objectives. 
  • Go through the syllabus properly. 
  • Schedule a AZ-104 study plan and stick to it. 
  • Be aware of prerequisite skills and experience expectations. 
  • Early recognize where you are weakest. 
  • Nail those areas with labs, practice tests, and revision. 

 

AZ-104 Certification FAQs (Exam, Fees, Passing Score, Retakes)

1. What is the AZ-104 exam all about?

The Azure Administrator (AZ-104) certification is a technical certification that helps to prove your skills to operate Azure cloud services, including networking, storage, security, and computing. 

This certificate is for IT professionals who want to become Azure administrators or cloud engineers, and it will also provide a base of knowledge for further career step-up.

 

2. How long is the AZ-104 exam?

The exam duration is 120 minutes or roughly 2 hours.

 

3. What is the AZ-104 certification fee? 

The exam costs USD 165, and it varies region-wise.

 

4. What is my exam passing score? 

You need to score a minimum of 700 marks to clear.

 

5. Can I reattempt the exam? 

  • 14-day delay after the initial attempt.
  • Try for a maximum of three times per year.


6. What is the pay scale of Azure Administrators across the world?

Based on updated data, here is the pay scale range of Azure administrators across the world:

Country

Average Salary

India

₹7.3 LPA

USA

$111,977 per year

UK

£47,000 per year

Dubai

AED 10,253 per month

 

Overview AZ-104 First-time Pass Strategy 

With all of India, as well as more across the world, moving to Microsoft Azure, the need for Azure Administration is getting strong at a fast pace. To  succeed in AZ-104 it isn’t just enough to understand the theory, it also requires practical, real-world experience as well.

 At Whizlabs “AZ 104 Resources”, candidates receive: 

  • Full AZ-104 practice tests. 
  • In-depth explanations and analytics. 
  • Instructor-led training. 
  • Azure admin hands-on labs. 
  • Enterprise exercises based on scenarios. 
  • Unlimited access for 1 year and technical support. 

For those who are interested in moving abroad with a better cloud market, you need to have the right AZ-104 exam guide, as well as the right study tools to study and practice. With this, you can pass the AZ-104 first time with confidence, regardless of whether you are aiming for positions in India or the global cloud market.

About Suneel Moopanar

Suneel is a certified cloud practitioner who specializes in helping users develop and master their Cloud Computing skills across platforms like Azure, GCP, Microsoft Security, and Power Platform Solutions. He is passionate about empowering professionals to advance their careers and has extensive experience in implementing security policies, managing load balancing, and optimizing availability sets and zones.

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