Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

Study guide for Exam AZ-900: Microsoft

Azure Fundamentals
Purpose of this document
This study guide should help you understand what to expect on the exam and includes a summary of
the topics the exam might cover and links to additional resources. The information and materials in this
document should help you focus your studies as you prepare for the exam.

Useful links Description

Review the skills This list represents the skills measured AFTER the date provided. Study this list if
measured as of you plan to take the exam AFTER that date.
October 28,
2022

Review the skills Study this list of skills if you take your exam PRIOR to the date provided.
measured prior
to October 28,
2022

Change log You can go directly to the change log if you want to see the changes that will
be made on the date provided.

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Request You can explore the exam environment by visiting our exam sandbox.
accommodations

1
 Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

Useful links Description

Take a practice If you use assistive devices, require extra time, or need modification to any
test part of the exam experience, you can request an accommodation.

Updates to the exam

Our exams are updated periodically to reflect skills that are required to perform a role. We have
included two versions of the Skills Measured objectives depending on when you are taking the exam.
We always update the English language version of the exam first. Some exams are localized into other
languages, and those are updated approximately eight weeks after the English version is updated.
Other available languages are listed in the Schedule Exam section of the Exam Details webpage. If the
exam isn't available in your preferred language, you can request an additional 30 minutes to complete
the exam.

Note
The bullets that follow each of the skills measured are intended to illustrate how we are assessing that
skill. Related topics may be covered in the exam.

Note
Most questions cover features that are general availability (GA). The exam may contain questions on
Preview features if those features are commonly used.

Skills measured as of October 28, 2022

Audience Profile
Candidates for this exam are technology professionals who want to demonstrate foundational knowledge
of cloud concepts and Microsoft Azure.
These professionals can describe Azure architectural components and Azure services, such as compute,
networking, and storage. They can also describe features and tools to secure, govern, and administer
Azure.
Candidates for this exam have skills and experience working with an area of information technology, such
as infrastructure management, database management, or software development.
• Describe cloud concepts (25–30%)
• Describe Azure architecture and services (35–40%)
• Describe Azure management and governance (30–35%)

Describe cloud concepts (25–30%)

Describe cloud computing
• Define cloud computing

2
 Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

• Describe the shared responsibility model

• Define cloud models, including public, private, and hybrid
• Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud model
• Describe the consumption-based model
• Compare cloud pricing models

Describe the benefits of using cloud services

• Describe the benefits of high availability and scalability in the cloud
• Describe the benefits of reliability and predictability in the cloud
• Describe the benefits of security and governance in the cloud
• Describe the benefits of manageability in the cloud

Describe cloud service types

• Describe infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
• Describe platform as a service (PaaS)
• Describe software as a service (SaaS)
• Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud service (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)

Describe Azure architecture and services (35–40%)

Describe the core architectural components of Azure
• Describe Azure regions, region pairs, and sovereign regions
• Describe availability zones
• Describe Azure datacenters
• Describe Azure resources and resource groups
• Describe subscriptions
• Describe management groups
• Describe the hierarchy of resource groups, subscriptions, and management groups

Describe Azure compute and networking services

• Compare compute types, including container instances, virtual machines (VMs), and functions
• Describe VM options, including Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets,
availability sets, and Azure Virtual Desktop
• Describe resources required for virtual machines
• Describe application hosting options, including the Web Apps feature of Azure App Service,
containers, and virtual machines
• Describe virtual networking, including the purpose of Azure Virtual Networks, Azure virtual
subnets, peering, Azure DNS, Azure VPN Gateway, and Azure ExpressRoute
• Define public and private endpoints

Describe Azure storage services

• Compare Azure storage services

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 Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

• Describe storage tiers

• Describe redundancy options
• Describe storage account options and storage types
• Identify options for moving files, including AzCopy, Azure Storage Explorer, and Azure File Sync
• Describe migration options, including Azure Migrate and Azure Data Box

Describe Azure identity, access, and security

• Describe directory services in Azure, including Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), part
of Microsoft Entra and Azure Active Directory Domain Services (Azure AD DS)
• Describe authentication methods in Azure, including single sign-on (SSO), multifactor
authentication, and passwordless
• Describe external identities and guest access in Azure
• Describe Conditional Access in Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), part of Microsoft
Entra
• Describe Azure role-based access control (RBAC)
• Describe the concept of Zero Trust
• Describe the purpose of the defense in depth model
• Describe the purpose of Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Describe Azure management and governance (30–35%)

Describe cost management in Azure
• Describe factors that can affect costs in Azure
• Compare the Pricing calculator and the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculator
• Describe the Azure Cost Management and Billing tool
• Describe the purpose of tags

Describe features and tools in Azure for governance and compliance

• Describe the purpose of Azure Blueprints
• Describe the purpose of Azure Policy
• Describe the purpose of resource locks
• Describe the purpose of the Service Trust Portal

Describe features and tools for managing and deploying Azure resources
• Describe the Azure portal
• Describe Azure Cloud Shell, including Azure CLI and Azure PowerShell
• Describe the purpose of Azure Arc
• Describe Azure Resource Manager and Azure Resource Manager templates (ARM templates)

Describe monitoring tools in Azure

• Describe the purpose of Azure Advisor
• Describe Azure Service Health

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 Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

• Describe Azure Monitor, including Log Analytics, Azure Monitor alerts, and Application Insights

Study resources
We recommend that you train and get hands-on experience before you take the exam. We offer self-
study options and classroom training as well as links to documentation, community sites, and videos.

Study resources Links to learning and documentation

Get trained Choose from self-paced learning paths and modules or take an
instructor-led course

Find documentation Azure on Microsoft Learn

Azure documentation
Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure
Accelerate cloud adoption with the Microsoft Cloud Adoption
Framework for Azure

Ask a question Microsoft Q&A | Microsoft Docs

Get community support Azure Community Support

Follow Microsoft Learn Microsoft Learn - Microsoft Tech Community

Find a video Exam Readiness Zone

Azure Fridays
Browse other Microsoft Learn shows

Change log
Key to understanding the table: The topic groups (also known as functional groups) are in bold typeface
followed by the objectives within each group. The table is a comparison between the two versions of
the exam skills measured and the third column describes the extent of the changes.

Skill area prior to October 28, 2022 Skill area as of October 28, 2022 Change

Audience profile No change

Describe Cloud Concepts Describe Cloud Concepts No change

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 Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

Skill area prior to October 28, 2022 Skill area as of October 28, 2022 Change

Describe Cloud Computing Describe Cloud Computing No change

Describe the Benefits of Using Cloud Services Describe the Benefits of Using Cloud No change
Services

Describe Cloud Service Types Describe Cloud Service Types No change

Describe Azure Architecture and Services Describe Azure Architecture and No change
Services

Describe the Core Architectural Components Describe the Core Architectural Minor
of Azure Components of Azure

Describe Azure Compute and Networking Describe Azure Compute and No change
Services Networking Services

Describe Azure Storage Services Describe Azure Storage Services No change

Describe Azure Identity, Access, and Security Describe Azure Identity, Access, and Minor
Security

Describe Azure Management and Describe Azure Management and No change

Governance Governance

Describe Cost Management in Azure Describe Cost Management in Azure No change

Describe Features and Tools in Azure for Describe Features and Tools in Azure No change
Governance and Compliance for Governance and Compliance

Describe Features and Tools for Managing and Describe Features and Tools for No change
Deploying Azure Resources Managing and Deploying Azure
Resources

Describe Monitoring Tools in Azure Describe Monitoring Tools in Azure No change

6
 Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

Skills measured prior to October 28, 2022

Audience Profile
Candidates for this exam are technology professionals who want to demonstrate foundational knowledge
of cloud concepts and Microsoft Azure.
These professionals can describe Azure architectural components and Azure services, such as compute,
networking, and storage. They can also describe features and tools to secure, govern, and administer
Azure.
Candidates for this exam have skills and experience working with an area of information technology, such
as infrastructure management, database management, or software development.
• Describe cloud concepts (25–30%)
• Describe Azure architecture and services (35–40%)
• Describe Azure management and governance (30–35%)

Describe cloud concepts (25–30%)

Describe cloud computing
• Define cloud computing
• Describe the shared responsibility model
• Define cloud models, including public, private, and hybrid
• Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud model
• Describe the consumption-based model
• Compare cloud pricing models

Describe the benefits of using cloud services

• Describe the benefits of high availability and scalability in the cloud
• Describe the benefits of reliability and predictability in the cloud
• Describe the benefits of security and governance in the cloud
• Describe the benefits of manageability in the cloud

Describe cloud service types

• Describe infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
• Describe platform as a service (PaaS)
• Describe software as a service (SaaS)
• Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud service (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)

Describe Azure architecture and services (35–40%)

Describe the core architectural components of Azure
• Describe Azure regional, regional pairs, and sovereign regions
• Describe availability zones
• Describe Azure datacenters

7
 Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

• Describe Azure resources and resource groups

• Describe subscriptions
• Describe management groups
• Describe the hierarchy of resource groups, subscriptions, and management groups

Describe Azure compute and networking services

• Compare compute types, including container instances, virtual machines (VMs), and functions
• Describe VM options, including Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets,
availability sets, and Azure Virtual Desktop
• Describe resources required for virtual machines
• Describe application hosting options, including the Web Apps feature of Azure App Service,
containers, and virtual machines
• Describe virtual networking, including the purpose of Azure Virtual Networks, Azure virtual
subnets, peering, Azure DNS, Azure VPN Gateway, and Azure ExpressRoute
• Define public and private endpoints

Describe Azure storage services

• Compare Azure storage services
• Describe storage tiers
• Describe redundancy options
• Describe storage account options and storage types
• Identify options for moving files, including AzCopy, Azure Storage Explorer, and Azure File Sync
• Describe migration options, including Azure Migrate and Azure Data Box

Describe Azure identity, access, and security

• Describe directory services in Azure, including Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) and Azure
Active Directory Domain Services (Azure AD DS)
• Describe authentication methods in Azure, including single sign-on (SSO), multifactor
authentication, and passwordless
• Describe external identities and guest access in Azure
• Describe Azure AD Conditional Access
• Describe Azure role-based access control (RBAC)
• Describe the concept of Zero Trust
• Describe the purpose of the defense in depth model
• Describe the purpose of Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Describe Azure management and governance (30–35%)

Describe cost management in Azure
• Describe factors that can affect costs in Azure
• Compare the Pricing calculator and the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculator

8
 Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

• Describe the Azure Cost Management and Billing tool

• Describe the purpose of tags

Describe features and tools in Azure for governance and compliance

• Describe the purpose of Azure Blueprints
• Describe the purpose of Azure Policy
• Describe the purpose of resource locks
• Describe the purpose of the Service Trust Portal

Describe features and tools for managing and deploying Azure resources
• Describe the Azure portal
• Describe Azure Cloud Shell, including Azure CLI and Azure PowerShell
• Describe the purpose of Azure Arc
• Describe Azure Resource Manager and Azure Resource Manager templates (ARM templates)

Describe monitoring tools in Azure

• Describe the purpose of Azure Advisor
• Describe Azure Service Health
• Describe Azure Monitor, including Log Analytics, Azure Monitor alerts, and Application Insights