Ever wondered how websites stay online, apps handle millions of users, or organizations store endless amounts of data without huge server rooms? That’s the power of cloud computing, and Microsoft Azure is one of the biggest names in this world. So, if you are just beginning your career, it may feel overwhelming, but you need not worry; this guide will help you sail through smoothly. In this blog, we will discuss core concepts, give you practical examples, and help you take your first hands-on steps in Azure. This Microsoft Azure Study Guide will help you carve a path for success.
What is Microsoft Azure?
Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform that provides a wide range of services to help businesses and organizations of all sizes to build, deploy, and manage their applications and services in a highly secure and scalable manner. With its flexible and cost-effective solutions, Azure has become one of the most popular cloud platforms among enterprises and developers. However, for beginners, understanding the basic concepts of Azure can be challenging. In this Microsoft Azure study guide, we will cover the fundamental concepts of Azure and provide a comprehensive overview of its key features and services. Whether you are new to cloud computing or looking to expand your knowledge, this guide will help you get started with Azure and set you on the path to success in your cloud computing journey.
To explain in simple terms, Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing platform. It provides a wide range of services like computing power, storage, networking, and databases—without you needing to own physical servers. Consider of it as renting technology instead of buying it. For example:
- Instead of buying a server to host your website, you can deploy it on Azure.
- Need to store files or large datasets? Azure has storage solutions for that.
- Want to run apps or analyze data? Azure offers tools to do all of it.
- Azure is used by businesses of all sizes—from startups to global giants—making it an essential skill for anyone entering tech.
Why Learn Azure?
- Learning Azure is not just about understanding technology; it’s also about opportunity.
- Cloud skills are in high demand. Azure expertise can lead to roles like Cloud Administrator, Cloud Engineer, or Solution Architect.
- Azure integrates easily with Microsoft products and supports multiple programming languages and frameworks.
- From AI services to IoT and serverless computing, Azure allows you to experiment with cutting-edge tech.
Even if you are a beginner, mastering the basics now will set you up for more advanced cloud concepts later.
Getting started with Azure
To get started with Azure, create an Azure Free Account to familiarise yourself with the services and platform. The free azure account offers you access to a variety of services that you may use to study and explore. After you sign up for a free Azure account, you will receive the following:
- 200 USD credit to use and explore azure services for the first 30 days of sign up
- 25 + products which are always free
- 12 months of free popular services
All of the popular services are simple to learn and practice. You may practice your coding abilities and learn key tasks like constructing a cloud app, establishing a virtual machine, and more using Azure’s free sandbox environment.
To test your understanding of cloud computing take our free practice test here:
https://www.testpreptraining.ai/microsoft-azure-fundamentals-az-900-free-practice-test
Microsoft azure Study guide for beginners
Azure is a cloud computing platform that provides a wide range of services, including infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS). It allows businesses and organizations to build, deploy, and manage their applications and services in a highly secure and scalable manner.
In this study guide, we will cover the following topics:
- Introduction to Cloud Computing: We will begin with an overview of cloud computing, its benefits, and the different types of cloud services.
- Azure Infrastructure: We will cover the basics of Azure infrastructure, including virtual machines, storage, and networking.
- Azure Platform: We will then explore the Azure platform, which includes services such as Azure App Service, Azure Functions, and Azure SQL Database.
- Azure Management: Next, we will discuss Azure management tools, such as Azure Portal and Azure CLI, that are used to deploy and manage resources on Azure.
- Azure Security: We will also cover the security features and best practices of Azure, including Azure Active Directory, Azure Security Center, and Azure Key Vault.
- Azure Pricing: Lastly, we will explore Azure pricing and the different pricing models, including pay-as-you-go, reserved instances, and Azure Hybrid Benefit.
By the end of this study guide, you will have a solid understanding of Azure’s key concepts and services and be well-equipped to begin your journey with Microsoft Azure. So, let’s get started!
Basic Microsoft Azure Study Guide Concepts
After creating a free Azure account, you may begin learning and exploring the platform. The tutorials that follow will walk you through the process step by step.
1. Principles of cloud computing
This lesson is a good place to start if you’re unfamiliar with the fundamentals of cloud computing. You’ll discover what economies of scale are, as well as what capital and operating expenditure are. You may skip lesson 2 if you are already familiar with this terminology.
2. Introduction to Azure
You’ll receive a tour of Azure, learn how to host a website on Azure, and set up an Azure app.
intro-to-azure
3. Definition of Saas, PaaS, IaaS
4. Azure infrastructure
Azure offers a secure data centre network all around the world. Learn about regions, availability zones, and service level agreements in this section.
Azure infrastructure
Core Mcirosoft Azure Services Tutorial
1. Azure Compute
Azure computing options, as the name implies, allow you to do heavy activities that need gear and equipment. You can simply scale and manage any type and quantity of computational work with Azure Cloud’s compute choices; all you have to do is establish the correct configuration and you’ll be ready in no time. You’ll learn about several compute alternatives, including as virtual machines, containers, Azure App Service, and serverless computing, as well as when each is the ideal option.
2. The Azure portal
The primary way to manage and generate all of your resources is through the Azure interface. Want to construct a new database, upgrade the capability of a virtual computer, or keep track of your expenses? All of these may be done using the Azure interface. You may also read over all of the materials provided and learn how to build the ones you require.
Azure portal lesson. You can also read about ShareGate’s ultimate list of Azure learning resources.
3. Azure Administrative Tools
To communicate with Azure, you’ll need these primary administrative tools. With these, you can do any work. Azure CLI, Azure Powershell, and Azure Portal are the tools.
4. Azure storage
Managing, processing, storing, and utilising data is one of the most fundamental and crucial activities. Cloud service companies also provide this as a key cloud service. Any data-related operation may be handled using Azure storage. There are alternatives for every circumstance and need.
5. Azure Networking
For every network-related operation, Azure networking allows you to create a fast and secure network. With load balancers, you may isolate a network or computing resource, increase the robustness of your services, and perform other critical activities. It’s critical to learn the fundamentals of Azure networking.
Lets take that test again and see how much you have improved:
https://www.testpreptraining.ai/microsoft-azure-fundamentals-az-900-free-practice-test
Important Azure Tasks:
1. Predict Costs and optimize your spending
Azure provides a price calculator that will help you optimise your spending and predict your costs based on the work you need to do. Optimizing your billings and cutting expenditures is an excellent idea. Predict Costs and optimize your spending
2. Create a windows virtual machine
You will learn how to construct a Windows virtual machine in this assignment.
Create a windows virtual machine
3. Create a Linux Virtual Machine
Now we’ll use the Azure Portal to construct a linux virtual machine.
Create a Linux Virtual Machine
4. Create an Azure Storage Account
Which choice is best for your storage requirements? Here you’ll find out how many storage accounts you’ll need for a project and how to set them up properly. Learn how to use the Azure Portal to create a storage account.
Create an Azure Storage Account
You can also read about Creating Azure Storage Account And Supported Services for more information.
You’re ready to move on when you’ve practised all of the aforementioned topics.
Here are the practise exams you may take right now, as well as the certifications you can start studying for.
Brief Summary Microsoft Azure study Guide Terms and Services
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) | Scalable computing resources for running applications and services. |
| Azure App Service | Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) for hosting web apps, APIs, and mobile backends. |
| Azure Functions | Serverless compute service for running event-driven code. |
| Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) | Managed Kubernetes container orchestration service. |
| Azure Blob Storage | Object storage solution for unstructured data. |
| Azure Disk Storage | Persistent block-level storage for Azure VMs. |
| Azure File Storage | Managed file shares accessible via SMB protocol. |
| Azure Queue Storage | Messaging service for storing and retrieving messages. |
| Azure Table Storage | NoSQL key-value store for rapid development. |
| Azure Data Lake Storage | Scalable data storage for big data analytics. |
| Azure SQL Database | Managed relational database service. |
| Azure Cosmos DB | Globally distributed NoSQL database service. |
| Azure Cache for Redis | In-memory data store for caching and session management. |
| Azure Virtual Network (VNet) | Private network within Azure for resource communication. |
| Azure Load Balancer | Distributes incoming network traffic across multiple servers. |
| Azure VPN Gateway | Securely connects on-premises networks to Azure. |
| Azure ExpressRoute | Dedicated private connection to Azure data centers. |
| Azure Application Gateway | Web traffic load balancer with application-level routing. |
| Azure Content Delivery Network (CDN) | Delivers content globally with low latency. |
| Azure Firewall | Managed, cloud-based network security service. |
| Azure DDoS Protection | Protects applications from Distributed Denial of Service attacks. |
| Azure Bastion | Secure and seamless RDP and SSH connectivity to VMs. |
| Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) | Identity and access management service. |
| Azure Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) | Enhances security by requiring multiple verification methods. |
| Azure Identity Protection | Detects potential vulnerabilities affecting your organization’s identities. |
| Azure Key Vault | Safeguards cryptographic keys and secrets. |
| Azure Security Center | Unified security management system. |
| Azure Sentinel | Cloud-native SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) solution. |
| Azure Policy | Enforces organizational standards and assesses compliance. |
| Azure Blueprints | Packages of governance controls and resources. |
| Azure Monitor | Full-stack monitoring for applications and infrastructure. |
| Azure Log Analytics | Collects and analyzes log data from resources. |
| Azure Application Insights | Monitors live applications for performance and usage. |
| Azure Automation | Automates frequent, time-consuming, and error-prone cloud management tasks. |
| Azure Logic Apps | Automates workflows and integrates apps, data, and services. |
| Azure Event Grid | Event routing service for building event-based architectures. |
| Azure Service Bus | Messaging service for connecting applications and services. |
| Azure Event Hubs | Data streaming platform for real-time analytics. |
| Azure Notification Hubs | Push notification service for mobile and desktop applications. |
| Azure Synapse Analytics | Analytics service that brings together big data and data warehousing. |
| Azure Databricks | Apache Spark-based analytics platform optimized for Azure. |
| Azure HDInsight | Fully-managed cloud service for big data analytics. |
| Azure Machine Learning | End-to-end data science and machine learning service. |
| Azure Cognitive Services | Suite of APIs for building intelligent applications. |
| Azure AI Bot Services | Develop intelligent, serverless bot applications. |
| Azure Cognitive Search | AI-powered cloud search service for mobile and web app development. |
| Azure Form Recognizer | Extracts information from documents using machine learning. |
| Azure Speech Services | Converts spoken language into text and vice versa. |
| Azure Computer Vision | Extracts information from images and videos. |
| Azure Face API | Detects and recognizes human faces in images. |
| Azure Translator | Real-time translation service for multiple languages. |
| Azure Language Understanding (LUIS) | Builds natural language understanding into apps. |
| Azure QnA Maker | Builds a question and answer layer over your data. |
| Azure Bot Framework | Develops intelligent bots with a comprehensive set of tools. |
| Azure IoT Hub | Central hub for managing IoT devices. |
| Azure IoT Central | Application platform for building IoT solutions. |
| Azure Digital Twins | Models and creates digital representations of physical environments. |
| Azure Sphere | Secures microcontroller units for IoT applications. |
| Azure Time Series Insights | Analyzes and visualizes time-series data from IoT devices. |
| Azure Maps | Geospatial APIs for location-based applications. |
| Azure Blockchain Service | Builds, governs, and expands blockchain networks. |
| Azure Quantum | Develops quantum applications using quantum computing. |
| Azure VMware Solution | Runs VMware workloads on Azure. |
| Azure Migrate | Assesses and migrates on-premises workloads to Azure. |
| Azure Site Recovery | Ensures business continuity by replicating workloads. |
| Azure Backup | Protects data by backing up to Azure. |
| Azure File Sync | Centralizes file services in Azure while maintaining local access. |
| Azure NetApp Files | Enterprise-grade file storage service. |
| Azure Stack | Extends Azure services to on-premises environments. |
| Azure Arc | Extends Azure management to any infrastructure. |
| Azure Lighthouse | Manages multiple Azure tenants at scale. |
| Azure Cost Management + Billing | Manages and optimizes Azure spending. |
| Azure Advisor | Provides personalized best practices recommendations. |
| Azure Resource Manager (ARM) | Manages and organizes Azure resources. |
| Azure Resource Groups | Logical containers for Azure resources. |
| Azure Subscriptions | Organizes access to Azure resources. |
| Azure Tags | Metadata for organizing Azure resources. |
| Azure Regions | Geographical locations where Azure data centers are situated. |
| Azure Availability Zones | High-availability offering that protects applications and data. |
| Azure Service Principal | Identity used by applications to access Azure resources. |
| Azure Managed Identity | Automatically managed identity for applications to access Azure resources. |
| Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) | Manages access to Azure resources. |
| Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) | Identity and access management service. |
| Azure Directory Sync | Synchronizes on-premises directories with Azure AD. |
| Azure Conditional Access | Controls access to applications based on conditions. |
| Azure Identity Protection | Detects potential vulnerabilities affecting your organization’s identities. |
| Azure AD Connect | Synchronizes on-premises directories with Azure AD. |
| Azure AD B2C | Identity management for customer-facing applications. |
| Azure AD B2B | Securely shares your applications and services with guest users. |
| Azure AD Domain Services | Provides domain services without domain controllers. |
| Azure AD Join | Registers devices with Azure AD. |
| Azure AD Hybrid Join | Joins devices to both on-premises AD and Azure AD. |
| Azure AD Connect Health | Monitors the health of your hybrid identity infrastructure. |
| Azure AD Application Proxy | Provides secure remote access to on-premises applications. |
| Azure AD Identity Governance | Manages identity lifecycle and access. |
| Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM) | Manages, controls, and monitors access within Azure AD. |
| Azure AD Access Reviews | Reviews access to resources to ensure compliance. |
| Azure AD Entitlement Management | Manages identity and access lifecycle. |
| Azure AD Terms of Use | Manages and enforces terms of use for applications. |
| Azure AD Access Packages | Grants access to resources based on policies. |
| Azure AD Conditional Access App Control | Monitors and controls sessions in real-time. |
| Azure AD Identity Protection | Detects potential vulnerabilities affecting your organization’s identities. |
| Azure AD Identity Governance | Manages identity lifecycle and access. |
Azure Pricing and Management
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Azure Cost Management | Tools to monitor and control Azure spending. |
| Azure Pricing Calculator | Estimates the cost of Azure services. |
| Azure Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) | Assesses the cost savings of migrating to Azure. |
| Azure Reserved Instances | Saves costs by committing to one or three-year terms for VMs. |
| Azure Hybrid Benefit | Saves costs by using existing on-premises licenses for Azure services. |
| Azure Spot VMs | Low-cost VMs for interruptible workloads. |
| Azure Dev/Test Pricing | Special pricing for development and testing environments. |
| Azure Free Account | Provides free access to popular Azure services for 12 months. |
| Azure Sponsorship | Provides Azure credits for eligible organizations. |
| Azure Marketplace | Online store for purchasing certified, open-source, and community software. |
Governance & Security
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Azure Policy | Enforces organizational standards and assesses compliance at-scale. |
| Azure Blueprints | Packages of governance controls and resources to ensure compliance. |
| Azure Security Center | Unified security management system to prevent, detect, and respond to threats. |
| Azure Sentinel | Cloud-native SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) solution. |
| Azure Key Vault | Safeguards cryptographic keys and secrets used by cloud applications. |
| Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) | Identity and access management service for secure sign-ins and access control. |
| Azure Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) | Enhances security by requiring multiple verification methods. |
| Azure Firewall | Managed, cloud-based network security service to protect Azure Virtual Network resources. |
| Azure DDoS Protection | Protects applications from Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. |
| Azure Bastion | Secure and seamless RDP and SSH connectivity to virtual machines. |
| Azure Identity Protection | Detects potential vulnerabilities affecting your organization’s identities. |
| Azure Privileged Identity Management (PIM) | Manages, controls, and monitors access within Azure AD. |
| Azure AD Conditional Access | Controls access to applications based on conditions. |
| Azure AD B2C | Identity management for customer-facing applications. |
| Azure AD B2B | Securely shares your applications and services with guest users. |
| Azure AD Domain Services | Provides domain services without the need for domain controllers. |
| Azure AD Connect | Synchronizes on-premises directories with Azure AD. |
| Azure AD Hybrid Join | Joins devices to both on-premises Active Directory and Azure AD. |
| Azure AD Application Proxy | Provides secure remote access to on-premises applications. |
| Azure AD Access Reviews | Reviews access to resources to ensure compliance. |
| Azure AD Entitlement Management | Manages identity and access lifecycle. |
Networking
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Azure Virtual Network (VNet) | Private network within Azure to connect resources securely. |
| Azure VPN Gateway | Establishes secure, cross-premises connectivity. |
| Azure ExpressRoute | Dedicated private connection to Azure data centers. |
| Azure Load Balancer | Distributes incoming network traffic across multiple servers. |
| Azure Application Gateway | Web traffic load balancer with application-level routing. |
| Azure Content Delivery Network (CDN) | Delivers content globally with low latency. |
| Azure DNS | Provides ultra-high availability and performance for your domain name system (DNS) needs. |
| Azure Bastion | Provides secure and seamless RDP and SSH connectivity to virtual machines. |
| Azure Network Watcher | Monitors and diagnoses conditions at a network scenario level. |
| Azure Front Door | Delivers high availability and low latency to your global applications. |
| Azure Private Link | Provides private connectivity to services across Azure. |
| Azure Application Gateway WAF | Protects web applications from common threats and vulnerabilities. |
| Azure Firewall Manager | Centralized network security policy and route management. |
| Azure Route Server | Simplifies dynamic routing between your network appliances and virtual networks. |
Emerging Technologies
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Azure AI Foundry | Platform for building, customizing, and managing AI applications and agents. |
| Azure Quantum | Develops quantum applications using quantum computing. |
| Azure AI Bot Services | Develops intelligent, serverless bot applications. |
| Azure Cognitive Services | Suite of APIs for building intelligent applications. |
| Azure Machine Learning | End-to-end data science and machine learning service. |
| Azure Databricks | Apache Spark-based analytics platform optimized for Azure. |
| Azure Synapse Analytics | Analytics service that brings together big data and data warehousing. |
| Azure IoT Hub | Central hub for managing IoT devices. |
| Azure IoT Central | Application platform for building IoT solutions. |
| Azure Digital Twins | Models and creates digital representations of physical environments. |
| Azure Sphere | Secures microcontroller units for IoT applications. |
| Azure Time Series Insights | Analyzes and visualizes time-series data from IoT devices. |
| Azure Maps | Geospatial APIs for location-based applications. |
| Azure Blockchain Service | Builds, governs, and expands blockchain networks. |
| Azure AI Anomaly Detector | Detects anomalies in time-series data. |
| Azure AI Personalizer | Delivers rich, personalized experiences for every user. |
| Azure AI Translator | Real-time translation service for multiple languages. |
| Azure AI Speech Services | Converts spoken language into text and vice versa. |
| Azure AI Computer Vision | Extracts information from images and videos. |
| Azure AI Language Understanding (LUIS) | Builds natural language understanding into apps. |
| Azure AI QnA Maker | Builds a question and answer layer over your data. |
Management & Monitoring
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Azure Monitor | Full-stack monitoring for applications and infrastructure. |
| Azure Log Analytics | Collects and analyzes log data from resources. |
| Azure Application Insights | Monitors live applications for performance and usage. |
| Azure Automation | Automates frequent, time-consuming, and error-prone cloud management tasks. |
| Azure Cost Management + Billing | Manages and optimizes Azure spending. |
| Azure Advisor | Provides personalized best practices recommendations. |
| Azure Resource Manager (ARM) | Manages and organizes Azure resources. |
| Azure Resource Groups | Logical containers for Azure resources. |
| Azure Subscriptions | Organizes access to Azure resources. |
| Azure Tags | Metadata for organizing Azure resources. |
| Azure Cloud Shell | Browser-based shell for managing Azure resources. |
| Azure DevOps | Set of development tools for software development and deployment. |
| Azure DevTest Labs | Quickly creates environments using reusable templates and artifacts. |
| Azure Container Registry | Stores and manages private Docker container images. |
| Azure Container Instances | Runs containers in Azure without managing servers. |
| Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) | Managed Kubernetes container orchestration service. |
| Azure App Service | Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) for hosting web apps, APIs, and mobile backends. |
| Azure Functions | Serverless compute service for running event-driven code. |
| Azure App Configuration | Centralized configuration management for your applications. |
| Azure Logic Apps | Automates workflows and integrates apps, data, and services. |
| Azure Event Grid | Event routing service for building event-based architectures. |
| Azure Service Bus | Messaging service for connecting applications and services. |
| Azure Event Hubs | Data streaming platform for real-time analytics. |
| Azure Notification Hubs | Push notification service for mobile and desktop applications. |
| Azure Synapse Analytics | Analytics service that brings together big data and data warehousing. |
| Azure Databricks | Apache Spark-based analytics platform optimized for Azure. |
| Azure HDInsight | Fully-managed cloud service for big data analytics. |
| Azure Machine Learning | End-to-end data science and machine learning service. |
| Azure Cognitive Services | Suite of APIs for building intelligent applications. |
| Azure AI Bot Services | Develops intelligent, serverless bot applications. |
| Azure Cognitive Search | AI-powered cloud search service for mobile and web app development. |
| Azure Form Recognizer | Extracts information from documents using machine learning. |
| Azure Speech Services | Converts spoken language into text and vice versa. |
| Azure Computer Vision | Extracts information from images and videos. |
| Azure Face API | Detects and recognizes human faces in images. |
| Azure Translator | Real-time translation service for multiple languages. |
| Azure Language Understanding (LUIS) | Builds natural language understanding into apps. |
| Azure QnA Maker | Builds a question and answer layer over your data. |
