Quick Stats:

• According to a report by IDC, “investment in the public cloud is expected to grow from USD 229 billion in 2019 to USD 500 billion in 2023.”
• One of the fastest-growing technologies in the era we are living in today is cloud computing. Microsoft Azure is regarded as a growing leader in the cloud market. 
• There are more than 450,000 websites that are hosted with Microsoft Azure.
• The cloud hosting services offered by Azure are being used by 857k live websites as per a report by BuiltWith. 
• In 2020, Microsoft Azure officially hit the USD 50 billion marks, for an annual run rate which is an impressive revenue milestone. 
• Microsoft Azure is seen as an emerging cloud market leader with a huge 29% application workload of the overall cloud market. 
• Azure is used by 95% of Fortune 500 companies. 

The stats mentioned above clearly depict the popularity of Azure among companies. With the increasing number of businesses shifting their IT infrastructure to the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, there is a surge in the number of Azure-certified professionals.

In this article, we will discuss one of the top-rated Azure certifications which are called Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect or simply Azure Architect. By reading ahead, you will come to know that it can be rewarding to take Azure Architect certification so as to make a career in the fastest-growing cloud services provider.

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Microsoft Azure Overview

Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing service that provides for testing, creating, deploying, and maintaining services and applications by the data centers that are supervised by Microsoft. 

Azure provides cloud services such as Software as a Services (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Services (IaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS). It supports various different languages, frameworks, and tools. These tools may come under third-party software as well as Microsoft-specific software and systems. 

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What is an Azure Architect?

A Microsoft Azure Cloud Solutions Architect or Azure Architect is a branded version of the generic cloud architect. They have a thorough knowledge of the ways of designing solutions that can run on Azure. A typical Azure Solutions Architect is a senior IT professional who understands every phase of SDLC or software development lifecycle, team roles and management, and in-depth technical implementation.

As a Solutions Architect, you acquire the knowledge of virtualization, storage, networking, identity, processing, security, data management, backup and recovery, budget and planning, governance. You also become proficient in Azure development, administration, testing, and DevOps. 

As an Azure Architect, you must be capable of developing solutions that run on Azure. For this, you need to be an expert in network, security, and storage as well.

There are two categories of certification exam from which you can choose to move as a Solutions Architect:

AZ 300 (Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies) – passing this exam will make you attain the job role of Azure Certified Solutions Architect.

AZ 301 (Microsoft Azure Architect Design) – this is an expert-level certification.

How To Earn The Certification?

We know that the Azure Solutions Architect certification exam is challenging to pass but if you chalk your plan making strong strategies, follow a strict routine and prepare well, then you can definitely pass the exam on the first attempt. 

Follow the steps mentioned below to acquire the certification at the earliest.

• Meet the eligibility criteria. Earn a bachelor’s degree in any of the fields such as Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or related technical area. Some organizations demand a master’s degree as well. You are also required to have sound knowledge of scripting and programming languages.
• Gain a solid understanding of all the elements of cloud infrastructure solutions of Azure cloud such as IaaS, BCDR, OSS, Infra, and PaaS.
• Learn Java thoroughly.
• Learn how to use open source technologies that include Docker, Redis, OpenStack, etc.
• Gain expertise in integrated development environments and any of the operating systems such as Windows, Linux, or Unix.
• Acquire proficiency with networking components like Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), HTTP (HyperText Transmit Protocol), DNS, IP addresses, LAN/WAN technology, TCP/IP, and other components including routers, switches, firewalls, etc.
• You need an in-depth functional understanding of cybersecurity measures. To work with the cloud, it is crucial to have a good grasp of cybersecurity procedures and their best practices. When a company migrates to the cloud, security concerns account for its reluctance.
• Acquire and brush up the soft skills required for the requirements of every cloud architect such as:
  • Clear, direct, and 
  • Experience in leadership
  • Business and strategy acumen
  • Planning and organizational skills
• You are required to acquire work experience in software development and the IT field. Irrespective of the platform you are working with, you are required to acquire three to five years of experience in hands-on work. While working in the field, you will eventually gain the knowledge of tools and skills that are required crucially.
• The most important step is to get trained. Take up an online Azure cloud solutions architect training course and go with rigorous training to get certified.

Required Skills

• Knowledge of Azure fundamentals and experience in creating cloud environments on Azure is essential.
• Proficiency in areas like Azure development, Azure administration, or DevOps is required.
• Knowledge of IT operations that include budgeting, data management, governance, business continuity, disaster recovery, networking, identity, and virtualization.
• A good grasp of cloud concepts as in microservices.
• Experience in performing cost analysis, because cloud architects are required to balance performance requirements against budget limitations and justify cloud-related expenses to the management.
• Excellent communication skills are required as you need to deal with management, team members, and also stakeholders.

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Wrap Up

According to Glassdoor, the average annual salary of an Azure cloud solutions Architect in India is around INR 3,172K and it is USD 112,500 in the US. 

If you are willing to make a career that is ever-growing and is highly paid, the best possible move is to take up an online training course. This is because you are trained well and are exposed to real-life projects and are allowed to access the study material anytime for free. Apart from the options of modes of learning to choose from, you are also allowed to learn at your own pace. Finally, there are industry experts to clear all your doubts and leave no stones unturned.

Get yourself registered now!