Microsoft Azure Administrator (AZ-104): 5 Essential Skills

The Azure Administrator Associate exam (AZ-104) validates the ability to implement, manage, and monitor Microsoft Azure environments — day-to-day admin work under exam scenarios.

1. Identity and Governance#

Managing identity and implementing governance makes up 15-20% of the AZ-104 exam. This is your foundation for secure, well-organized Azure environments.

Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) Management#

As an Azure Administrator, you'll frequently manage users, groups, and access:

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)#

RBAC is the authorization system for Azure resources:

Scope Hierarchy:
Management Group → Subscription → Resource Group → Resource

Key built-in roles:

• Owner — Full access including permission management
• Contributor — Create/manage resources, but can't grant access
• Reader — View resources only
• User Access Administrator — Manage user access only

Azure Policy#

Azure Policy enforces organizational standards and compliance:

Common policy effects:

• Deny — Block non-compliant resource creation
• Audit — Log non-compliance without blocking
• Append — Add configuration to resources
• DeployIfNotExists — Auto-remediate resources

2. Implement and Manage Storage#

Storage management comprises 15-20% of the exam. Understanding storage accounts, tiers, and data protection is critical.

Storage Account Types#

Blob Access Tiers#

Storage Redundancy Options#

Data Protection Features#

• Soft delete — Recover deleted blobs/containers for a retention period
• Versioning — Maintain previous versions of blobs automatically
• Immutable storage — WORM (Write Once, Read Many) for compliance
• Point-in-time restore — Restore block blobs to a previous state

3. Deploy and Manage Compute Resources#

Compute is a significant portion of the exam (20-25%), covering VMs, scale sets, containers, and App Service.

Virtual Machine Management#

Key VM concepts for the exam:

Virtual Machine Scale Sets (VMSS)#

VMSS is essential for auto-scaling scenarios:

• Automatically increase/decrease VM instances
• Use custom images for consistent deployments
• Integrate with Azure Load Balancer or Application Gateway
• Support both manual and autoscale configurations

Autoscale Rules:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ IF CPU > 75% for 10 minutes                 │
│ THEN increase instance count by 2           │
│ WAIT 5 minutes (cooldown)                   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ IF CPU < 25% for 10 minutes                 │
│ THEN decrease instance count by 1           │
│ WAIT 5 minutes (cooldown)                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Azure App Service#

PaaS platform for web apps, APIs, and mobile backends:

Containers in Azure#

4. Configure and Manage Virtual Networking#

Networking is heavily tested (20-25%). Master VNets, NSGs, load balancing, and hybrid connectivity.

Virtual Network Fundamentals#

Network Security Groups (NSGs)#

NSGs filter traffic using security rules:

VNet Peering#

Connect VNets for private communication:

• Regional peering — VNets in the same region
• Global peering — VNets in different regions
• Peering is non-transitive — must create peerings explicitly
• Peering uses Microsoft backbone (low latency)

Load Balancing Options#

5. Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources#

Monitoring and backup (10-15% of the exam) ensure your Azure environment runs smoothly and can recover from failures.

Azure Monitor Components#

Log Analytics#

Log Analytics workspaces store log data for analysis:

• Collect logs from Azure resources, on-premises, and other clouds
• Query logs using Kusto Query Language (KQL)
• Create visualizations and dashboards
• Power alerts and automated responses

Example KQL query:

AzureActivity
| where TimeGenerated > ago(24h)
| where OperationName contains "delete"
| project TimeGenerated, Caller, ResourceGroup, OperationName
| order by TimeGenerated desc

Alert Rules#

Azure Backup#

Azure Backup provides enterprise-grade data protection:

Backup policy settings:

• Schedule — How often backups run
• Retention — How long to keep backups
• Instant restore — Keep snapshots locally for fast recovery

Azure Site Recovery#

For disaster recovery across regions:

• Replicates VMs to a secondary region
• Enables failover with minimal data loss (low RPO)
• Supports test failovers without affecting production
• Recovery plans orchestrate multi-VM failover

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Key Exam Tips#

1. Know the CLI commands — Many questions reference Azure CLI or PowerShell syntax
2. Understand scopes — Management groups, subscriptions, resource groups, and resources
3. Practice networking scenarios — VNet peering, NSG rules, and load balancing are heavily tested
4. Master storage tiers — Know when to use Hot, Cool, Cold, and Archive
5. Review backup vs. replication — Understand RPO, RTO, and when to use each solution

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Know your range before test day#

You've covered the AZ-104 admin skills. Sit a short diagnostic for a domain breakdown, then practice free until a timed sitting narrows your readiness range.

• Timed diagnostic with domain-level breakdown
• Clear signal on what to drill next
• Practice free; timed sittings and readiness range on Pro

Take the free AZ-104 assessment →

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Next step: Start practicing free on the AZ-104 hub, or sit a short diagnostic first.