AZ-104 focuses on operating Azure environments: identity, governance, networking, storage, and compute. You also cover backup and monitoring so you can run workloads reliably day to day.
AZ-104 is designed around the responsibilities of an Azure Administrator. The content is not limited to a single service area. Instead, it connects identity, governance, networking, storage, compute, protection, and monitoring into a workable operating model for Azure environments.On the identity side, you learn how to secure and manage identities using Azure Active Directory, and how to implement users and groups. From there, the course moves into governance and compliance activities that affect every workload. That includes managing subscriptions and accounts, applying Azure Policy, and using role-based access control to assign permissions.Administration is then treated as a repeatable practice. You work with the tools used by administrators in production: the Azure Portal and Cloud Shell, plus PowerShell, the Azure CLI, Azure Resource Manager, and ARM templates. This matters because operational consistency often depends on how you deploy and change resources over time.Networking coverage starts with virtual networks, subnets, and DNS, and continues into network security controls such as network security groups and Azure Firewall. You also address intersite connectivity options like VNet peering and gateway-based connections, including decisions between approaches such as VPN Gateway, ExpressRoute, and Virtual WAN. Traffic management topics cover routing concepts, service endpoints, and platform services such as Azure Load Balancer and Azure Application Gateway.For storage and compute, you learn how to create and manage storage accounts, configure blob containers, and operate file services. Compute topics include planning and creating virtual machines, configuring availability and extensions, and working with scale constructs. The course also includes platform compute options such as App Service, containers, and Kubernetes so you can administer common application hosting patterns.Finally, you cover protection and monitoring. That includes backup and restore for files, folders, and virtual machines, plus monitoring with Azure Monitor, alerts, Log Analytics, and Network Watcher. Taken together, the scope prepares you to administer core Azure services and support operational reliability.
If you are already working in Azure, the highest value from AZ-104 comes from connecting service knowledge to operational decisions. Subscription structure, RBAC boundaries, and policy design affect everything that comes later, including how teams deploy and how you investigate incidents. Treat those areas as foundational, not optional.Also, do not separate networking, compute, and monitoring into silos. A change in routing, DNS, or firewall posture can look like an application failure. Likewise, VM sizing and availability settings can surface as performance issues. AZ-104’s breadth is useful because it encourages a diagnostic mindset across layers.When preparing for the exam, keep your focus on tasks and outcomes rather than isolated feature trivia. If you can explain why you would choose a particular connectivity approach, or how you would implement governance controls, you will typically be in a good position for both the role and the certification.
“An Azure Administrator implements, manages, and monitors identity, governance, storage, compute, and virtual networks in a cloud environment.”
Expert Trainer
Expert Trainer
AZ-104 is intended for Azure Administrators who implement, manage, and monitor Azure resources. It fits roles responsible for identity, governance, storage, compute, and virtual networking in a cloud environment.
AZ-305 includes designing a governance solution and designing a compute solution, reinforced with case study labs.
AZ-204 includes monitoring with Application Insights and performance optimization using caching and CDN.
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