Azure is a public cloud computing service offered by Microsoft. It was first launched in 2010 in a nascent cloud market and it has since been gaining popularity steadily. Among Azure’s service, we can find PaaS (Platform as a service), IaaS (Infrastructure as a service) and SaaS (Software as a service) options covering a range of essential products for compute, network, storage, databases, etc.
What are Azure Certifications?
As the name implies, Azure Certifications are a set of certifications managed by Microsoft and their purpose is to help professionals validate their skills. Organizations can also use them as a tool to filter candidates with proven knowledge in a specific field.
Choosing a certification path is one of the first decisions one must make because this will determine which exams you will need to take and the content you need to prepare for. There is no “optimal” certification path as they all serve different purposes and cover different technologies. The decision comes down to what you are interested in or skills you need for current/potential jobs. As of 2021, there are 11 role-based certification paths (see below), ranging from Azure Fundamentals (which covers the basics and provides foundational knowledge) to more advanced certifications such as Azure Architect and Azure DevOps Engineer (covering topics such as advanced security and cloud native and hybrid solution designs, among many others).
Why would you want to get certified?
Cloud business is rapidly evolving, with most of the growth happening in the last decade. It is challenging to keep up with all the changes and new products being released. Taking the time to study for certifications will expose you to a large number of features you may not even know existed unless they are part of your day-to-day job.
You can also benefit from a structured-learning approach, Microsoft Certification path was overhauled in the last few years to be role-based instead of product-based. The benefit of this approach is mainly the exposure to all technologies related to a role, avoiding fear of missing out on content that might be important in your current/future career.
And last but not least, from a career-growth perspective, organizations are more and more finding the move to a public cloud service to be a very compelling option since they no longer have the need to maintain their own data centers. This allows them to shift focus back to their products and services. This newly found interest has caused an enormous need for individuals with proven experience working in cloud environments and is expected to grow even further in the coming years.
How can an organization benefit from having Azure-Certified employees?
It is a vital asset for companies to have certified employees. Here at RedBit we leverage the knowledge obtained through these certifications every day. If your company is a Microsoft Partner, like we are, it can also help them elevate their partnership status.
Furthermore, as a consulting company, it also provides a sense of security for new clients to know we are accredited and have the expertise required to meet their needs.
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