The AZ-104 exam is designed for professionals aiming to become certified Azure Administrators. It validates a broad range of skills, including managing Azure identities, implementing governance, configuring virtual networks, and administering cloud resources. The exam targets those who operate cloud services that span storage, networking, and compute. Success in this exam not only confirms one’s technical proficiency but also reflects the ability to implement, monitor, and maintain Microsoft Azure solutions effectively.
Managing Azure Identities And Governance
Managing identities is foundational to secure cloud administration. Azure Active Directory plays a central role in identity management. Understanding how to create and manage users, groups, and service principals is crucial. Administrators must be familiar with role-based access control, which ensures that users have the appropriate permissions without granting unnecessary access.
Multi-factor authentication and conditional access policies are vital for protecting identities. In addition, governance tools such as Azure Policy and Azure Blueprints help enforce organizational standards and compliance requirements. Tagging resources and using management groups streamline policy implementation across multiple subscriptions.
Implementing And Managing Storage
Storage in Azure is versatile and scalable, offering options for structured and unstructured data. Azure Blob storage is ideal for unstructured data, while Azure Files provides a managed file share. Implementing lifecycle management policies ensures that storage is used efficiently by automating data movement based on age or access patterns.
Encryption at rest and in transit is mandatory to secure data. Managing access through shared access signatures or Azure Active Directory-based authentication protects storage endpoints. Administrators must also configure redundancy using options such as locally-redundant or geo-redundant storage, depending on availability requirements.
Deploying And Managing Azure Compute Resources
Virtual machines are central to many Azure deployments. Administrators should know how to create VMs using the portal, command-line tools, and templates. It’s essential to configure VM size, availability zones, and operating systems to match workload needs. Understanding disk types—standard, premium, or ultra—is necessary for performance tuning.
Virtual Machine Scale Sets and Availability Sets offer high availability. For cost efficiency and scalability, containers and Azure App Services are often preferred over VMs for microservices and web applications. Administrators must be comfortable deploying containerized applications using Azure Kubernetes Service and managing app configurations and deployments.
Configuring Virtual Networking
Networking in Azure involves configuring Virtual Networks, subnets, and network security groups. Network design must account for both performance and security. Implementing peering between VNets allows communication between different network segments without using the public internet. Configuring DNS, routing tables, and public IP addresses enhances networking control.
Network security is implemented through layered defenses using NSGs, Application Security Groups, and Azure Firewall. Administrators must also understand how to implement VPN Gateways and ExpressRoute for hybrid connectivity. Load balancers and traffic managers distribute incoming requests, ensuring application availability and performance.
Monitoring And Backing Up Azure Resources
Effective monitoring and alerting are critical to maintaining the health of Azure resources. Azure Monitor provides insights into performance and availability, while Log Analytics helps correlate data across services. Creating and customizing dashboards allows quick visualization of metrics and logs.
Alerts can trigger automated actions, such as scaling or email notifications, based on predefined thresholds. Backup and disaster recovery are equally important. Azure Backup protects virtual machines, files, and databases, while Azure Site Recovery ensures business continuity in case of regional failures.
Managing Azure Subscriptions And Resources
Azure administrators must structure resources in a logical and manageable way. Subscriptions, resource groups, and naming conventions play a key role in resource organization. Implementing tagging enables cost tracking and policy enforcement. Azure Cost Management provides tools to monitor, allocate, and optimize spending.
Understanding the billing model and how different services impact cost is essential. Budgets and alerts help control spending, while reservations and hybrid benefit programs reduce costs for predictable workloads. Using resource locks prevents accidental deletion or modification of critical assets.
Implementing Security For Azure Resources
Securing Azure resources requires a multi-layered approach. Azure Defender and Security Center offer centralized security management. Administrators must understand how to configure security policies and interpret security score recommendations. Identity and access management tools ensure that the right people have the right access.
Implementing Just-In-Time VM access, network segmentation, and secure access to storage endpoints are best practices. Key Vault helps manage secrets, keys, and certificates securely. Security must be integrated into every aspect of deployment, not as an afterthought.
Configuring Load Balancing And Network Traffic Management
Ensuring consistent and high-performing application delivery involves the use of load balancers. Azure Load Balancer distributes traffic across virtual machines, while Application Gateway offers layer 7 load balancing with features such as SSL termination and web application firewall.
Azure Traffic Manager provides DNS-based traffic routing across global regions, useful for geo-redundant applications. Understanding how to configure backend pools, probes, and routing rules is essential for ensuring high availability and efficient traffic distribution.
Managing Azure App Services And Containers
Modern applications often require managed platforms. Azure App Services supports quick deployment of web apps, APIs, and mobile backends with built-in scaling and integration. Administrators must understand deployment slots, diagnostic logging, and scaling options.
Containers are increasingly used to deploy lightweight applications. Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and Azure Container Instances allow orchestration and scaling. Managing container registries and updating container images are part of day-to-day operations. Monitoring and securing containerized applications is critical for production environments.
Using Infrastructure As Code
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) enables consistent and repeatable deployments. Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates and Bicep simplify infrastructure definition. Administrators must learn to write and deploy templates to automate VM provisioning, storage setup, and network configuration.
IaC supports versioning and testing, reducing errors during deployment. Integration with CI/CD pipelines enhances productivity and reliability. Using GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps allows seamless integration of code, infrastructure, and automation.
Understanding Azure Automation And Scripting
Automation enhances efficiency by reducing manual tasks. PowerShell and Azure CLI are essential tools for scripting routine operations. Creating runbooks in Azure Automation allows scheduled or event-driven task execution, such as shutting down unused VMs or rotating credentials.
Automation must include logging and error handling to ensure reliability. Leveraging automation accounts, variables, and credentials securely is part of advanced Azure administration.
Preparing For Disaster Recovery
Business continuity is a key responsibility. Azure Site Recovery replicates workloads across regions, allowing quick failover during outages. Administrators should configure recovery plans, perform regular failover testing, and ensure data integrity during transitions.
Backups must be regularly verified. Recovery point objectives and recovery time objectives should align with business needs. Secure and auditable recovery plans increase resilience.
Building A Governance Framework
Governance ensures resources are used responsibly. Administrators must configure policies to enforce naming conventions, resource types, and compliance standards. Blueprints combine policies, RBAC assignments, and resource templates for structured deployments.
Understanding how to audit environments and generate compliance reports is necessary. Resource locks, cost controls, and activity logs help enforce governance without slowing development.
Leveraging Hybrid Cloud Capabilities
Hybrid environments are common in enterprises. Azure Arc extends Azure management to on-premises and multi-cloud environments. Administrators can onboard servers, Kubernetes clusters, and SQL instances under a single management plane.
Hybrid capabilities require understanding of VPNs, ExpressRoute, and identity federation. Integration with on-premises Active Directory and centralized policy enforcement ensures consistent control.
Advanced Resource Management In Azure
In the context of the AZ-104 exam, resource management goes beyond creation and configuration. It involves structuring resources for scalability, governance, and visibility. Resource groups act as containers for resources that share the same lifecycle. Administrators must understand how to assign roles at different scopes: management group, subscription, resource group, and resource level.
Tagging resources plays a major role in organizing workloads for tracking and billing. Tags are metadata assigned to resources and can be used in queries or to enforce policies. Automation of tagging during deployment using templates or policies ensures consistency and reduces manual work. Implementing locks on resources helps prevent unintended deletion or modification, which is critical for business continuity.
Configuring And Managing Virtual Networks
Azure Virtual Network enables communication between Azure resources. Understanding address space, subnets, and network interfaces is key to creating an effective network architecture. Administrators must configure subnets according to workload needs and isolate workloads using network security groups.
VNet peering allows communication between virtual networks without a gateway. Global VNet peering supports cross-region connectivity. Route tables help control traffic flow, and user-defined routes enable specific routing behavior. Private endpoints and service endpoints enhance security by providing private connectivity to Azure services.
Network Watcher is a diagnostic tool that allows packet capture, topology analysis, and connection troubleshooting. Being proficient with this tool is essential for resolving complex network issues and is often tested in real-world AZ-104 exam scenarios.
Understanding Azure DNS And Custom Domains
Name resolution is a key element in networking. Azure provides internal and public DNS services. Administrators must configure DNS zones and records for services that require custom domains. Using Azure DNS reduces dependency on external DNS providers and improves integration.
Private DNS zones allow name resolution within virtual networks. Linking DNS zones to multiple VNets ensures consistent internal name resolution across environments. Configuring forwarders or conditional forwarding supports hybrid scenarios where some zones are hosted on-premises.
Managing Azure Compute Workloads
Beyond deploying virtual machines, administrators must handle tasks like resizing, managing extensions, and automating patching. Extensions such as diagnostics, anti-malware, and backup agents enhance VM capabilities.
Custom images and shared image galleries allow administrators to standardize VM configurations across teams and environments. This is especially useful when onboarding new projects that require predefined settings or security baselines.
Availability Zones provide fault isolation across physical locations in a region. When designing mission-critical applications, administrators must place VMs in multiple zones to ensure high availability. This capability plays a significant role in passing performance-related questions in the AZ-104 exam.
Managing Identity And Access
Azure Active Directory serves as the foundation for access management. Administrators must understand how to configure users, groups, and enterprise applications. Role-based access control enables fine-grained permissions. Custom roles can be created for unique requirements that standard roles do not cover.
Conditional Access provides adaptive controls, such as enforcing MFA only under risky conditions. Administrators must learn to create policies based on device status, location, and user risk. Identity Protection automates response to high-risk sign-ins and users.
External collaboration features like Azure AD B2B enable secure sharing with partners. Administrators should configure invitation settings, terms of use, and conditional access for guest users to balance collaboration and security.
Using Azure Backup And Restore
Data protection is a core responsibility for administrators. Azure Backup enables the creation of recovery points for VMs, files, SQL databases, and more. Recovery Services Vaults are used to store backup configurations and data.
Configuring backup policies involves setting retention periods, scheduling frequency, and enabling application-aware backups. Restoring data must be tested regularly to ensure recoverability. Administrators should know the difference between snapshot-based and full backups.
Geo-redundant storage in backups ensures data availability even during regional failures. Long-term retention for compliance scenarios should also be configured when necessary. This area is heavily emphasized in the AZ-104 exam, particularly in scenarios involving business continuity planning.
Automating Azure Administration
Azure Automation allows task scheduling, orchestration, and state management. Runbooks are scripts that can be executed on demand or by schedule. These can be used for patching, user provisioning, or resource cleanups.
Desired State Configuration ensures that virtual machines remain in a defined configuration state. It is useful for enforcing security baselines or software installations. Automation accounts store credentials securely, allowing script execution with appropriate permissions.
Event Grid and Logic Apps can integrate with automation workflows to create event-driven architectures. For example, provisioning additional compute resources when CPU usage exceeds a threshold. This capability provides a scalable and responsive administration framework.
Monitoring Azure Resources
Azure Monitor, Application Insights, and Log Analytics are the primary tools for monitoring in Azure. Azure Monitor collects data across applications, infrastructure, and network layers. Custom dashboards offer insights into operational health.
Creating alerts based on metrics or logs helps detect anomalies. Alerts can trigger actions like emails, webhooks, or automation runbooks. Resource health provides information about platform-initiated events affecting Azure services.
Activity logs track management operations across subscriptions. Diagnostic settings can route logs to a Log Analytics workspace for advanced querying. Using Kusto Query Language allows pattern detection, trend analysis, and anomaly detection in logs.
Managing Azure Resource Deployment
Deployment in Azure can be manual or automated. Azure Resource Manager templates offer declarative syntax to define infrastructure. Parameters, variables, and functions make templates reusable and modular.
Bicep simplifies template authoring by offering a cleaner and more readable language. Administrators should be comfortable deploying resources using both templates and Bicep. Templates can be stored in repositories and integrated into pipelines.
Deploying templates through Azure Portal, CLI, or REST APIs requires validation and error handling. Linked templates enable deploying complex solutions across multiple resource groups. This capability is frequently tested in the AZ-104 exam in real-world scenarios.
Working With Azure Policy And Compliance
Azure Policy enforces rules across resources. Policies can restrict resource types, enforce tagging, or limit locations for deployments. Initiative definitions group related policies to enforce organizational standards.
Administrators must understand the difference between audit and deny effects. Policy compliance reports show which resources are non-compliant and why. Remediation tasks can automatically bring existing resources into compliance.
Policy assignments at subscription or management group level ensure consistency. Policy exemptions allow flexibility without compromising governance. This balance is critical for large enterprises and is a high-yield topic in the exam.
Configuring Azure Key Vault
Azure Key Vault is used to store secrets, certificates, and cryptographic keys securely. It integrates with many Azure services, allowing them to retrieve credentials or encrypt data without manual intervention.
Access to the vault is controlled using RBAC or Access Policies. Administrators should configure logging and integrate with diagnostics for auditing. Using managed identities, services can securely access vaults without embedding credentials in code.
Certificates stored in Key Vault can be auto-renewed using integration with certificate authorities. Ensuring proper key lifecycle management helps avoid service outages due to expired secrets.
Securing Azure Virtual Networks
Securing network communication involves more than just NSGs. Administrators must also use Application Security Groups to simplify management of large environments. Azure Firewall offers centralized control of outbound and inbound traffic and supports threat intelligence-based filtering.
Web Application Firewall in Application Gateway helps protect applications from common vulnerabilities. DDoS Protection plans offer mitigation for large-scale attacks, especially for public-facing services.
Private endpoints restrict Azure service access to a private IP within the VNet. Service endpoints provide direct access to Azure services over the Azure backbone, bypassing the internet. These configurations are critical for reducing the attack surface.
Managing Interconnectivity And Hybrid Environments
Hybrid environments require secure and reliable connectivity between on-premises and cloud. VPN Gateways provide encrypted tunnels over the internet, while ExpressRoute offers private connectivity. Administrators must configure routing and failover for high availability.
Azure Bastion allows secure RDP/SSH access to virtual machines without exposing them to the public internet. This minimizes security risks while ensuring operational access. Site-to-site and point-to-site VPN configurations should be optimized for bandwidth and latency.
Hybrid Identity using Azure AD Connect synchronizes identities from on-premises Active Directory. Password hash synchronization, pass-through authentication, and federation are supported methods. Understanding the pros and cons of each method is vital for hybrid cloud implementations.
Understanding Azure Storage Management in the AZ-104 Exam
Azure storage is a foundational topic covered in the AZ-104 exam, especially as cloud-based workloads increasingly rely on efficient, secure, and scalable storage systems. Candidates must understand how to manage different storage types, configure access controls, monitor usage, and ensure data durability. These skills are critical for daily operations and align with practical scenarios administrators often face.
Types Of Storage Accounts
Azure offers several types of storage accounts, each suited for specific workloads. General-purpose v2 accounts are the most flexible, supporting blobs, files, queues, and tables. BlockBlobStorage accounts are optimized for high-performance object storage, whereas FileStorage accounts are best for managed file shares. Knowing the differences between these accounts and when to use each type is an important skill assessed in the exam.
Azure Blob Storage
Blob storage is optimized for storing large amounts of unstructured data. Candidates need to understand how to configure containers, assign access tiers such as hot, cool, and archive, and secure blob access with shared access signatures or private endpoints. The exam often presents real-world cases where administrators must optimize performance and costs through correct tiering or lifecycle policies.
Azure Files And File Sync
Azure Files provides fully managed file shares in the cloud, accessible via SMB protocol. Understanding how to set up shares, configure network access, and integrate on-premises environments with Azure File Sync is essential. File Sync allows administrators to cache Azure Files on Windows servers, making it possible to maintain performance while benefiting from cloud scalability.
Secure Access To Storage
Securing access to Azure storage involves configuring network rules, shared keys, role-based access control, and managed identities. Candidates must understand how to restrict traffic using firewalls, enable secure transfer, and audit access patterns. Many scenarios involve deciding the most secure and efficient access strategy depending on the context, such as cross-region access or hybrid deployments.
Monitoring And Diagnostic Settings
To maintain visibility into storage operations, Azure provides metrics and diagnostic logs. The AZ-104 exam requires familiarity with enabling logging, sending logs to a Log Analytics workspace, and setting up alerts for specific thresholds. Administrators should be able to use these insights to troubleshoot performance issues or identify anomalies in access patterns.
Backups And Data Redundancy
Azure supports various redundancy options including locally redundant storage, zone-redundant storage, geo-redundant storage, and read-access geo-redundant storage. Each option has trade-offs in terms of cost and resilience. The exam evaluates candidates on their ability to select the appropriate redundancy strategy depending on the criticality and recovery needs of the workload.
Azure Virtual Machines And Storage Disks
Managing storage for virtual machines is another key area. This includes provisioning managed disks, resizing disk performance tiers, encrypting disks with Azure Key Vault, and handling temporary storage. Candidates must understand how to optimize disk performance by choosing between standard HDD, standard SSD, and premium SSD tiers based on IOPS and throughput needs.
Working With Azure Backup And Recovery Services
The AZ-104 exam tests knowledge on implementing and managing Azure Backup for virtual machines and other resources. Candidates need to know how to configure backup policies, perform restores, and monitor backup health. Recovery Services Vault is a central component for this process, and familiarity with its capabilities is crucial.
Automating Storage Tasks
Scripting and automation are important for managing storage at scale. Candidates should be familiar with using PowerShell and Azure CLI to create storage accounts, modify access controls, or configure lifecycle rules. Automating these tasks reduces manual effort and minimizes human error.
Using Azure Storage Explorer
Although not a primary skill assessed directly, familiarity with tools like Azure Storage Explorer helps administrators manage blobs and files through a GUI. This can be helpful in scenarios that require quick access or bulk operations, especially during recovery or migrations.
Implementing Azure Policy For Storage
Administrators can enforce organizational standards using Azure Policy. For storage, this might include enforcing HTTPS traffic only, requiring certain redundancy types, or disallowing public access. The exam may present scenarios that test how well candidates understand the implementation and implications of these policies.
Understanding Shared Access Signatures And Identity-Based Access
Managing shared access signatures (SAS) requires an understanding of how to generate tokens with specific permissions and expiration times. The alternative approach using Azure Active Directory provides identity-based access, which is more secure and manageable at scale. Candidates must compare these methods and determine the most appropriate one for given scenarios.
Integrating Storage With Azure Monitor And Defender
Azure Monitor can be configured to track metrics like latency, request counts, or availability of storage services. Additionally, Azure Defender provides threat detection for storage accounts, alerting administrators to unusual or malicious behavior. Familiarity with configuring these integrations is useful for meeting security and compliance goals.
Configuring Lifecycle Management Rules
To reduce storage costs, lifecycle rules automate the transition of data between access tiers or delete obsolete data. The exam tests knowledge of creating rules based on last modified dates or other criteria. Understanding these mechanisms is essential for maintaining cost-effective storage solutions.
Configuring Network Access Controls
Securing Azure storage also involves setting virtual network rules, IP-based firewall rules, and enabling private endpoints. Candidates must understand how to ensure secure connectivity while allowing necessary application access. These configurations are critical for protecting sensitive data from unauthorized access.
Diagnosing Storage Issues
Candidates must be prepared to analyze performance and connectivity issues involving storage. This includes checking service health, analyzing logs, and validating permissions. Problem-solving under real-world constraints is a common exam theme.
Implementing And Managing Governance In Azure For The AZ-104 Exam
Governance in cloud environments is essential for ensuring that resources are used efficiently, securely, and in accordance with organizational standards. The AZ-104 exam emphasizes the ability to implement governance mechanisms in Azure that enforce compliance and manage costs. Candidates must demonstrate how to control resource creation, enforce rules, and monitor adherence to policies.
Understanding Azure Governance
Azure governance encompasses the frameworks and tools that help manage, control, and enforce standards across the cloud infrastructure. It includes policies, resource organization, access control, and cost management. For administrators, governance ensures consistent resource configurations, avoids resource sprawl, and supports regulatory requirements.
Organizing Resources With Management Groups And Subscriptions
Management groups allow administrators to organize subscriptions into logical units. Policies and access controls can be applied at the management group level and inherited by all underlying subscriptions. This structure is helpful in large environments with multiple departments or regions. The exam may assess how effectively candidates can use management groups to enforce enterprise-wide policies.
Structuring Resources Using Resource Groups
Resource groups provide logical containers for Azure resources. Resources within a group can be managed together, including through templates, access policies, and lifecycle rules. Understanding how to properly structure resource groups enables better organization, delegation of access, and streamlined automation. Candidates should be able to decide how to group resources based on lifecycle, geography, or business unit.
Implementing Role-Based Access Control
Role-based access control (RBAC) is used to assign permissions to users, groups, and applications. Roles can be assigned at the management group, subscription, resource group, or individual resource level. The exam evaluates candidates’ ability to apply least privilege principles, assign built-in or custom roles, and troubleshoot access issues.
Azure Policy For Enforcing Governance
Azure Policy is a powerful tool for enforcing organizational standards and regulatory compliance. Policies can restrict resource types, enforce naming conventions, require tags, or ensure certain configurations such as encryption. Policies can be grouped into initiatives and assigned to different scopes. Candidates must demonstrate the ability to design and assign policies to support compliance and operational standards.
Creating And Assigning Custom Policies
Custom policies allow administrators to define their own conditions and effects. This is useful when built-in policies do not meet the organization’s unique requirements. Creating a custom policy involves defining the policy rule in JSON, specifying the effect such as audit, deny, or deployIfNotExists, and assigning it to a scope. The AZ-104 exam may include scenarios that test this ability.
Implementing Resource Locks
Resource locks help protect resources from accidental deletion or modification. Locks can be applied in “ReadOnly” or “Delete” mode at the subscription, resource group, or individual resource level. This simple mechanism is essential for protecting critical infrastructure components. Candidates should know how to apply and remove locks, as well as how they interact with access control.
Monitoring Resource Compliance
Once policies are in place, monitoring compliance is crucial. Azure provides compliance views that show how resources align with assigned policies. Non-compliant resources are listed along with reasons for failure. The exam may test a candidate’s ability to assess compliance, investigate non-compliant resources, and take corrective action.
Working With Tags To Organize Resources
Tags consist of key-value pairs that help categorize resources based on department, cost center, environment, or project. Tags support cost tracking and automated actions. Policies can enforce required tags or default values. The AZ-104 exam often includes tag-related tasks, especially in cost and policy management contexts.
Managing Budgets And Alerts
Azure Cost Management allows administrators to set budgets for subscriptions or resource groups. Budgets can trigger alerts when thresholds are crossed, allowing for proactive cost control. The exam may present scenarios where the candidate needs to configure budgets and interpret cost data. This helps ensure financial accountability in cloud usage.
Configuring Azure Blueprints
Azure Blueprints combine resource templates, policies, and RBAC assignments into a repeatable package. Blueprints help standardize environments for development, testing, and production. Though not deeply covered in every AZ-104 exam version, understanding their purpose and benefits can help with broader governance comprehension.
Automating Governance With Azure Resource Manager Templates
Templates help automate the creation and configuration of resources in a consistent manner. Templates can be combined with policies to enforce rules during deployment. Candidates should understand how to deploy templates via Azure CLI, PowerShell, or the portal and how to integrate parameters and variables for reusability.
Using Azure Monitor For Auditing
Azure Monitor enables visibility into governance enforcement by tracking activity logs, policy compliance, and alert conditions. Administrators can configure alerts on policy violations or suspicious activity. Integration with Log Analytics allows deeper querying and dashboard creation. This monitoring capability is important for demonstrating control over the cloud environment.
Working With Activity Logs And Diagnostic Settings
Activity logs record control-plane actions across Azure, such as resource creation or modification. These logs help in auditing and investigating user actions. Diagnostic settings extend logging to resource-level data, useful for deeper troubleshooting or compliance audits. The exam assesses familiarity with enabling, configuring, and reviewing logs for governance purposes.
Understanding Resource Graph Queries
Azure Resource Graph allows for querying Azure resources at scale. This helps administrators quickly identify compliance issues, inventory assets, or analyze tag usage. Resource Graph queries are powerful tools for reporting and governance. Candidates are expected to demonstrate basic query skills in governance contexts.
Using Initiative Definitions For Policy Bundling
Initiatives are collections of related policies grouped to achieve broader goals, such as regulatory compliance. Initiatives simplify assignment by grouping policies with common purposes. Understanding how to create, assign, and monitor initiatives is a skill tested in governance-related tasks on the AZ-104 exam.
Understanding Scope In Governance
Scope defines the boundary where governance elements like policies and roles apply. Scope can be at the management group, subscription, resource group, or resource level. Inheritance ensures that policies and permissions flow down unless overridden. Candidates must understand scope to apply governance measures effectively and prevent misconfigurations.
Troubleshooting Access And Policy Issues
Misconfigured access control or policy assignments can cause deployment or operational failures. Troubleshooting involves reviewing effective permissions, analyzing policy compliance results, and checking lock configurations. The AZ-104 exam may include scenario-based questions where candidates need to resolve governance-related errors.
Governance In Hybrid Environments
Organizations with hybrid environments must ensure consistent governance across on-premises and cloud. Azure Arc helps extend policy and monitoring capabilities to non-Azure resources. While this is not a primary focus of the AZ-104 exam, familiarity with the concept enhances understanding of governance in complex environments.
Preparing For Governance Questions On The Exam
Governance questions on the AZ-104 exam are scenario-driven and test understanding of concepts in real-world contexts. Candidates should expect to analyze access requirements, apply policies to restrict actions, configure cost controls, and evaluate compliance reports. A strong grasp of scope, inheritance, and role assignment is essential.
Conclusion
Mastering governance in Azure is not just about technical proficiency—it is about building a disciplined approach to managing cloud resources at scale. For AZ-104 candidates, understanding how to apply governance tools such as role-based access control, policies, initiatives, and resource locks is critical. These elements form the backbone of any well-managed Azure environment. They not only help in enforcing organizational standards but also minimize the risk of misconfigurations, cost overruns, and security vulnerabilities.
Governance also plays a major role in supporting collaboration across departments and teams. By structuring access with RBAC and organizing resources into clearly defined groups with proper tagging, organizations can ensure that the right people have access to the right resources. Tools like Azure Policy allow companies to enforce compliance at scale, detect violations early, and respond with automated remediation where applicable.
Azure’s governance model is comprehensive and highly adaptable. It can accommodate the needs of small businesses and large enterprises alike. The AZ-104 exam tests this adaptability by placing candidates in various administrative scenarios where governance decisions directly affect operations, security, and costs.
Candidates aiming for success in the AZ-104 certification should approach governance not as a checklist but as an essential strategy that intersects with every part of cloud administration. Whether configuring role assignments, creating budget alerts, assigning policy initiatives, or auditing activity logs, the goal is to enable control without stifling innovation or agility. A well-governed Azure environment is predictable, secure, and scalable.
Ultimately, proficiency in governance enables professionals to transition from reactive problem solvers to proactive administrators—those who can build environments that are sustainable, compliant, and aligned with organizational goals. That transformation is exactly what the AZ-104 exam is designed to measure.