Microsoft Azure Administrator (AZ-104) – Study Plan

Topics

• Azure regions, availability zones, resource groups
• Azure Resource Manager (ARM) basics
• Subscriptions, management groups, RBAC basics

Activities

• Create a free Azure account.
• Navigate the Azure portal – create a resource group.
• Take ExamOS Rookie mode quiz (30 questions, 30 minutes) on core Azure concepts.
• Review your weak domains from the quiz results.

Topics

• Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) – users, groups, guest accounts
• Role-based access control (RBAC) – built-in roles, custom roles
• Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
• Conditional Access policies (basics)

Activities

• Create an Azure AD user and group.
• Assign a built-in role (e.g., Virtual Machine Contributor) to a user.
• Take ExamOS Challenger mode quiz on Identity & Access.

Topics

• Virtual Machines – availability sets, availability zones, scaling sets
• Azure Container Instances (ACI)
• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) basics
• App Service plans and web apps

Activities

• Deploy a Windows and a Linux VM.
• Create an App Service web app from the portal.
• Take ExamOS Challenger mode quiz on Compute.

Topics

• Storage accounts – blob, file, queue, table
• Blob tiers (hot, cool, cold, archive) and lifecycle management
• Azure Files and File Sync
• Backup (Azure Backup) and Site Recovery (Azure Site Recovery)

Activities

• Create a storage account, upload a blob, set lifecycle rule.
• Configure a file share and map it from a VM.
• Take ExamOS Challenger mode quiz on Storage & Backup.

Topics

• Virtual Networks (VNet), subnets, peering
• Network Security Groups (NSGs) vs. Azure Firewall
• Azure Load Balancer (public/internal) and Application Gateway
• VPN Gateway, ExpressRoute (high-level)
• DNS and Private DNS zones

Activities

• Build a VNet with two subnets.
• Deploy two VMs and load balance traffic using an internal load balancer.

Topics

• Azure Policy (initiatives, compliance)
• Resource locks, tags, management groups
• Azure Monitor (metrics, logs, alerts)
• Log Analytics workspace
• Cost Management + budgets, advisor recommendations

Activities

• Apply a policy (e.g., allowed locations) to a resource group.
• Set up a budget alert and explore Cost Analysis.

Topics

• Azure Migrate (discovery, assessment)
• ARM templates, Bicep, Terraform (basics)
• Azure Automation (runbooks)
• Hybrid identity (Azure AD Connect)

Activities

• Deploy a resource using an ARM template (quickstart template).
• Create a simple Automation runbook that starts a VM.
• Take ExamOS Challenger mode quiz on Integration & Migration.

Topics

• Full syllabus review
• Time management strategies
• Exam day tips (case studies, labs, multiple-choice)

Activities

• Take ExamOS Legend mode quizzes (80% hard questions) on full exams (all domains).
• Take at least 3 Legend mode quizzes.
• Review every incorrect answer – study the explanation.
• Focus on any remaining weak domains using Rookie mode (targeted domain quizzes, premium).