In my day job I lead a small team and I’m always banging on about the benefits of training and certification. When one of the team pointed out the free Microsoft Virtual training days, I jumped at the chance of some Microsoft backed training (great) at a grand total of zero pounds (even better).
I decided to put myself through the courses and the exams at the same time as the team - not because I had to, but because its a) great to lead by example and also b) to see that I’ve still got it.
After checking the Microsoft Virtual Training Days calender I picked the following courses to get started with:
The SC-900 course was the first virtual training course I enrolled on and I enjoyed it - for a fundamentals course it is quite a deep dive into security and compliance, but covering enough of Azure to keep hardened techies interested. As well as being free to join the webinar, if you attend both days then you qualify for a free exam voucher which isn’t too shabby.
It was the first Microsoft exam I’d sat in many years, so I was unsure of the exam format (I last took a MS exam in a training centre so you just had to sit down at a computer and crack on with the test). The process was fairly straightforward, but I’d suggest you read up on the process before you go in, just so you know what to expect.
Yes - its a great first certification if you are interested in an Azure Security role as it gives you a good overview of the key products in the line up.
I certainly did, I passed with a very respectable 940/1000 (700 is the pass rate)
Of the two courses, the SC-900 and the AZ-900, I’d expected the AZ-900 to be a walk in the park - I was very wrong.
The main challenge of the AZ-900 is the sheer amount of material it covers. Azure is a massive ecosystem, and this certification looks at pretty much every core function to come degree. It’s a mile wide and an inch deep as you need to know a little bit about everything.
That aside, like the SC-900, it was a very enjoyable certification to take, but I found it to be the more challenging of the two. This was reflected in my score.
As with the SC-900, if you attend the webinar you get an exam voucher worth £70 to take the certification.
Absolutely, I think it’s an essential course for anyone looking to get their toes wet in Azure.
I did pass the certification with a solid 800/1000 (700 is the pass rate). Ironically, it was security and governance that let me down on this exam, which was a surprise as i’d done so well on the previous one - I guess the AZ-900 may have framed the questions differently.
For the next two weeks at least I’m going to be taking a break from studying - I’m really pleased I passed both certifications, but doing them back to back with exams on two consecutive Fridays was an error in judgement on my part. I need at least a clear couple of weeks to reset and recharge between the courses.
I’m currently looking at the MS-500: Microsoft 365 Security Administration exam, which would mean I’d qualify as a Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate, but I really need to deep dive into the MS security stack before attempting it.
The free training days are exactly that, free - so please manage your expectations of the course.
The training is presented as a series of pre-recorded webinars, spaced over a number of hours each day with breaks. The courses are designed to give you a good overview of the certification and cover the important points, but they certainly don’t cover everything - you’d need to do some homework before sitting the exam.
My method of studying was to work my way through the free online course work on Microsoft Learn, spending around 2 hours per night and taking copious notes. These free online courses are really in depth and cover any gaps that may be present in the webinars.