AZ-104 Skills Overview: Azure Administrator Exam Breakdown & Architecture Mapping on CloudCertPro

AZ-104 Skill 1: Manage Azure Identities and Governance

jeff.taakey@gmail.com (Jeff Taakey) — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Deep-dive guide | Identity, Access, and Governance for the Azure Administrator

This article goes far beyond the Microsoft exam objectives. It maps every tested skill to the Azure domains it draws from, the architecture it implements, and the real-world enterprise controls it enables. You’ll leave here understanding not only what to configure, but why it matters in a production Azure environment—and how Microsoft turns that into exam scenarios.

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Identity and governance are the twin pillars that hold up every Azure workload. Identity answers “Who are you, and what can you do?” Governance answers “What can exist, where can it exist, and how much can it cost?” Together they form the security and operational foundation of the cloud.

Microsoft assigns 20–25% of the AZ‑104 exam to this area because, in day‑to‑day administration, nearly every task starts with an identity check and is constrained by a governance control. Deploy a VM? The account needs RBAC permissions; the subscription may have a policy that restricts VM sizes; the resource group might be locked; and the cost must be tracked. You can’t do anything else in Azure until identity and governance are right.

AZ-104 Skill 2: Implement and Manage Storage

jeff.taakey@gmail.com (Jeff Taakey) — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Deep-dive guide | Storage security, management, and data lifecycle for the Azure Administrator

Storage is the persistent backbone of every cloud workload. Without it, compute is stateless, file shares disappear, and business continuity is impossible. Microsoft allocates 15–20% of the AZ‑104 exam to storage because, as an administrator, you will spend a significant portion of your time configuring access, protecting data, and managing cost and performance across a range of storage services.

This article goes beyond the exam objectives to map every tested storage skill to the underlying Azure domains, the architecture decisions that shape storage design, and the real‑world enterprise scenarios where you apply that knowledge.

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Storage in Azure is not a single service—it is a platform of services built on a unified storage account architecture. The three most important storage types you manage are:

AZ-104 Skill 3: Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Resources

jeff.taakey@gmail.com (Jeff Taakey) — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Deep-dive guide | Virtual Machines, Containers, App Service, and Infrastructure as Code for the Azure Administrator

Compute is where code actually runs. Whether it’s a legacy enterprise application running on a virtual machine, a cloud‑native microservice in a container, or a web app on a fully managed platform, everything you built with identity, governance, storage, and networking ultimately serves the compute layer. Microsoft allocates 20–25% of the AZ‑104 exam to this area because deploying, scaling, and managing compute is the administrator’s most visible and operationally critical task.

This guide moves far beyond the exam objectives. It connects each measured skill to the underlying Azure domains, the architectural patterns that dictate platform choice, and the real‑world trade‑offs you’ll face when deciding between VMs, containers, or platform services.

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Compute is the heart of every cloud platform. It provides the processing power that executes your code, serves your users, and processes your data. In Azure, “compute” spans a spectrum of control vs. responsibility:

AZ-104 Skill 4: Implement and Manage Virtual Networking

jeff.taakey@gmail.com (Jeff Taakey) — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Deep-dive guide | VNets, Network Security, Private Connectivity, DNS, and Load Balancing for the Azure Administrator

Networking is the connective tissue of every Azure workload. Without it, virtual machines cannot communicate, applications cannot be reached by users, and services remain isolated islands. Microsoft allocates 15–20% of the AZ‑104 exam to networking because, as an administrator, you configure the pathways that make everything else work—and misconfigurations here are among the most common causes of cloud outages.

This guide maps every tested networking skill to the underlying Azure domains, the architectural decisions that shape secure, scalable networks, and the real‑world enterprise patterns you will build.

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Every Azure resource that has a network interface—VMs, App Service with VNet integration, Azure Kubernetes Service, private endpoints—depends on a properly designed virtual network. Networking determines:

AZ-104 Skill 5: Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources

jeff.taakey@gmail.com (Jeff Taakey) — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Deep-dive guide | Monitoring, Backup, and Disaster Recovery for the Azure Administrator

Cloud operations do not end when a resource is deployed. The operational lifecycle—Build → Operate → Monitor → Recover—continues as long as the workload runs. Microsoft allocates 10–15% of the AZ‑104 exam to monitoring and maintenance because an administrator who cannot see, alert on, or recover from failures is operating blind. This skill area completes the operational loop, ensuring that the identity, storage, compute, and networking foundations you built remain healthy, performant, and restorable.

This guide maps every tested monitoring and recovery skill to the underlying domains, the architecture patterns that drive operational excellence, and the real‑world scenarios where visibility and resilience are non‑negotiable.

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Monitoring and maintenance are the feedback system of cloud operations. They answer four essential questions:

AZ-104 Skills Overview: Azure Administrator Exam Breakdown & Architecture Mapping on CloudCertPro

AZ-104 Skill 1: Manage Azure Identities and Governance

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AZ-104 Skill 2: Implement and Manage Storage

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AZ-104 Skill 3: Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Resources

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AZ-104 Skill 4: Implement and Manage Virtual Networking

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AZ-104 Skill 5: Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources

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