The Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification is a great credential for showcasing your expertise in the Microsoft Azure cloud. This Expert level certification demonstrates a candidates expertise in designing cloud and hybrid solutions that run in the cloud with Microsoft Azure services, including compute, networking, storage, monitoring, and security. An Azure Solution Architect is a professional that partners with developers, administrators, and other IT roles that are responsible for implementing Microsoft Azure solutions.

Certification Target Audience

The Microsoft Certified: Azure Solution Architect Expert certification is targeted towards Solution Architects who are subject matter experts (SMEs) in designing cloud and hybrid solutions use Microsoft Azure services, including compute, networking, storage, monitoring, security, and other cloud services. The responsibilities of this role also include advising stakeholders and translating business requirements into cloud and hybrid solution designs that are secure, scalable, and reliable solution for the business.

Microsoft expects candidates earning Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification to have 2-5 years of experience or more. This is just a guideline, as there are no requirements to prove your experience. If you want to pay and sign up to take the certification exam, then you may do so.

Certification Prerequisites

The Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification is an “Expert” level certifications. This certification does have a prerequisite of earning the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate certification. Once you earn the Azure Administrator Associate certification by passing exam AZ-104, then you may take the AZ-305 to build on that Associate certification to earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Expert certification.

Prerequisites (required):

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate

Microsoft has recently changed the requirements for the Microsoft Certified Azure Solutions Architect Expert certifications. In the past, you could have earned the Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate certification to meet the prerequisite requirements. However, today Microsoft only accepts the Azure Administrator Associate certification for earning the Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification.

Certification Requirements

Once you meet the prerequisites (listed above) required for the Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification, then you can take the AZ-305 exam to earn this “Expert” level certification.

Required Exam:

• Exam AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions

Over the last few years, the requirements for the “Azure Solutions Architect” certification has changed several times. With the current iteration of this certification, you are required to pass the AZ-104 exam to earn the Azure Administrator Associate certification first, then pass the AZ-305 exam to earn the full Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification.

Exam AZ-305 Objective Domains

The following is a list of the high level objective domains covered on the AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions certification exam. Each high level domain has a percentage next to it that represents the percentage of the exam that will focus on that objective domain.

Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions (25-30%)

• Design a solution for logging and monitoring
• Design authentication and authorization solutions
• Design governance
• Design identities and access for applications

Design data storage solutions (25-30%)

• Design a data storage solution for relational data
• Design data integration
• Recommend a data storage solution
• Design a data storage solution for non-relational data

Design business continuity solutions (10-15%)

• Design a solution for backup and disaster recovery
• Design for high availability

Design infrastructure solutions (25-30%)

• Design a compute solution
• Design an application architecture
• Design migrations
• Design network solutions

Happy studying!