.svg){kind=small}
Microsoft Azure Fundamentals and Azure Administrator are designed for different stages of a cloud career. Azure Fundamentals, based on exam AZ-900, is a beginner-level introduction to cloud concepts and Microsoft Azure. Azure Administrator, based on exam AZ-104, is an associate-level certification for people who implement, manage and monitor Azure environments.
For somebody new to Azure, AZ-900 is usually the easier starting point. If you already have practical infrastructure experience and are comfortable with networking, servers, identity and administration, you may be ready to move directly to AZ-104.
What is Azure Fundamentals?
Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals validates foundational knowledge of cloud computing and Azure. The associated exam is AZ-900.
Microsoft currently groups the exam around three broad areas: cloud concepts, Azure architecture and services, and Azure management and governance.
It introduces compute, networking, storage, security, governance, pricing and management concepts.
ExperTrain offers Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) training.
What is Azure Administrator?
Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate is a role-based certification for administrators responsible for implementing and managing Azure resources. The associated exam is AZ-104.
Current exam areas include managing Azure identities and governance, implementing and managing storage, deploying and managing compute resources, implementing and managing virtual networking, and monitoring and maintaining Azure resources.
Microsoft expects candidates to understand operating systems, networking, servers and virtualisation, and to have experience with the Azure portal, PowerShell, Azure CLI, Azure Resource Manager or Bicep, and Microsoft Entra ID.
ExperTrain offers Microsoft Azure Administrator (AZ-104) training.
What is the main difference?
The simplest distinction is:
AZ-900 asks whether you understand Azure and cloud concepts.
AZ-104 asks whether you can administer an Azure environment.
AZ-900 is largely conceptual. AZ-104 is much more practical and expects you to make administrative decisions involving resources, permissions, networking, storage, compute and monitoring.
Do you need AZ-900 before AZ-104?
No. Microsoft does not require Azure Fundamentals before Azure Administrator.
AZ-900 can be useful if you are new to cloud computing or Azure terminology, but experienced IT professionals can move directly to AZ-104 if they already understand the fundamentals.
Who should take AZ-900?
AZ-900 is a good choice if you are new to cloud computing, need an introduction to Azure, work in a non-technical role but interact with cloud projects, or want a broad Microsoft cloud foundation before choosing a specialist path.
It can also help project managers, sales professionals, business analysts and managers who need to understand Azure terminology without administering resources themselves.
Who should take AZ-104?
AZ-104 is better suited to people who work in IT support or infrastructure, manage servers or networks, already understand cloud fundamentals, or need to create and manage Azure resources.
It is particularly relevant if your work involves identity, governance, storage, virtual machines, virtual networks or resource monitoring.
Which certification is harder?
AZ-104 is significantly more demanding.
AZ-900 focuses on recognising and explaining concepts. AZ-104 expects candidates to understand how Azure services are configured and how different administrative choices affect a real environment.
Networking and identity are common areas where learners without infrastructure experience find AZ-104 challenging.
What jobs can AZ-900 help with?
AZ-900 is not tied to one specific technical job. It is useful as evidence of cloud literacy and can support people moving towards cloud support, IT support, junior cloud administration, technical sales, or project and service roles involving Azure.
For hands-on administrator positions, employers will normally expect deeper skills than AZ-900 alone.
What jobs is AZ-104 relevant to?
AZ-104 is directly relevant to roles such as Azure administrator, cloud administrator, infrastructure engineer, cloud support engineer and systems administrator working with Azure.
Is AZ-900 worth taking if you already work in IT?
It depends on your Azure knowledge.
An experienced infrastructure professional who already understands public cloud, subscriptions, resource groups, identity, networking and storage may gain limited value from sitting the AZ-900 exam.
However, a short AZ-900 course or study programme can still be useful for filling Azure-specific knowledge gaps before AZ-104.
Does AZ-104 include security?
Yes. Azure administrators need to manage identities, access, resource governance and network security as part of normal administration.
However, AZ-104 is not a dedicated security-engineering certification. People specialising in security may later move into Microsoft security certifications after establishing their Azure foundation.
Does AZ-104 include networking?
Yes. Virtual networking is a major part of Azure administration.
Candidates need to understand virtual networks, subnets, network security groups, name resolution, connectivity and routing concepts. Strong general networking knowledge makes AZ-104 considerably easier.
Does Azure Fundamentals expire?
Microsoft Fundamentals certifications do not currently require annual renewal.
Eligible associate, expert and specialty certifications such as Azure Administrator Associate are different and are renewed annually through Microsoft Learn.
What comes after AZ-104?
The next step depends on your role. Azure administrators may move towards architecture, security, networking, DevOps or other specialist areas.
Our Which Microsoft Certification Should I Take? guide compares a wider range of Microsoft pathways.
A simple decision guide
New to cloud computing? Start with AZ-900.
Understand cloud concepts but are new to Azure? AZ-900 can still be a useful short introduction.
Already manage servers, networks or Microsoft infrastructure? Consider moving directly to AZ-104.
Want an Azure administrator job? AZ-104 is the more relevant certification.
Need cloud awareness for a business or project role? AZ-900 may be sufficient.
Frequently asked questions
Is AZ-900 required for AZ-104?
No. There is no formal prerequisite.
Is AZ-104 suitable for beginners?
It is possible for a motivated beginner, but it is much easier if you already understand networking, servers, operating systems and cloud fundamentals.
Can I get an Azure job with AZ-900?
AZ-900 can strengthen your foundation, but practical skills and deeper role-based knowledge are normally required for technical Azure positions.
Should I take both exams?
Take both if AZ-900 genuinely helps build your foundation. If you already possess that knowledge, moving directly to AZ-104 can save time.
Explore Microsoft Azure training
Browse ExperTrain's Microsoft Technical training and Microsoft Certification pathways.
Further reading
Found this article useful? Add ExperTrain as a Preferred Source on Google to help surface more of our training guides, articles and learning resources.
.png){kind=small}
