Microsoft Certified Azure Solutions Architect Expert

Who should take this exam?

Candidates for this exam are Azure Solution Architects who advise stakeholders and translates business requirements into secure, scalable, and reliable solutions. Candidates should have advanced experience and knowledge across various aspects of IT operations, including networking, virtualization, identity, security, business continuity, disaster recovery, data management, budgeting, and governance. This role requires managing how decisions in each area affects an overall solution. Candidates must be proficient in Azure administration, Azure development, and DevOps, and have expert-level skills in at least one of those domains.

What is involved

• Deploy and configure infrastructure
  Analyze resource utilization and consumption

  • configure diagnostic settings on resources
  • create baseline for resources
  • create and rest alerts
  • analyze alerts across subscription
  • analyze metrics across subscription
  • create action groups
  • monitor for unused resources
  • monitor spend
  • report on spend
  • utilize Log Search query functions
  • view alerts in Azure Monitor logs

  
  Create and configure storage accounts

  • configure network access to the storage account
  • create and configure storage account
  • generate shared access signature
  • install and use Azure Storage Explorer
  • manage access keys
  • monitor activity log by using Azure Monitor logs
  • implement Azure storage replication

  
  Create and configure a Virtual Machine (VM) for Windows and Linux

  • configure high availability
  • configure monitoring, networking, storage, and virtual machine size
  • deploy and configure scale sets

  
  Automate deployment of Virtual Machines (VMs)

  • Modify Azure Resource Manager template
  • configure location of new VMs
  • configure VHD template
  • deploy from template
  • save a deployment as an Azure Resource Manager template
  • deploy Windows and Linux VMs

  
  Implement solutions that use virtual machines (VM)

  • provision VMs
  • create Azure Resource Manager templates
  • configure Azure Disk Encryption for VMs

  
  Create connectivity between virtual networks

  • create and configure VNET peering
  • create and configure VNET to VNET
  • verify virtual network connectivity
  • create virtual network gateway

  
  Implement and manage virtual networking

  • configure private and public IP addresses, network routes, network interface, subnets, and virtual network

  
  Manage Azure Active Directory (AD)

  • add custom domains
  • configure Azure AD Identity Protection, Azure AD Join, and Enterprise State Roaming
  • configure self-service password reset
  • implement conditional access policies
  • manage multiple directories
  • perform an access review

  
  Implement and manage hybrid identities

  • install and configure Azure AD Connect
  • configure federation and single sign-on
  • manage Azure AD Connect
  • manage password sync and writeback
• Implement workloads and security
  Implement workloads and security

  • migrate by using Azure Site Recovery
  • migrate using P2V
  • configure storage
  • create a backup vault
  • prepare source and target environments
  • backup and restore data
  • deploy Azure Site Recovery agent
  • prepare virtual network

  
  Configure serverless computing

  • manage a Logic App resource
  • manage Azure Function app settings
  • manage Event Grid
  • manage Service Bus

  
  Implement application load balancing

  • configure application gateway and load balancing rules
  • implement front end IP configurations
  • manage application load balancing

  
  Integrate on-premises network with Azure virtual network

  • create and configure Azure VPN Gateway
  • create and configure site to site VPN
  • configure Express Route
  • verify on-premises connectivity
  • manage on-premises connectivity with Azure

  
  Manage role-based access control (RBAC)

  • create a custom role
  • configure access to Azure resources by assigning roles
  • configure management access to Azure
  • troubleshoot RBAC
  • implement RBAC policies
  • assign RBAC roles

  
  Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

  • enable MFA for an Azure tenant
  • configure user accounts for MFA
  • configure fraud alerts
  • configure bypass options
  • configure trusted IPs
  • configure verification methods
  • manage role-based access control (RBAC)
  • implement RBAC policies
  • assign RBAC Roles
  • create a custom role
  • configure access to Azure resources by assigning roles
  • configure management access to Azure
• Create and deploy apps
  Create web apps by using PaaS

  • create an Azure App Service Web App
  • create documentation for the API
  • create an App Service Web App for containers
  • create an App Service background task by using WebJobs
  • enable diagnostics logging

  
  Design and develop apps that run in containers

  • configure diagnostic settings on resources
  • create a container image by using a Docker file
  • create an Azure Kubernetes Service
  • publish an image to the Azure Container Registry
  • implement an application that runs on an Azure Container Instance
  • manage container settings by using code
• Implement authentication and secure data
  Implement authentication

  • implement authentication by using certificates, forms-based authentication, tokens, or Windows-integrated authentication
  • implement multi-factor authentication by using Azure AD
  • implement OAuth2 authentication
  • implement Managed identities for Azure resources Service Principal authentication

  
  Implement secure data solutions

  • encrypt and decrypt data at rest and in transit
  • encrypt data with Always Encrypted
  • implement Azure Confidential Compute and SSL/TLS communications
  • create, read, update, and delete keys, secrets, and certificates by using the KeyVault API
• Configure a Network Policy Server Infrastructure
  Configure Network Policy Server (NPS)

  • create, read, update, and delete data by using appropriate APIs
  • implement partitioning schemes
  • set the appropriate consistency level for operations

  
  Develop solutions that use a relational database

  • provision and configure relational databases
  • configure elastic pools for Azure SQL Database
  • create, read, update, and delete data tables by using code

  
  Configure a message-based integration architecture

  • configure an app or service to send emails, Event Grid, and the Azure Relay Service
  • create and configure Notification Hub, Event Hub, and Service Bus
  • configure queries across multiple products

  
  Develop for autoscaling

  • implement autoscaling rules and patterns (schedule, operational/system metrics, code that addresses singleton application instances)
  • implement code that addresses transient state
• Determine workload requirements
  Gather Information and Requirements

  • identify compliance requirements, identity and access management infrastructure, and service-oriented architectures (e.g., integration patterns, service design, service discoverability)
  • identify accessibility (e.g. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), availability (e.g. Service Level Agreement), capacity planning and scalability, deploy-ability (e.g., repositories, failback, slot-based deployment), configurability, governance, maintainability (e.g. logging, debugging, troubleshooting, recovery, training), security (e.g. authentication, authorization, attacks), and sizing (e.g. support costs, optimization) requirements
  • recommend changes during project execution (ongoing)
  • evaluate products and services to align with solution
  • create testing scenarios

  
  Optimize Consumption Strategy

  • optimize app service, compute, identity, network, and storage costs

  
  Design an Auditing and Monitoring Strategy

  • define logical groupings (tags) for resources to be monitored
  • determine levels and storage locations for logs
  • plan for integration with monitoring tools
  • recommend appropriate monitoring tool(s) for a solution
  • specify mechanism for event routing and escalation
  • design auditing for compliance requirements
  • design auditing policies and traceability requirements
• Design for identity and security
  Design Identity Management

  • choose an identity management approach
  • design an identity delegation strategy, identity repository (including directory, application, systems, etc.)
  • design self-service identity management and user and persona provisioning
  • define personas and roles
  • recommend appropriate access control strategy (e.g., attribute-based, discretionary access, history-based, identity-based, mandatory, organization-based, role-based, rule-based, responsibility-based)

  
  Design Authentication

  • choose an authentication approach
  • design a single-sign on approach
  • design for IPSec, logon, multi-factor, network access, and remote authentication

  
  Design Authorization

  • choose an authorization approach
  • define access permissions and privileges
  • design secure delegated access (e.g., oAuth, OpenID, etc.)
  • recommend when and how to use API Keys

  
  Design for Risk Prevention for Identity

  • design a risk assessment strategy (e.g., access reviews, RBAC policies, physical access)
  • evaluate agreements involving services or products from vendors and contractors
  • update solution design to address and mitigate changes to existing security policies, standards, guidelines and procedures

  
  Design a Monitoring Strategy for Identity and Security

  • design for alert notifications
  • design an alert and metrics strategy
  • recommend authentication monitors
• Design a data platform solution
  Design a Data Management Strategy

  • choose between managed and unmanaged data store
  • choose between relational and non-relational databases
  • design data auditing and caching strategies
  • identify data attributes (e.g., relevancy, structure, frequency, size, durability, etc.)
  • recommend Database Transaction Unit (DTU) sizing
  • design a data retention policy
  • design for data availability, consistency, and durability
  • design a data warehouse strategy

  
  Design a Data Protection Strategy

  • recommend geographic data storage
  • design an encryption strategy for data at rest, for data in transmission, and for data in use
  • design a scalability strategy for data
  • design secure access to data
  • design a data loss prevention (DLP) policy

  
  Design and Document Data Flows

  • identify data flow requirements
  • create a data flow diagram
  • design a data flow to meet business requirements
  • design a data import and export strategy

  
  Design a Monitoring Strategy for the Data Platform

  • choose an identity management approach
  • choose an identity management approach
• Design a business continuity strategy
  Design a Site Recovery Strategy

  • design a recovery solution
  • design a site recovery replication policy
  • design for site recovery capacity and for storage replication
  • design site failover and failback (planned/unplanned)
  • design the site recovery network
  • recommend recovery objectives (e.g., Azure, on-prem, hybrid, Recovery Time Objective (RTO), Recovery Level Objective (RLO), Recovery Point Objective (RPO))
  • identify resources that require site recovery
  • identify supported and unsupported workloads
  • recommend a geographical distribution strategy

  
  Design for High Availability

  • design for application redundancy, autoscaling, data center and fault domain redundancy, and network redundancy
  • identify resources that require high availability
  • identify storage types for high availability

  
  Design a Data Archiving Strategy

  • recommend storage types and methodology for data archiving
  • identify requirements for data archiving and business compliance requirements for data archiving
  • identify SLA(s) for data archiving
• Design for deployment, migration, and integration
  Design Deployments

  • design a compute, container, data platform, messaging solution, storage, and web app and service deployment strategy

  
  Design Migrations

  • recommend a migration strategy
  • design data import/export strategies during migration
  • determine the appropriate application migration, data transfer, and network connectivity method
  • determine migration scope, including redundant, related, trivial, and outdated data
  • determine application and data compatibility

  
  Design an API Integration Strategy

  • design an API gateway strategy
  • determine policies for internal and external consumption of APIs
  • recommend a hosting structure for API management
• Design an infrastructure strategy
  Design a Storage Strategy

  • design a storage provisioning strategy
  • design storage access strategy
  • identify storage requirements
  • recommend a storage solution and storage management tools

  
  Design a Compute Strategy

  • design compute provisioning and secure compute strategies
  • determine appropriate compute technologies (e.g., virtual machines, functions, service fabric, container instances, etc.)
  • design an Azure HPC environment
  • identify compute requirements
  • recommend management tools for compute

  
  Design a Networking Strategy

  • design network provisioning and network security strategies
  • determine appropriate network connectivity technologies
  • identify networking requirements
  • recommend network management tools

  
  Design a Monitoring Strategy for Infrastructure

  • design for alert notifications
  • design an alert and metrics strategy

Here's a breakdown of the range of career entry opportunities:

• Database Administrator
• IT Security Specialist
• Network Administrator
• Systems Analyst
• Software Engineer