Azure Cloud Fundamentals

Azure Fundamentals

Your first step into Microsoft Azure — no experience required

Every cloud journey starts somewhere. This is where yours begins.

Microsoft Azure is the second-largest cloud platform in the world and the dominant choice across the enterprise — powering banks, governments, healthcare systems, and the countless organisations whose businesses have been built on Microsoft technology for decades. As those organisations accelerate their move to the cloud, the demand for people who understand how Azure works has never been higher — at every level, technical and non-technical alike.

The Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals certification is the recognised starting point for that journey. It's the credential that says you understand cloud computing, you can speak the language of Azure, and you're ready to be part of the conversation — regardless of your background or technical experience.

What this course is about

This is not a highly technical course. It's a clear, accessible, and practical programme designed to give you a confident understanding of cloud computing and the Microsoft Azure platform — what it is, how it works, what it offers, and how organisations use it to operate and grow.

Whether you're exploring a career in cloud for the first time, work in a business role and need a working understanding of Azure services and cloud economics, or are an IT professional or developer taking the first formal step toward more advanced certifications, this course gives you the foundation and the credential to move forward with confidence.

You don't need to write code. You don't need a technical background. Just bring your curiosity.

What you will learn

• Cloud fundamentals: the IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS service models, regions and availability zones, and the shared responsibility model that defines what Microsoft secures and what you're responsible for
• Core Azure services: virtual machines, Azure App Service, Azure Storage, Azure SQL, and Microsoft Entra ID — explained clearly and without unnecessary jargon
• Networking basics: virtual networks, subnets, network security groups, and the basic connectivity patterns that link Azure resources together
• Security and identity: role-based access control (RBAC), managed identities, and the core compliance concepts every Azure professional should understand
• Cost management and governance: Azure pricing models, cost monitoring tools, and simple governance practices that keep cloud environments under control
• Hands-on skills: creating resources in the Azure portal, using the Azure CLI, deploying a simple web app, and configuring basic monitoring

Why this certification matters

The Azure Fundamentals certification is recognised globally as the foundational Azure credential — and it is the recommended first step for anyone entering the Microsoft cloud ecosystem, regardless of their role or career direction. It validates that you have a genuine, structured understanding of cloud concepts and Azure services, and it signals to employers that you're serious about building in this space.

For many of our students, this is the certification that starts everything — the moment a career change becomes real, a new responsibility becomes possible, or a new direction becomes clear. It's also the natural foundation for the Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) and the wider Azure certification path that follows.

Flexible delivery — designed around your life

We offer multiple training formats so you can learn in the way that works best for you:

One-to-one (1:1) Private, personalised sessions scheduled around your availability.

Group training (cohort) Prefer to learn alongside others? Our weekend cohort sessions bring motivated learners together in a structured, collaborative environment — ideal if you enjoy the energy of a group and want to build connections with like-minded professionals along the way.

Who this is for

This course is designed to be genuinely accessible to everyone — regardless of background, experience, or technical ability. It is particularly well suited to:

Absolute beginners with little or no cloud experience
If you're new to technology and want to understand what Azure is and how it works before committing to a deeper technical path, this is exactly where to start. No experience is assumed and nothing is left unexplained.

IT professionals and developers transitioning to cloud roles
If you already work in technology and want a structured, recognised introduction to Azure before moving into more advanced certifications like the Azure Administrator Associate, this course provides exactly that foundation.

Business users and managers
If your work involves technology decisions, budgets, or cloud-related conversations in any way, this course gives you a working understanding of Azure services and cloud economics — the language, context, and credibility to engage more effectively and make better-informed decisions.

Your outcome

By the end of this course, you will be able to navigate the Azure portal confidently, deploy and connect basic services, apply simple security controls, and manage costs with real practical understanding.

More than that, you will hold a globally recognised Microsoft certification and have taken the first concrete step toward a career in one of the most in-demand areas of modern technology. Graduates are ready to pursue the Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) certification and the wider Azure career path that follows — architecture, security, DevOps, and beyond.

Not sure if this is the right starting point for you, or want to understand how it connects to your broader goals? Speak to one of our advisers — no commitment, no pressure, just an honest conversation about where you want to go and the best way to get there.

Course curriculum

Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals

Cloud concepts and getting started with Azure

Before exploring any specific service, you need a confident understanding of what cloud computing actually is and why it has transformed the way organisations operate. This module builds that foundation and gets you hands-on with Azure for the very first time.

You will start with the fundamentals of cloud computing — what the cloud is, how it differs from traditional on-premises infrastructure, and the real benefits that drive organisations to adopt it: cost efficiency, scalability, elasticity, reliability, and global reach. You will learn the three cloud service models — Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS) — and the difference between public, private, and hybrid cloud deployments, with clear examples of when each is used.

The module then introduces the shared responsibility model — one of the most important concepts in all of cloud computing — explaining clearly what the cloud provider secures and what remains the customer's responsibility. Finally, you will set up your own Azure account and take a guided tour of the Azure portal, getting comfortable with the interface and tools you'll use throughout the rest of the course.

Compute and containers

This module explores how applications and workloads actually run in Azure — from full virtual machines through to fully managed platforms and lightweight containers.

You will learn what virtual machines are, when to use them, and how they compare to traditional on-premises servers. From there you will explore Azure App Service — a fully managed platform for hosting web applications without the overhead of managing the underlying servers — and understand why PaaS services like this are often the simpler, faster choice for many workloads. The module also introduces basic container hosting using Azure Container Instances and Azure Container Apps, giving you a clear picture of how modern, containerised applications run in the cloud, and rounds out with an introduction to serverless computing through Azure Functions.

Storage and databases

Every application needs somewhere to keep its data, and this module gives you a clear understanding of Azure's storage and database options and when to use each.

You will learn about Blob Storage for unstructured data such as documents, images, and backups, and Azure Files for shared file storage that can be mounted like a traditional network drive. The module covers storage access tiers — hot, cool, and archive — and how choosing the right tier balances cost against how frequently data needs to be accessed. You will also be introduced to Azure SQL basics, understanding how Azure offers fully managed relational databases that remove much of the operational overhead of running a database yourself.

Networking and identity

This module covers two of the most important pillars of any Azure environment — how resources connect to each other and the outside world, and how access to those resources is controlled and secured.

On the networking side, you will learn the fundamentals of Azure Virtual Networks (VNets) and subnets, how Network Security Groups (NSGs) control the flow of traffic in and out of your resources, and the basic connectivity patterns used to link Azure resources together. On the identity side, you will explore Microsoft Entra ID — Azure's identity and access management platform — learning how users and groups are managed, and how role-based access control (RBAC) ensures the right people have the right access to the right resources, and nothing more.

Security, monitoring, and cost management

The final core module brings together the capabilities that keep Azure environments secure, observable, and financially under control — the practices that turn a collection of resources into a properly managed cloud environment.

You will explore Azure Monitor and how organisations use it to track the health and performance of their resources, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud, which helps assess and strengthen an environment's overall security posture. From there the module covers one of the most practical topics for any cloud professional: cost management. You will learn how Azure pricing works, how to estimate costs before deploying resources, and how to use budgets and cost monitoring tools to keep spending visible and under control.

This programme is fully aligned with the official Microsoft Certified: Azure Cloud Fudamentals certification.

Every module, lab, and practical exercise is designed not only to build real-world cloud architecture skills, but to ensure you have exactly the knowledge and confidence needed to sit and pass this globally recognised certification.

Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-900) exam.

Where this course can take you

Earning your Azure Fundamentals certification is a meaningful first step — and for most of our students, it's the moment their cloud career becomes real. The knowledge and credential you build here create a clear and direct pathway into some of the most in-demand roles in the technology industry.

Earn your Azure certification

The natural first step after completing your training is sitting the official Azure Fundamentals exam (AZ-900). We prepare you thoroughly — not just on the content, but on exam technique and confidence — so that when you book your seat, you're ready.

Take your next step into Azure

Once you have your Fundamentals certification, the most popular and career-defining path opens up directly from here:

Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)
The natural and recommended next step. Building on your Fundamentals foundation, the Azure Administrator Associate teaches you how to implement, manage, and monitor real Azure environments — identity, governance, storage, compute, and networking. It is the cornerstone hands-on certification of the entire Azure ecosystem, and the required prerequisite for the Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification.

Go further with Azure

Once you hold the Administrator Associate certification, two of the most respected and well-compensated specialisations follow naturally:

Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305)
The flagship Azure architecture certification. Move from implementing solutions to designing them — covering identity, governance, data, networking, and business continuity at enterprise scale. This expert-level credential is the standard hiring managers and clients expect from senior Azure architects.

Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400)
Combine Azure administration with modern delivery practices — CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, and release automation. This path is ideal if you want to work at the intersection of development and operations.

Specialise in security

Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500)
If protecting cloud environments is what excites you, this certification develops deep expertise in securing identities, infrastructure, and data on Azure — one of the most in-demand specialisations in the entire Microsoft ecosystem.

Expand beyond Azure

Microsoft Azure is a world-class platform, but the most versatile cloud professionals understand more than one provider. Our AWS and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) training and certification programmes give you the flexibility to work across cloud environments — making you a stronger candidate and a more adaptable professional in a rapidly evolving industry.

Not sure which direction is right for you?

That's completely normal at this stage. Our advisers work with students every day to help map out learning paths that match their goals, their current experience, and the kind of career they're building toward. It's a free, no-pressure conversation — and it could save you a significant amount of time choosing the wrong next step.

Get in touch and let's figure it out together.