Overview

The Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification validates advanced skills in designing and implementing solutions on Microsoft Azure. This certification demonstrates expertise in compute, network, storage, and security.

Skills Validated

  • Implement and monitor Azure infrastructure
  • Implement management and security solutions
  • Implement solutions for apps
  • Implement and manage data platforms

Key Areas

Compute

  • Virtual Machines and availability
  • App Services and containers
  • Azure Kubernetes Service
  • Serverless computing with Functions

Storage

  • Storage accounts and redundancy
  • Blob storage and lifecycle management
  • Azure Files and File Sync
  • Backup and disaster recovery

Networking

  • Virtual Networks and subnets
  • VPN Gateway and ExpressRoute
  • Load Balancing and Application Gateway
  • Network Security Groups

Identity and Security

  • Azure Active Directory
  • Managed identities
  • Key Vault for secrets management
  • Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Databases

  • Azure SQL Database
  • Cosmos DB multi-model database
  • Database migration services
  • High availability configurations

Exam Details

  • Exam Code: AZ-303 (now replaced by AZ-305)
  • Format: Multiple choice and case studies
  • Duration: 150 minutes
  • Cost: $165 USD
  • Passing Score: 700/1000

My Experience

I documented my preparation journey and exam tips in this blog post. Key takeaways:

  • Focus heavily on Azure AD authentication methods
  • Understand different VM series for specific workloads
  • Master networking concepts (VPN, ExpressRoute, peering)
  • Know the PowerShell commands for common operations

Important Topics

Azure AD Authentication

  • Password Hash Synchronization
  • Pass-through Authentication
  • ADFS (Active Directory Federation Services)
  • Licensing tiers (Free, P1, P2)

Migration Scenarios

  • Hyper-V limitations (2GB OS disk, 4TB data disk)
  • VMware limitations (2GB OS disk, 32TB data disk)
  • Azure Migrate assessment and migration

High Availability

  • Availability Sets vs Availability Zones
  • Load Balancer vs Application Gateway vs Front Door
  • Traffic Manager for global routing

Resources