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MicrosoftAZ-104

Azure Administrator in Berlin

Validates skills in managing Azure identities, storage, compute, virtual networks, and monitoring in enterprise environments.

Salary uplift
+$15k
Exam cost
$165
Duration
100 min
Passing score
700
Difficulty
intermediate
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◆ 01 / About

What is Azure Administrator?

The Azure Administrator certification (AZ-104) validates your ability to manage Azure identities, storage, compute, virtual networks, and governance. Issued by Microsoft, it sits at the intermediate level and is one of the most in-demand cloud credentials in Europe. Berlin's rapidly expanding tech scene — home to major SaaS companies, fintech startups, and enterprise cloud migrations — has created consistent demand for professionals who can operate Azure environments confidently. Whether you're working at a Mitte-based startup or a global firm with German operations, AZ-104 signals that you can handle real production workloads, not just theory. It's the credential hiring managers in Berlin actively filter for when sourcing cloud operations talent.

At an exam cost of just $165 and an average salary uplift of $15,000 per year, the AZ-104 pays for itself within days of landing your next role. With the average IT salary in Berlin sitting around $70,000/yr, certified Azure Administrators can realistically push into the $85,000+ range. Berlin's cloud talent gap is real — demand from companies modernising infrastructure consistently outpaces local supply of certified professionals. That imbalance works in your favour. Add in the fact that the certification renews annually through free online assessments rather than paid retakes, and the long-term ROI is exceptionally strong. For anyone already working in IT administration in Berlin, AZ-104 is one of the clearest paths to a meaningful pay increase.

◆ 02 / Exam details

Exam details

Exam cost
$165 USD
Duration
100 min
Passing score
700
Renewal
Every 1 yrs

Prerequisites: AZ-900 recommended, 6 months Azure administration experience

◆ 03 / Study plan

12-week study plan

1
Identity, Governance, and Azure Fundamentals ReviewWeeks 1–4
Review Azure AD concepts: users, groups, roles, and RBAC — these appear heavily in the examStudy subscriptions, management groups, resource locks, and Azure PolicyComplete Microsoft Learn's 'AZ-104 Prerequisites' and 'Manage identities and governance' learning paths
2
Compute, Storage, and Virtual NetworkingWeeks 5–8
Deploy and manage VMs, scale sets, and Azure App Service environments in a free-tier sandboxConfigure Azure Storage accounts, blob access tiers, lifecycle management, and Azure FilesBuild virtual networks, configure NSGs, peering, VPN gateways, and Azure DNS from scratch
3
Monitoring, Backup, and Exam ReadinessWeeks 9–12
Set up Azure Monitor, Log Analytics workspaces, alerts, and diagnostic settings hands-onPractice Azure Backup, Recovery Services vaults, and site recovery configuration scenariosTake at least three timed practice exams and review every incorrect answer against official documentation
◆ 04 / Exam tips

Exam tips

Know RBAC inside out — exam scenarios frequently test whether you assign roles at the correct scope (subscription, resource group, or resource level) rather than just knowing role names

Practise creating and troubleshooting VNet peering and NSG rule combinations in a live Azure environment; the exam presents realistic broken-connectivity scenarios that only hands-on experience makes intuitive

Understand the difference between Azure Backup policies, snapshot-based backups, and Recovery Services vaults — questions often test which solution is appropriate for a given RTO/RPO requirement

Azure Monitor and Log Analytics query basics (KQL) appear consistently — know how to create alert rules, action groups, and how to route diagnostic logs to a workspace

For storage questions, be clear on the differences between access tiers (Hot, Cool, Archive), replication options (LRS, GRS, ZRS), and when to use Azure Files versus Blob Storage versus Azure NetApp Files

◆ 05 / FAQ

Frequently asked questions

AZ-104 is rated intermediate difficulty. Candidates with 6 months of hands-on Azure administration experience typically find it manageable with 8–12 weeks of focused study. The exam leans heavily on scenario-based questions, so understanding why Azure behaves a certain way matters more than memorising menu paths. Prior completion of AZ-900 gives you a meaningful head start on core terminology.
◆ 06 / Other certifications in Berlin