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MicrosoftAZ-104

Azure Administrator in Seoul

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 Microsoft Azure Administrator certification (AZ-104) validates your ability to manage Azure identities, storage, compute, virtual networks, and monitoring at an intermediate level. In Seoul, where enterprise digital transformation is accelerating across finance, manufacturing, and tech sectors, Azure skills are in consistent high demand. Major Korean conglomerates and global firms operating out of Seoul are deepening their Azure footprints, creating a strong hiring pipeline for certified administrators. The exam costs $165 USD, requires no mandatory prerequisites — though AZ-900 and six months of hands-on Azure experience are strongly recommended — and must be renewed annually to stay current.

With an average IT salary of around $55,000/yr in Seoul, the AZ-104 certification delivers a meaningful $15,000/yr salary uplift — roughly a 27% increase. That makes the $165 exam fee one of the highest-ROI investments available to Seoul-based IT professionals. The Korean cloud market continues to expand rapidly, with Azure competing strongly alongside local providers, meaning certified administrators face genuine employer competition for their skills. Whether you're targeting a role at a multinational headquartered in Seoul or a domestic enterprise scaling its cloud infrastructure, AZ-104 signals a verified, vendor-recognized competency that hiring managers actively filter for.

◆ 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
Azure Foundations and Identity ManagementWeeks 1–4
Complete AZ-900 fundamentals review or confirm existing knowledge of core Azure conceptsStudy Azure Active Directory, users, groups, RBAC, and MFA configuration in depthPractice creating and managing Azure subscriptions, management groups, and resource groups in a free-tier sandbox
2
Compute, Storage, and NetworkingWeeks 5–8
Deploy and configure Azure Virtual Machines, availability sets, and scale sets using the portal and CLIPractice configuring Azure Blob Storage, file shares, storage tiers, and lifecycle management policiesBuild and troubleshoot virtual networks, NSGs, VNet peering, VPN gateways, and Azure DNS configurations
3
Monitoring, Backup, and Exam ReadinessWeeks 9–12
Configure Azure Monitor, Log Analytics workspaces, alerts, and Application Insights dashboardsPractice Azure Backup, Recovery Services vaults, and site recovery scenarios through hands-on labsComplete three to five full practice exams, review weak domains, and focus on case-study-style scenario questions
◆ 04 / Exam tips

Exam tips

Know the difference between Azure Policy, RBAC, and Blueprints cold — the exam frequently presents scenarios where all three seem applicable and you must choose the most appropriate tool for the described governance requirement.

Practice CLI and PowerShell commands for common tasks like creating VMs, configuring NSGs, and managing storage accounts — the exam includes scenario questions where knowing the correct command syntax helps you eliminate wrong answers faster.

Understand VNet peering limitations and virtual network gateway configurations thoroughly, as networking consistently accounts for a significant portion of AZ-104 questions and is where many candidates lose marks.

Learn to read Azure Monitor alert rule configurations and Log Analytics KQL queries at a functional level — you will be tested on interpreting monitoring setups, not just knowing that Azure Monitor exists.

When sitting scenario-based questions, eliminate answers that involve unnecessary complexity first — Microsoft's preferred answers typically reflect the simplest, most native Azure solution rather than third-party or over-engineered approaches.

◆ 05 / FAQ

Frequently asked questions

AZ-104 is rated intermediate difficulty and is meaningfully harder than AZ-900. It tests practical, scenario-based skills across identity, networking, storage, and compute — not just conceptual knowledge. Candidates with fewer than six months of hands-on Azure experience typically struggle. Most people with solid lab practice need eight to twelve weeks of dedicated preparation to pass on their first attempt.
◆ 06 / Other certifications in Seoul