Azure Fundamentals in Dublin
Microsoft's entry-level Azure certification covering cloud concepts, core Azure services, security, privacy, and pricing.
What is Azure Fundamentals?
The Azure Fundamentals certification (AZ-900) is Microsoft's entry-level cloud credential, designed to validate your understanding of core cloud concepts, Azure services, pricing, and governance. For IT professionals in Dublin, this cert carries serious weight. Dublin is home to the European headquarters of Microsoft, Google, Meta, and dozens of other major tech employers — all running significant cloud infrastructure. Whether you're pivoting into tech, moving from a support role, or simply formalising existing knowledge, AZ-900 signals to Dublin employers that you understand the cloud environment their businesses run on. No prior IT experience is required, making it one of the most accessible certifications available today.
At $165, AZ-900 is one of the lowest-cost certifications with a measurable salary impact. In Dublin, where the average IT salary sits around $78,000 per year, adding an Azure credential can push your annual earnings up by approximately $6,000 — a return of over 36x the exam cost within the first year alone. Dublin's dense concentration of cloud-dependent multinationals means Azure skills appear in a high volume of local job postings, from junior cloud support to business analyst roles. Even if you already hold a non-technical position, AZ-900 can make you a more competitive candidate for internal moves. With a two-year renewal cycle, the ongoing investment is minimal relative to the career upside.
Exam details
Prerequisites: None required
12-week study plan
Exam tips
Pay close attention to the differences between Azure regions, geographies, and availability zones — these definitions are frequently tested and easy to confuse.
Understand the Shared Responsibility Model thoroughly: know exactly which security responsibilities belong to Microsoft versus the customer across IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS deployments.
Learn the Azure pricing tools by name and function — the Pricing Calculator, TCO Calculator, and Azure Cost Management each have distinct use cases that appear as exam scenarios.
Do not overlook the governance and compliance section; questions on Azure Policy, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), resource locks, and management groups are consistently present in the exam.
Use Microsoft Learn's official AZ-900 learning path as your primary study resource — exam questions are closely aligned with its language and framing, which reduces surprises on test day.