Study guides and courses for five Microsoft certifications, each built from the skills outline Microsoft publishes for the exam.
Microsoft revises those outlines without much notice. A printed book can’t follow the changes. Its companion website can, and that’s what the links below are for.
Where to start
- New to Azure: AZ-900, then AZ-104, then SC-500.
- Already running Azure day to day: go straight to SC-500. It assumes the identity, networking and compute knowledge AZ-104 covers.
- Designing rather than building: AZ-305 and SC-100 are Microsoft’s expert-level architect certifications.
Not sure which? Find your path by job role →
The exams
Azure Fundamentals
The entry point. Cloud models, Azure architecture and the governance and cost tooling — enough to hold a sensible conversation about Azure before you touch the portal in anger.
Objectives last revised 20 Jul 2026
- Video courseComing soon
- Book — PDFComing soon
- Book — paperbackComing soon
Azure Administrator
The infrastructure foundation most security candidates skip and then regret. Identity, storage, compute, virtual networking and monitoring — the prerequisite knowledge SC-500 assumes you have.
Objectives last revised 17 Apr 2026
- Video courseComing soon
- Book — PDFComing soon
- Book — paperbackComing soon
Cloud & AI Security Engineer
The AZ-500 successor, and the reason this catalog exists. Adds Entra Agent ID, Copilot data exposure via Purview DSPM, Foundry agent guardrails and Defender for AI. Microsoft’s own practice assessment isn’t out yet.
- Video courseComing soon
- Book — PDFComing soon
- Book — paperbackComing soon
Azure Solutions Architect
Designing identity, governance, data storage, business continuity and infrastructure solutions. Design-tradeoff drills with written justifications — the format the exam actually rewards.
Objectives last revised 17 Apr 2026
Companion website coming soonCybersecurity Architect
The expert-tier design exam, and the top of the path. Zero Trust strategy, regulatory compliance posture and security architecture across identity, data, applications and infrastructure.
Objectives last revised 28 Jul 2026
Companion website coming soonWhat a companion website is for
Each exam gets one, shared by its book, its course and its practice tests, because what changes is the exam, not the format you studied from.
- What has changed since print: Microsoft’s revisions to the skills outline, and which parts of the guide they affect.
- Corrections: anything the guide got wrong, fixed in one place.
- Downloads: lab files and anything else the guide refers you to.
Found a mistake, or a change that isn’t listed yet? Email info@thelowdownlab.com.