Pick the job you want. Its path shows every Microsoft certification on the way, which ones Microsoft requires, and which ones are advice.
Tick the exams you already hold and every path recalculates: how far you are, your next step, and the roles you’re closest to. Exams with a Lowdown Lab course link to it; the rest link to Microsoft Learn.
Azure Administrator
Runs an organization’s Azure environment day to day: identity, storage, compute, networking and monitoring.
Optional. Worth it if Azure is new to you; skip it if you already work in Azure.
The certification for this role.
Azure Network Engineer
Designs, builds and troubleshoots Azure networking: hybrid connectivity, routing, load balancing and private access.
Optional. Worth it if Azure is new to you; skip it if you already work in Azure.
Recommended. Microsoft expects AZ-700 candidates to have experience creating and managing Azure compute, storage and networking resources.
The certification for this role.
Azure Solutions Architect
Turns business requirements into Azure designs across compute, network, storage, monitoring and security.
Optional. Worth it if Azure is new to you; skip it if you already work in Azure.
Required. Microsoft awards Azure Solutions Architect Expert only to people who also hold Azure Administrator Associate.
Optional depth. Infrastructure is the heaviest domain on AZ-305, and networking is most of it.
The certification for this role.
DevOps Engineer
Builds the path from commit to production: source control, CI/CD, testing and monitoring with GitHub and Azure DevOps.
or
Required. Microsoft awards DevOps Engineer Expert only to people who also hold Azure Administrator or Azure Developer Associate. The AZ-204 exam has retired, so new candidates take AZ-104.
The certification for this role.
Cloud & AI Security Engineer
Implements security controls across Azure, hybrid and AI workloads, then keeps watch on posture.
Optional. Worth it if Azure is new to you; skip it if you already work in Azure.
Recommended. Microsoft expects SC-500 candidates to have practical experience administering Azure and hybrid environments.
The certification for this role. It replaced AZ-500, which retired on 31 August 2026.
Security Operations Analyst
Works the SOC: detects, investigates and responds to threats with Sentinel and Defender.
Optional. Worth it if Microsoft security is new to you; skip it if you already work in it.
The certification for this role.
Identity & Access Administrator
Owns Microsoft Entra: who can sign in, how they prove it, and what they can reach.
Optional. Worth it if Microsoft security is new to you; skip it if you already work in it.
The certification for this role.
Information Security Administrator
Protects the data itself with Microsoft Purview: labels, data loss prevention, retention and insider risk.
Optional. Worth it if Microsoft security is new to you; skip it if you already work in it.
The certification for this role.
Cybersecurity Architect
Designs the security strategy others implement, on Zero Trust principles, across the whole estate.
Recommended. The security associate exams assume you already know how Azure is administered.
or
Required: any one of these three. Microsoft awards Cybersecurity Architect Expert only to people who also hold Cloud & AI Security Engineer, Security Operations Analyst, or Identity and Access Administrator Associate.
The certification for this role.
Azure Fundamentals
Cloud concepts, Azure architecture and services, and Azure management and governance.
Azure Administrator
Identities and governance, storage, compute, virtual networking and monitoring.
Azure Network Engineer
Core network infrastructure, hybrid connectivity, application delivery, private access to Azure services and network security.
Azure Solutions Architect
Designing identity, governance and monitoring, data storage, business continuity and infrastructure on Azure.
Azure Developer
Building and deploying applications on Azure.
The AZ-204 exam retired on 31 July 2026. Microsoft still lists Azure Developer Associate as an alternative prerequisite for DevOps Engineer Expert.
DevOps Engineer
Source control, continuous integration, delivery, security and monitoring with GitHub and Azure DevOps.
Cloud & AI Security Engineer
Security controls across Azure, hybrid and AI workloads: identity, data, networking, compute and posture.
Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals
The vocabulary of Microsoft security, compliance and identity, before any one product.
Security Operations Analyst
Detecting, investigating and responding to threats with Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender.
Identity and Access Administrator
Microsoft Entra ID: identities, authentication, access management and identity governance.
Information Security Administrator
Protecting data with Microsoft Purview: information protection, data loss prevention, retention and insider risk.
Cybersecurity Architect
Designing security strategy on Zero Trust principles across identity, operations, infrastructure, applications and data.
Microsoft updates the English SC-100 exam on 21 October 2026.
Closest roles from what you hold
Every role has its own link, so you can send someone straight to theirs: /courses/learning-paths/#cybersecurity-architect.