Introduction
The AZ-500 exam deals with advanced topics that require candidates to have an excellent working knowledge of Azure security technologies. Portions of the exam cover topics that even experienced Azure security administrators might rarely encounter unless they work with all aspects of Azure on a regular basis. To be successful in taking this exam, candidates not only need to understand how to manage Azure identity and access, they need to understand how to implement Azure platform protection, manage Azure security operations, and secure Azure data and applications. Candidates also need to be able to keep up to date with new developments in Azure security technologies, including expanded features and changes to the interface.
Candidates for this exam should have subject matter expertise with implementing security controls and threat protection; managing identity and access; and protecting data, applications, and networks in cloud and hybrid environments as part of an end-to-end infrastructure.
Responsibilities for an Azure Security Engineer include maintaining the security posture, identifying and remediating vulnerabilities by using a variety of security tools, implementing threat protection, and responding to security incident escalations. Azure Security Engineers often serve as part of a larger team dedicated to cloud-based management and security of hybrid environments as part of an end-to-end infrastructure.
A candidate for this exam should be familiar with scripting and automation and should have a deep understanding of networking and virtualization. A candidate should also have a strong familiarity with cloud capabilities, Azure products and services, and other Microsoft products and services. To pass, candidates require a thorough theoretical understanding of the technologies involved, as well as meaningful practical experience implementing the same.
This edition of this book covers Azure and the AZ-500 exam objectives as of late 2020. As Azure’s security functionality evolves, so do the AZ-500 exam objectives, so you should check carefully to determine whether any changes have occurred since this edition of the book was authored, and you should study accordingly.
This book covers every major topic area found on the exam, but it does not cover every exam question. Only the Microsoft exam team has access to the exam questions, and Microsoft regularly adds new questions to the exam, making it impossible to cover specific questions. You should consider this book a supplement to your relevant real-world experience and other study materials. If you encounter a topic in this book that you do not feel completely comfortable with, use the “Need more review?” links you’ll find in the text to find more information and take the time to research and study the topic. Great information is available on docs.microsoft.com and in blogs and forums.
Organization of this book
This book is organized by the “Skills measured” list published for the exam. The “Skills measured” list is available for each exam on the Microsoft Learn website: http://aka.ms/examlist. Each chapter in this book corresponds to a major topic area in the list, and the technical tasks in each topic area determine a chapter’s organization. If an exam covers six major topic areas, for example, the book will contain six chapters.
Preparing for the exam
Microsoft certification exams are a great way to build your resume and let the world know about your level of expertise. Certification exams validate your on-the-job experience and product knowledge. Although there is no substitute for on-the-job experience, preparation through study and hands-on practice can help you prepare for the exam. This book is not designed to teach you new skills.
We recommend that you augment your exam preparation plan by using a combination of available study materials and courses. For example, you might use the Exam Ref and another study guide for your “at home” preparation and take a Microsoft Official Curriculum course for the classroom experience. Choose the combination that you think works best for you. Learn more about available classroom training and find free online courses and live events at http://microsoft.com/learn. Microsoft Official Practice Tests are available for many exams at http://aka.ms/practicetests.
Note that this Exam Ref is based on publicly available information about the exam and the author’s experience. To safeguard the integrity of the exam, authors do not have access to the live exam.
Microsoft certifications
Microsoft certifications distinguish you by proving your command of a broad set of skills and experience with current Microsoft products and technologies. The exams and corresponding certifications are developed to validate your mastery of critical competencies as you design and develop, or implement and support, solutions with Microsoft products and technologies both on-premises and in the cloud. Certification brings a variety of benefits to the individual and to employers and organizations.
Quick access to online references
Throughout this book are addresses to webpages that the author has recommended you visit for more information. Some of these links can be very long and painstaking to type, so we’ve shortened them for you to make them easier to visit. We’ve also compiled them into a single list that readers of the print edition can refer to while they read.
Download the list at MicrosoftPressStore.com/ExamRefAZ500/downloads
The URLs are organized by chapter and heading. Every time you come across a URL in the book, find the hyperlink in the list to go directly to the webpage.
Errata, updates, & book support
We’ve made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this book and its companion content. You can access updates to this book—in the form of a list of submitted errata and their related corrections—at
MicrosoftPressStore.com/ExamRefAZ500/errata
If you discover an error that is not already listed, please submit it to us at the same page.
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