Book Review: Architecting Microsoft Azure Solutions – Exam Guide 70-535

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Exam 70-535, Architecting Microsoft Azure Solutions, is a Microsoft exam designed to measure key capabilities in implementing Azure solutions. The exam covers many aspects of Azure and requires the candidate to have a solid understanding of all Azure blades and their features. The exam has a focus on design and determining why and when specific Azure blades should be used.

The book Architecting Microsoft Azure Solutions – Exam Guide 70-535 covers everything you need to know to pass the exam and design Azure solutions. Including the steps to provision new services, an explanation of the components as well as typical use cases are shown. Providing more than an overview, the book covers a lot of Azure so is a great resource to gain a good understanding of Azure and its capabilities and how to design solutions in Azure.

But why do I love this book?

Even if you are not planning on taking the exam, this book is a great asset and I encourage all Azure developers and devOps to have a look. Azure is huge, and for many trying to understand the differences between the different services available is daunting. This book covers a lot of Azure and helps to provide a clear view of how to classify the capabilities of Azure, and just as important, how to determine when and why each should be used. Either as a review or as a great way to gain an understanding of unfamiliar aspects of Azure, this book is a great resource!

What is covered?

Designing Compute Infrastructure
  • Designing solutions with Azure Virtual Machines
  • Designing solutions based on micro-services
  • Designing solutions for serverless computing
  • Creating and designing compute-intensive applications
  • Designing Azure Cloud-based Web and Mobile applications
Designing Data Implementation
  • Designing Azure storage solutions and relational database storage
  • Designing Azure data services
  • Data implementation for NoSQL and CosmosDB storage
Designing Identity and Security Solutions
  • Designing identity solution and data security solution
  • Using identity providers to secure resources
  • Managing security risks by implementation of security solutions
  • Designing policies and governance mechanism for administration of Azure resources
Designing Networking Implementation
  • Designing Azure Virtual Networks and external connectivity
  • Designing security strategies
  • Designing hybrid apps connectivity
Designing Operations
  • Designing strategies for application altering and monitoring
  • Designing strategies for platform altering and monitoring
  • Designing strategies for operations automation
Designing Solutions Using Platform Services
  • Designing Azure solutions for AI services
  • Designing Azure solutions for IoT
  • Designing Azure solutions for media services
  • Designing Azure solutions for messaging architectures

Book Excerpt

Architecting Microsoft Azure Solutions: Exam Guide 70-535 will get Azure architects and developers up-to-date with the latest updates on Azure from an architecture and design perspective. The book includes all the topics that are still relevant from the previous 70-534 exam, and is updated with latest topics covered, including Artificial Intelligence, IoT, and architecture styles.

This exam guide is divided into six parts, where the first part will give you a good understanding of how to design a compute infrastructure. It also dives into designing networking and data implementations. You will learn about designing solutions for Platform Service and operations. Next, you will be able to secure your resources and data, as well as design a mechanism for governance and policies. You will also understand the objective of designing solutions for Platform Services, by covering Artificial Intelligence, IoT, media services, and messaging solution concepts. Finally, you will cover the designing for operations objective. This objective covers application and platform monitoring, as well as designing alerting strategies and operations automation strategies.

By the end of the book, you’ll have met all of the exam objectives, and will have all the information you need to ace the 70-535 exam. You will also have become an expert in designing solutions on Microsoft Azure.

Author Bio

Sjoukje Zaal is a Microsoft Azure MVP and a Microsoft Principal Expert with over 15 years of experience providing architecture, development, consultancy, and design expertise in Microsoft-related technologies. She works at Ordina, a System Integrator in the Netherlands. She is an MCSE Cloud Platform and Infrastructure, MCSD Azure Solutions Architect-, MCSE Productivity-, and MCSD App Builder- certified professional.

Sjoukje is active in the Microsoft Community as a cofounder of SP&C NL and the Mixed Reality User Group, a writer, public speaker, and on MSDN/TechNet.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    June 18, 2018
    Thanks a lot for this great review, Jeff! I really appreciate it.
    • Anonymous
      January 25, 2019
      Agreed. Jeff, I love the detail of this review, and even the bio is spot on. Big thanks to Sjoukje for this contribution.