How I Passed the AZ-500 Exam

I’ve recently done and passed the Azure Security Engineer Associate AZ-500 Exam. This exam covers a wide range of topics and technologie. Before considering this exam, you should have good knowledge about Azure technology.

I advice you to use the following certification path  :

Azure Certifcations

My advice is first take the AZ-900 and AZ-103 exams before going for the AZ-500 exam. The Azure Security Engineer role was recently added to the list and is the newest exam so far.

Azure Security Engineer Associate

The following pre-requisites are in place :

  • Familiarity with the implementation of security controls on the Microsoft Azure platform
  • In-depth knowledge of virtualization, cloud N-tier architecture, Amazon Kubernetes Service, and networking
  • Ability to recognize and address vulnerabilities using several security tools; implementing security solutions for the protection of networks, applications, and data
  • Expertise in scripting and automation, identity and access management, and maintaining security status

A general understanding of the following areas is highly recommended :

  • Azure Portal
  • AzureCLI
  • Powershell
  • ARM Templates
  • Networking
  • Security Concepts

The following topics and their weight :

Domain % Weight
Manage Identity and Access 20-25%
Implement Platform Protection 35-40%
Manage Security Operations 15-20%
Secure Data and Applications 30-35%

The exam is both in Japanese and English language and costs 164 EUR/USD.

I found the exam relatively easy (for example, I found the AZ-400 exam much harder). I had a couple of cases and one lab containing 11 tasks. Because my mouse didn’t work in the lab environment I was unable to complete all the tasks. (I did score enough to pass although)

I used the following materials :

  • Official MCT material for AZ-500 exam
  • Pluralsight
  • edX
  • Youtube (there’s lot of interesting Azure stuff to be found there)
  • Study Notes found on the internet and combined on vWorld.nl 🙂

This as an addition to real life experience.

 

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