Which Microsoft certification should our team standardize on first?

It depends on your team's primary Microsoft footprint. For Azure-first teams, AZ-900 → AZ-104 is the baseline every cloud engineer should hold; AZ-305 sits above for the architect bench. For teams running M365 + Intune, MD-102 → MS-102 covers endpoint and tenant admin. For sysadmin teams operating hybrid Windows Server, AZ-800/AZ-801 is the modern path. Most mid-market IT directors run all three programs in parallel against different role groups.

What's the difference between Fundamental, Associate, and Expert Microsoft certifications?

Fundamentals (the 900-series — AZ-900, SC-900, MS-900, AI-900, DP-900, PL-900, AB-900) validate vocabulary and conceptual fluency. Associate certs (AZ-104, MS-102, MD-102, SC-200, etc.) prove role-level operational competency. Expert certs (AZ-305, AZ-400, SC-100, AB-731) prove architectural and strategic depth — the credentials leadership expects on principal-level engineers signing off on production Azure or security architecture.

How do you measure ROI on Microsoft training for a team?

The metrics that matter aren't seat-time or completion percentages. For Microsoft teams, start with onboarding velocity for new hires, certification coverage by role, time-to-productivity on Azure or M365 admin tasks, and incident volume on Microsoft-managed services. CBT Nuggets gives managers the reporting surface to track completion and cert coverage while the training itself keeps engineers moving through the right Microsoft path.

Microsoft renamed and restructured several tracks recently — is the training current?

Microsoft restructures the cert catalog regularly: AZ-303/304 collapsed into AZ-305, MS-100/101 collapsed into MS-102, the SC-200 was refreshed for Defender XDR, AB-900/AB-730/AB-731 are the new Copilot/AI tracks. CBT Nuggets updates Microsoft course titles and paths as the catalog changes so managers can keep team training plans aligned with the language Microsoft and your auditors actually use.

Does this work for compliance training programs (SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI, FedRAMP)?

Yes. Team reporting helps managers document assigned training, completion, and cert coverage for internal governance or audit conversations. Teams in regulated industries can pair Microsoft cert paths (AZ-500, SC-200, SC-300, SC-400, SC-100) with the broader CBT Nuggets platform features designed for team visibility, access control, and reporting.

How does CBT Nuggets handle Microsoft cert refreshes?

Microsoft role-based certs require an annual free renewal assessment to stay current. CBT Nuggets helps managers keep refresh work organized through assigned training paths, progress visibility, and updated catalog content as Microsoft refreshes exam objectives. When Microsoft renames or restructures a track (AZ-104 v2, MS-102 v2024, SC-200 Defender refresh), updated courses can stay aligned with the same team training plan.

Can our team learn Microsoft Azure or M365 without prior cloud experience?

Yes, and many teams do. The 900-series fundamentals (AZ-900, MS-900, SC-900, AI-900, DP-900, PL-900) are designed as on-ramps for engineers transitioning into cloud and M365 work. From the fundamentals, the natural progression is the associate-level cert that matches the engineer's role (AZ-104 for cloud admins, MD-102 for endpoint admins, etc.). Most teams budget 4–6 weeks for fundamentals and 2–3 months for associate-level prep from a cold start.

Microsoft Training & Certification Courses for IT Teams

Standardize your team across the Microsoft stack — Azure, Microsoft 365, Windows Server, and Power Platform. Structured cert paths from AZ-900 fundamentals through SC-100 expert-level architecture, with virtual labs and team admin reporting IT leaders can actually use.

Request a Demo See team pricing

127

Courses

542

Labs

8,717

Videos

1458h 47m

Total

IT team collaborating in a modern operations center with laptops and dashboards on screen

Cloud + endpoint coverage

Built for teams running Microsoft cloud and Windows infrastructure.

Most Popular Microsoft Certifications

6 courses

Core Microsoft certification paths for teams standardizing role coverage across Azure, Microsoft 365, Windows Server, security, data, AI, and Power Platform. Each course pairs expert-led video with virtual labs and unlimited practice exams.

Practice exams

Microsoft AB-900

James Conrad

10818h 30m

Practice exams

AZ-104

Knox Hutchinson

13716h 55m

Practice exams

AZ-305

Knox Hutchinson

7911h 8m

Associate

SC-200

Bob Salmans

9214h 46m

ProfessionalPractice exams

AZ-900

Knox Hutchinson

649h 51m

AssociatePractice exams

AZ-801

Knox Hutchinson

19h 45m

Certification architecture

Map the Microsoft stack to your team in three tiers

Bring everyone to a shared cloud + security baseline (Fundamentals), match associate-level certs to the roles your team actually holds, and develop the expert bench that owns architecture across Azure, M365, and security.

Certification tier

Tier 1 — Microsoft Fundamentals

Bring every IT hire — admin, developer, analyst — to a shared baseline of Azure, security, AI, and Power Platform fundamentals. The 900-series certs are short, structured, and prerequisite to the associate tracks below.

Azure & Data Fundamentals (AZ-900, DP-900, AI-900)

3 courses

Cloud, data, and AI fundamentals every Azure-adjacent role should hold. The shared vocabulary that prevents senior engineers from re-explaining IaaS-vs-PaaS in every design review.

ProfessionalPractice exams

AZ-900

Knox Hutchinson

649h 51m

EntryPractice exams

DP-900

Ben Finkel

698h 51m

EntryPractice exams

AI-900

Trevor Sullivan, Knox Hutchinson

12519h 6m

Security, Compliance & Identity Fundamentals (SC-900)

1 course

The baseline security/compliance vocabulary every Microsoft admin needs before SC-300/SC-400 specialization. Useful for non-security roles who need to speak Zero Trust with the security team.

ProfessionalPractice exams

SC-900

James Conrad, John Munjoma, Bob Salmans

14021h 41m

Microsoft 365 & Power Platform Fundamentals (MS-900, PL-900)

2 courses

The fundamentals for teams supporting M365 tenants and the citizen-developer Power Platform stack (Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI). Short on-ramp before associate-level admin tracks.

Practice exams

MS-900

James Conrad, Kelvin Tran

10916h 50m

Practice exams

PL-900

John Munjoma

486h 28m

Microsoft AI & Copilot Fundamentals (AB-900, AB-730)

2 courses

Copilot rollout has become an IT-led initiative at most mid-market customers. AB-900 covers Copilot/Agent administration; AB-730 is the business-pro framing for non-IT users your team enables.

Practice exams