5 Best Azure and Cloud Computing Courses for Beginners To Learn Online

Hello Devs, if you want to learn Microsoft Azure and looking for the best resources like online courses, books, tutorials, etc then you have come to the right place.

Earlier, I have shared the best cloud computing courses and best free Azure courses but many of you asked for more comprehensive and in-depth Azure courses and here we are with the list of the 5 best Microsoft Azure courses.

Microsoft Azure is, as the name implies, Microsoft's answer to Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services. What that means is that it provides a wide range of cloud services like computing, storage, analytics, and networking all under one umbrella.

If you are using Azure for hosting your applications then you can also select the features and services that they need and run their applications on the Azure platform or scale new applications. Azure tools are used in a variety of industries like e-commerce, finance, etc.

One of the main things that attract users to Microsoft Azure is the flexibility it provides in picking their preferred tools and technologies.

Azure was earlier called Windows Azure and also offers four different kinds of cloud computing. These are infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), software as a service (SaaS).

Like the Google Cloud Platform and AWS, Azure also charges its customers using a pay-as-you-go model. This means that when you use Azure, you only need to pay for the services that you use and there is no fixed fee.

Once customers subscribe to Azure, they get access to all the services included in the Azure portal. These services can be used to create cloud-based resources like databases and virtual machines.

By the way, if you are not just interested in learning Azure but also to get certified then I suggest you prepare for AZ-900 or Azure fundamentals certification. This can accelerate your learning and you can also become a certified Azure professional, an in-demand skill and certification for your resume.

If you need a comprehensive resource for AZ-900 exam preparation, I suggest you take a look at Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 Exam Prep Specialization on Coursera. This is created by Microsoft itself and it's tightly aligned with the AZ-900 syllabus. You will also get a 50% rebate on the actual exam price. I mean all learners who pass all 4 courses will receive a voucher for 50% off the AZ-900 certificate exam.

My favorite Azure and Cloud Computing Courses for Beginners

These are my favorite and Best Azure Cloud Computing Courses for beginners. These are truly the best online courses you can join to learn Azure and its curated from the best websites and online learning platforms like Udemy, Coursera, Pluralsight, etc. Let's Check out the list below.

1. Microsoft Azure - Beginner's Guide + AZ-900 - 2021 [Udemy]

You can treat this course as the starting point in your wonderful journey into the amazing world of Microsoft Azure. The course has been created by Alan Rodriguez, who is a software engineering evangelist and has more than 15 years of experience in the industry.

In this course, you will learn how to start using Microsoft Azure and create virtual machines using the platform. You will also get a basic understanding of different services like Azure Functions and Azure Web Apps. By the end of this course, you will be fully prepared to take the AZ-900 certification exam.

Course Duration: 15 hours
Course Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Course Instructor: Alan Rodriguez
Course Price: $14

Here is the link to join this course - Microsoft Azure - Beginner's Guide + AZ-900 - 2021

2. Getting Started With Azure [Coursera]

This course will serve as an introduction to Microsoft Azure as you familiarize yourself with core Azure topics as well as practice implementations of infrastructure components. By the end of this course, you will also get a shareable certificate of completion that you can proudly display on your LinkedIn profile.

In this course, you will learn how to deploy virtual machines and create custom dashboards by navigating the Azure portal. You will also get a fundamental understanding of Cloud security, including Network Security, firewall, and Resource Policies. You will also learn more about Azure Cloud Resource Groups and Storage options.

Course Duration: Approximately 20 hours
Course Rating: 4.3 stars out of 5
Course Instructor: Kenny Mobley
Course Price: $20

Here is the link to join this course - Getting Started With Azure

By the way, if you find Coursera courses useful, which they are because they are created by reputed companies and universities around the world, I suggest you join the Coursera Plus, a subscription plan from Coursera which gives you unlimited access to their most popular courses, specialization, professional certificate, and guided projects

3. Implementing an Azure Databricks Environment in Microsoft Azure 

This one is slightly different from the other course on this list and is a specialized Microsoft course. In this course, you will learn how to use Azure Databricks to solve all of your data problems.

Azure Databricks has a robust analytics platform for bringing all the data together and is perfect for data scientists and data engineers. One of the main problems with a large amount of data is learning how to use it correctly and optimize it. Microsoft Azure will help you and make your job easier.

Course Duration: 3 hours
Course Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Course Instructor: Michael Bender
Course Price: $499 per year for the premium plan 

Here is the link to join this course -  Learn Azure Databricks

By the way, you would need a Pluralsight membership to join this course which costs around $29 per month or $299 per year (14% discount). I highly recommend this subscription to all programmers as it provides instant access to more than 7000+ online courses to learn any tech skill.

Alternatively, you can also use their 10-day-free-pass to watch this course for FREE.

4. Learning Azure DevOps [LinkedIn Learning]

The instructor of this course is Walt Ritscher, who is a programmer, UI designer, and staff instructor at LinkedIn Learning. In this course, he will take you on a whirlwind journey of Azure, covering Azure boards, backlogs, work items, sprints, software projects, and Kanban boards.

You will learn more about creating projects and adding users to organizations or teams. There is also a section on Azure Pipelines, which can be used to automate your application build and deployment phases.

Course Duration: 2 hours
Course Instructor: Walt Ritscher
Course Price: $12 per month for an annual subscription

Here is the link to join this course - Learn Azure DevOps

By the way, you would need a LinkedIn Learning membership to watch this course which costs around $19.99 per month but you can also watch this course for FREE by taking their 1-month-free-trail which is a great way to explore their 16000+ online courses on the latest technology.

5. Microsoft Azure: From Zero to Hero - The Complete Guide [Udemy]

If you are looking for a course that will turn you into an Azure expert and enable you to design and build modern cloud apps, well, look no further. The fact that this course is led by Memi Lavi, who is a Certified Azure Architect, is just the icing on the cake.

The course will start with the fundamentals of Microsoft Azure, like Resource Groups, Storage Account, and Budgets. Once you purchase this course, you will get lifetime access to more than 20 hours of on-demand video lectures, 23 articles, and 40 downloadable educational resources.

Course Duration: 20 hours
Course Rating: 4.7 stars out of 5
Course Instructor: Memi Lavi
Course Price: $14

Here is the link to join this course - Microsoft Azure: From Zero to Hero - The Complete Guide

Azure and Cloud Computing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Now that you have seen the best courses to learn Microsoft Azure, let's revisit a couple of questions that beginners often asked while learning Microsoft Azure:

1. What is Microsoft Azure used for?
Once customers subscribe to Azure, they get access to all the services included in the Azure portal. These services can be used to create cloud-based resources like databases and virtual machines.

2. What type of cloud service is Microsoft Azure?
It is a public cloud service. This means that all the software, hardware, and infrastructure is owned and managed by the company providing the service.

3. What are the benefits of Azure?
Azure tools are used in a variety of industries like e-commerce, finance, etc. One of the main things that attract users to Microsoft Azure is the flexibility it provides in picking their preferred tools and technologies.

That's all about the best online courses to learn Microsoft Azure. We have done the hard work for you and compiled this list of the 5 best Azure courses. Don't worry, you can thank us later. The important thing that you should do is select a course from this list and start learning. Azure is an important skill to add to your resume as more and more companies are switching to Azure cloud.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading this article so far. If you liked this list of the 5 best Azure courses for beginners, feel free to share it with your friends and families. Drop a comment if you have any doubts or questions and we will get back to you right away.

P. S. - If you are preparing for Azure Fundamentals Certification and need resources then I highly recommend you check out AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam Prep course on Udemy. This course has more than 5 hours of content and enough to pass the AZ-900 exam to get Azure Fundamentals certifications, and you can buy this for just $10 on Udemy.

P.P.S - For better prep, you can also join my AZ-900 practice tests on Udemy which contains 250+ questions with detailed explanations. It's currently available at a 90% discount.