AZ-104 vs Other Cloud Certifications — Which Exam Should You Take First?

How does AZ-104 compare to other cloud certifications?

AZ-104 is the right first certification if you want to work as an Azure administrator with some IT experience. For complete beginners, start with AZ-900. For architecture roles, consider AZ-305 after gaining admin experience. AZ-104 is more operations-focused than AWS SAA (which emphasizes architecture) or GCP PCA (which emphasizes design).

AZ-104 is the right first certification if you want to work as an Azure administrator and already have some IT or cloud experience. If you’re a complete beginner, start with AZ-900. If you want to design systems rather than manage them, consider AZ-305 after gaining admin experience. This article gives you a clear decision framework to choose the certification that matches your current level and career direction.

What AZ-104 Actually Certifies

The Microsoft Azure Administrator certification (AZ-104) validates your ability to implement, manage, and monitor an organization’s Azure environment. This is a hands-on operational role — you’re the person who keeps Azure resources running, configured correctly, and secure.

Core Competencies

AZ-104 covers identity and governance, storage management, compute resources, virtual networking, and monitoring. You need to understand how to deploy virtual machines, configure networking, manage Azure Active Directory, implement backup strategies, and troubleshoot common issues.

Typical Job Outcomes

Certified AZ-104 holders commonly work as Azure Administrators, Cloud Engineers, Systems Administrators with Azure responsibilities, or DevOps Engineers managing infrastructure. The certification signals to employers that you can independently manage Azure environments without constant supervision.

This is not a design or architecture certification. You’re not expected to create new cloud strategies from scratch — you’re expected to execute and maintain them reliably.

AZ-104 vs AZ-900: Beginner vs Administrator Path

AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals) is a foundational certification that introduces cloud concepts and Azure services at a high level. AZ-104 assumes you already understand these fundamentals and tests practical administration skills.

When to Start with AZ-900

• You’re completely new to cloud computing
• You come from a non-technical background
• You want a low-stakes introduction before committing to deeper study
• Your employer requires foundational certification before advanced tracks

When to Skip AZ-900 and Start with AZ-104

• You already work in IT (networking, Windows Server, Linux, etc.)
• You’ve used Azure or another cloud platform professionally
• You understand basic cloud concepts (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)
• You want a certification with immediate job market value

AZ-900 is valuable for complete beginners but doesn’t qualify you for technical roles. If you have any IT experience, AZ-104 is the better investment of your time.

AZ-104 vs AZ-305: Administrator vs Architect

AZ-305 (Azure Solutions Architect Expert) is an expert-level certification for designing cloud solutions. AZ-104 is about implementing and managing solutions that someone else designed.

The Core Difference

Administrators execute. Architects design. An AZ-104 holder deploys a virtual network according to specifications. An AZ-305 holder decides what the network architecture should be based on business requirements, security constraints, and cost optimization.

Natural Progression Path

Microsoft recommends completing AZ-104 before attempting AZ-305. The architect role assumes deep operational knowledge. You can’t effectively design Azure solutions if you don’t understand how to implement and troubleshoot them.

Start with AZ-104 if you’re building cloud experience. Move to AZ-305 after you’ve worked as an administrator and want to transition into architecture or senior consulting roles.

AZ-104 vs AWS SAA: Vendor Choice Considerations

AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) is often compared to AZ-104, but they test different skill sets. AWS SAA focuses on architecture and design decisions. AZ-104 focuses on administration and operations.

Role Focus Comparison

AWS SAA asks: “Which service should you use for this requirement?” AZ-104 asks: “How do you configure this service correctly?” AWS SAA is closer to AZ-305 in scope, while AZ-104 is more operational.

Market Perspective

AWS has larger overall market share, but Azure dominates in enterprises already using Microsoft products (Office 365, Active Directory, Windows Server). Your choice should depend on:

• Current employer: Which platform does your company use or plan to adopt?
• Target job market: What do local job postings require?
• Existing skills: If you know Windows Server and AD, Azure is a natural fit
• Long-term strategy: Multi-cloud skills are increasingly valuable

Neither certification is objectively “better.” Both are respected, and many professionals eventually earn certifications in both ecosystems.

AZ-104 vs Other Associate-Level Cloud Certs

Beyond Azure and AWS, several other certifications compete for attention in the cloud certification landscape.

Google Cloud Associate Cloud Engineer

GCP’s associate certification is similar in scope to AZ-104 — it tests operational cloud skills. GCP has smaller market share than Azure or AWS but is growing, particularly in data engineering and machine learning workloads. Choose GCP if you’re targeting companies in the Google ecosystem or data-heavy industries.

CompTIA Cloud+

Cloud+ is vendor-neutral and covers multi-cloud concepts. It’s less specialized than AZ-104 but demonstrates broad cloud understanding. Some employers prefer vendor-specific certifications; others value the neutral perspective. Cloud+ is often paired with vendor certifications rather than replacing them.

Positioning AZ-104

AZ-104 is one of the most recognized administrator-level cloud certifications globally. If you work in a Microsoft-centric environment or target enterprises, AZ-104 provides strong credibility and clear job market alignment.

Simple Decision Guide

Use these rules to make your decision quickly:

Choose AZ-900 if: You’re completely new to IT and cloud. You need a gentle introduction before committing to technical study.

Choose AZ-104 if: You have IT experience and want to work as a cloud administrator. You’re already familiar with basic cloud concepts. You work in or target Microsoft-centric environments.

Choose AZ-305 if: You already have AZ-104 or equivalent experience. You want to move into solution architecture. You’re targeting senior or consulting roles.

Choose AWS SAA if: You prefer AWS or your target employers use AWS. You want architecture-focused certification rather than operations. AWS is more prevalent in your local job market.

Choose GCP ACE if: You’re targeting Google-ecosystem companies. You’re interested in data engineering or ML infrastructure. You want to differentiate from the AWS/Azure crowd.

When in doubt: if you have any IT experience and your target market uses Azure, start with AZ-104. It’s the most practical certification for landing Azure administrator roles.

Common Mistakes When Choosing the Wrong First Exam

Starting Too High

Jumping directly to AZ-305 without operational experience leads to memorization without understanding. You might pass, but you won’t perform well in architect interviews because you lack practical context for the design decisions.

Starting Too Low

Spending months on AZ-900 when you already have IT experience wastes time. AZ-900 won’t get you hired for technical roles. If you understand basic cloud concepts, move directly to AZ-104.

Chasing Market Trends Instead of Career Fit

Choosing AWS because “it has more market share” makes no sense if your employer uses Azure and plans to stay on Azure. Certify for the platform you’ll actually use professionally.

Collecting Certifications Without Depth

Getting AZ-900, then AWS CCP, then GCP Digital Leader creates a collection of beginner certifications that don’t qualify you for technical roles. One solid associate certification (like AZ-104) is worth more than multiple foundational ones.

Make Your Choice and Move Forward

Analysis paralysis is a real obstacle. Most candidates spend too long comparing certifications and not enough time actually studying. The difference between AZ-104 and AWS SAA matters less than the difference between having a certification and not having one.

If you’ve read this far and you’re still undecided: choose AZ-104 if you work with Microsoft technologies. Choose AWS SAA if you don’t. Both are excellent credentials that open doors.

Once you choose your exam path, practicing real exam scenarios is what makes the difference. Certsqill provides adaptive practice questions that match actual AZ-104 difficulty and test scenario-based thinking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I take AZ-900 before AZ-104?

Only if you’re completely new to cloud computing. If you have IT experience or already understand cloud basics, skip AZ-900 and start with AZ-104 directly.

Is AZ-104 harder than AWS SAA?

They test different skills. AZ-104 focuses on administration tasks; AWS SAA focuses on architecture decisions. Neither is objectively harder — difficulty depends on your background and which platform you’re more familiar with.

Can I start a cloud career with AZ-104?

Yes. AZ-104 is a recognized entry point for cloud administrator roles. Combined with hands-on experience or lab practice, it qualifies you for junior to mid-level Azure positions.

Is AZ-104 enough for administrator jobs?

For most Azure administrator positions, AZ-104 is sufficient. Some senior roles may prefer additional certifications (AZ-305, security specializations), but AZ-104 alone opens many doors.

Should I do AZ-104 or AZ-305 first?

AZ-104 first. AZ-305 is an expert-level certification that assumes you already have administrator-level knowledge. The natural progression is AZ-104, then work experience, then AZ-305.