7 Reasons You Should Be Microsoft Azure Certified in 2024

Microsoft Azure is one of the three heavy hitters in the cloud industry along with AWS and Google Cloud. As more companies move their data to the cloud, the need for people who understand how cloud technology works has increased tremendously. According to AAG, the Azure market share has been steadily gaining and now accounts for 23% of the entire market. Suffice it to say that earning an Azure certification isn't a bad idea.

If you already have Azure training then you should be all set, right? Not so fast. There are plenty of reasons to get an Azure certification even if you have experience under your belt. And if you don't have experience with Azure, then it goes without saying that a certification enhances your career prospects. Here are seven reasons you should be Microsoft Azure Certified in 2024.

1. Increase Your Salary

Earning a certification is one of the quickest ways to increase your salary. According to Zip Recruiter, the average salary for an expert in Azure Solutions Architecture is raking in $146,601 a year. Even the associate-level Azure certs can command an average salary of $129,253.

Azure certification pays well because Azure administration, configuration, and troubleshooting are pretty complicated. Misconfiguring Azure can lead to revenue loss. So naturally, Azure shops are going to give preferential treatment to folks who are Azure-certified.

Remember, certifications not only benefit those who are applying for new jobs but for those negotiating raises at their current company. When promotion and merit increase time rolls around, having your Azure Fundamentals certification will prove your value to the company and work as excellent leverage to boost your salary. During this era of inflation, who doesn't want a raise?

2. Align With an Azure Architectural Commitment

Many organizations decide on an architectural path and go that route. Receiving certification in the targeted architecture shows that your personal goals align with the organization. If you earn an Azure certification while working for an organization that uses Azure, then they are far more likely to delegate responsibilities to you.

For example, let's say you decided to get Azure Developer Associate certified. This would prove to software engineering managers that you have the gumption to take on duties with more responsibility. They would likely be coming to you for advice. Committing to the path an organization lays out is an excellent way to show your value and increase promotion prospects.

3. Studying for Certs Creates More Structured Learning Approaches

The most difficult part about starting a journey is figuring out where to start. For those who have tried to learn a musical instrument, it is hard to know if you should start by learning scales, chords, music theory, or just learn songs. It can be overwhelming. It is the same concept as the cloud. Should you start by learning DevOps, Azure functions, security, or just navigating the Azure console?

Studying for Azure certifications takes care of all of that. Just following the path laid out before you by Microsoft or another training vendor eliminates most of the trepidation that comes along with learning a new skill. It will teach what you need to know — and when you need to know it.

Let's say you decided to just learn on the job and forego a certification. While you may get good at doing exactly what your organization needs — you don't know what you don't know. By getting the certification you will learn dozens of other concepts that will greatly benefit the organization, which leads to the next benefit. Earning the latest Azure certs will help you stay up to date on the latest Microsoft Azure trends.

4. Stay Up to Date on Azure Trends

If there is one thing that is constant in tech, it's that it's always changing. Earning an Azure certificate should help you stay on top of all the Microsoft trends and technologies.

"Publish or perish" is an oft-quoted saying among academics. It means, "If you are not continually performing research and publishing papers, then your value as a professor diminishes."

Think of software development as the same thing. It is difficult to stay in the profession if you are not learning new concepts constantly. Azure certifications build fences around your knowledge — and prove to employers that you are committed to learning and staying on top of things.

For example, Artificial Intelligence is one of the hottest things in tech right now. Organizations are in desperate need of AI-trained software developers. However, if you don't keep a pulse on the industry, you may not have been aware of that.

5. You'll Dab in Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is taking the world by storm. It is an incredibly exciting and innovative technology that organizations are in desperate need of. That is why Microsoft offers an AI pipeline — starting with the Azure AI fundamentals.

AI can be used to create chatbots that the organization uses to communicate with customers. Not only that, but it is used for things like facial analysis solutions, natural language processing (such as translation), and keyphrase extraction. This is just the tip of the iceberg. AI can do so much more than that. Best of all, it's no big secret. Anyone can learn it, including you, by earning an Azure AI Fundamentals certification.

Microsoft provides a structured learning approach to learning AI. So there is no reason to feel intimidated — go for it!

6. Learn to Leverage Azure and Lower Your IT Costs

One of the greatest advantages of Azure is how it lowers IT costs compared to an on-premise solution. For instance, with Azure, there's no need to pay for energy, space, or cooling server racks. The need to pay for servers that are only needed at max load is eliminated as well: Azure is pay-as-you-need.

However, to squeeze every nickel of saving out of Azure, it takes a professional Azure administrator. The best way to show your professional chops is with Azure certification. Numerous Azure certifications provide the best way to optimize cloud costs.

By correctly configuring Azure, you will make everyone happy from accounting to the managers in software engineering. Earning an Azure certification will make another group happy: the security and compliance team.

7. Enhance Security With Azure

There is one fear that every CEO in America fears: a 3:00 AM phone call that goes something like this: "We've been hacked."

It sure would be nice to do anything to mitigate that fear. The best solution is moving on-premise data to the cloud. However, there is a lot more to it than that — and it is all outlined in the AZ-500 course.

The AZ-500 is an entry-level Azure Security Engineer Associate certification. It covers everything you need to know to manage identity and access, security platforms, and secure data and applications. However, it is important to note that all certifications emphasize security in some form or another.

Earning an Azure certificate will give you competencies in setting up cloud systems with security as a #1 priority. This is different from people who learn things "on the job". Generally, those who learn solely by doing focus on getting things to work. This sort of thinking can lead to catastrophic security vulnerabilities.

Azure certifications train you to act securely just as a matter of course. Your knowledge of security will make you an invaluable asset, and open up both horizontal and vertical career paths.

Final Thoughts

We reviewed seven reasons why you need to get Azure-certified. There are personal reasons, such as salary and a sense of accomplishment. There are also organizational reasons such as security and cost benefits. Then there is the most exciting reason: artificial intelligence.

Earning an Azure certification will skyrocket your career development. You learn the skills to leverage innovative, affordable solutions that meet just about any organization's needs.

To succeed within a company, you should attempt to align your professional destiny with theirs — and there is no better way to do that than by earning a Microsoft Azure certificate.