Knox Hutchinson
Cloud Computing & DevOps
Microsoft Training for Azure, Microsoft 365, and Windows Server Teams
Equip your team across the full Microsoft stack — 365 administration, security operations, identity management, and collaboration. Structured paths for every admin role.
66
Courses
246
Labs
5,919
Videos
917h
Total
Where teams start
Most Popular Microsoft Certifications
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 unlimited practice exams, and the Windows Server, endpoint, and SQL Server paths add hands-on labs.
Entry
Microsoft AB-900
This Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals (AB-900) training prepares you to earn a valuable Microsoft AI certification. Keep your Microsoft 365 admin skills relevant and valuable in the age of AI. Learn how to enable your organization with Copilot, and roll out AI agents without compromising security, identity, or data protections. Microsoft expert James Conrad guides you through M365 governance, AI readiness, and modern IT management, so you can lead AI adoption with confidence and pass the AB-900 exam.
James Conrad
Associate
Microsoft AZ-104
This entry-level Microsoft Azure Administrator training prepares aspiring Azure administrators to pass the AZ-104 exam — the single exam required to earn the Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator Associate certification. This training builds hands-on skills for managing Azure resources using the Azure portal, PowerShell, and Azure CLI. You’ll learn how to implement and manage virtual networking, secure identities with Microsoft Entra ID, automate deployments using ARM templates and Bicep files, and configure Azure storage solutions. The course also covers monitoring with Azure Monitor and ensuring business continuity through Azure Backup and Site Recovery. Whether you're deploying virtual machines, configuring load balancers, or managing costs with Azure Policy, this AZ-104 course equips you to confidently manage core infrastructure across the Azure ecosystem.
Knox Hutchinson
Expert
AZ-305
Prepare for the AZ-305 certification exam by learning to design resilient, scalable enterprise solutions in Microsoft Azure. This course focuses on complex architecture, teaching you to balance cost, performance, and security across the Cloud Adoption Framework. You will explore how to integrate core services (from Compute and Networking to Identity and Governance) and ensure your infrastructure meets modern business requirements for high availability and seamless migration. This AZ-305 training is perfect for cloud engineers and IT pros who want to master the art of building enterprise infrastructures, and earn their Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification.
Knox Hutchinson
Associate
Microsoft SC-200
Advance your cybersecurity analyst career. This Microsoft SC-200 training prepares you for the Security Operations Analyst Associate certification exam. Validate your ability to detect, investigate, and remediate real threats across cloud and on-prem environments. Using SC-200 practice exams, you’ll prepare for real-world incident response, threat hunting, and risk reduction using Microsoft Defender XDR, Microsoft Sentinel, and Security Copilot. You’ll learn to write KQL queries, configure detections, manage playbooks, and automate investigations so you can move from alert triage to confident remediation.
Bob Salmans
Entry
AZ-900
This AZ-900 training prepares your team for the Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals certification. It covers the core Azure services, including virtual networking, Azure storage services, and serverless computing, along with the shared responsibility model, cloud pricing models, and the differences between infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS). The training also covers role-based access control (RBAC) and working in the Azure portal and the Azure CLI. For an IT Director moving workloads to Azure, AZ-900 gives every role on the team, from help desk to procurement, the same vocabulary for Azure services, pricing, and shared responsibility before deeper role-based training begins. IT professionals new to cloud computing earn the same Microsoft certification on the same path.
Knox Hutchinson
Professional
AZ-801
Build your team's Windows Server 2025 hybrid advanced services capability with this course, which follows the AZ-801 objectives Microsoft retired on 30 September 2026. Through guided lessons and real-world scenarios, you’ll gain hands-on practice with security, hybrid Active Directory, Microsoft Entra, and Windows Defender tools. Learn clustering, storage, and disaster recovery while mastering the migration of servers and workloads. The result is a team that can run secure, resilient Windows Server environments across on-premises and Azure.
Knox Hutchinson
Capability ladder
Microsoft Certifications by Level
The most popular Microsoft courses at each certification level — from first credentials for new team members through expert and specialty tracks.
1
Certification tier
Tier 1 — Entry Certifications
First credentials for new team members and cross-trained roles — the on-ramp before vendor specialization.
Entry
AZ-900
This AZ-900 training prepares your team for the Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals certification. It covers the core Azure services, including virtual networking, Azure storage services, and serverless computing, along with the shared responsibility model, cloud pricing models, and the differences between infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS). The training also covers role-based access control (RBAC) and working in the Azure portal and the Azure CLI. For an IT Director moving workloads to Azure, AZ-900 gives every role on the team, from help desk to procurement, the same vocabulary for Azure services, pricing, and shared responsibility before deeper role-based training begins. IT professionals new to cloud computing earn the same Microsoft certification on the same path.
Knox Hutchinson
Entry
Microsoft SC-900
Cloud adoption spreads security, identity, and compliance work across help desk staff, sysadmins, and compliance stakeholders who often lack a shared vocabulary. When terms like Zero Trust, least privilege, and the shared responsibility model mean different things to different people, risk discussions stall and audit conversations take longer than they should. This entry-level SC-900 course gives IT Directors and Training Managers a single baseline to assign across the team. Learners cover Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) identity concepts, authentication and self-service password reset, Microsoft Defender threat protection, Intune endpoint security, and Microsoft Purview capabilities such as sensitivity labels, DLP, eDiscovery, audit, data lifecycle management, and insider risk. The course stays conceptual, with walkthroughs in Azure, Microsoft 365, Intune, and Purview, so new hires, help desk technicians, and non-technical risk stakeholders can all take part. After completion, your team can explain Microsoft security terminology to technical and non-technical audiences, identify which Microsoft tool fits a given identity, threat, or compliance use case, and route questions to the right platform capability or specialist team. The course also provides a structured review of the fundamentals covered by the SC-900 certification exam. At about 21.7 hours across 25 skills, the course fits an onboarding cohort or a team certification push. Team Leads can bundle it into Playlists, and Training Managers can track per-learner progress and completion with Team Reporting before moving the team on to role-based Microsoft security training.
John Munjoma, James Conrad, Bob Salmans
Entry
DP-900
This DP-900 certification training covers how to use Microsoft Azure data services to work with cloud-based data, whether relational or non-relational, in different workloads. This course prepares you for Microsoft's Azure Data Fundamentals certification by explaining relational and non-relational data, different data workloads and the core concepts of data in the cloud.
Ben Finkel
Entry
Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900)
Business units are already asking IT about AI, but many teams lack a shared vocabulary for what Azure AI services do, what they cost, and how to use them responsibly. This Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900) training gives IT Directors and Team Leads a common baseline before AI projects reach production. The early skills cover machine learning workloads, computer vision, natural language processing (NLP), and Microsoft's six responsible AI principles. These suit managers, non-developers, and cloud or operations staff. Later skills are hands-on. Practitioners work in Azure Machine Learning Studio and AutoML, build no-code regression and classification pipelines in the Designer, and train Custom Vision models. They also call Cognitive Services with Python, PowerShell, and SDKs, run services in Docker containers, and consume a custom Form Recognizer model through its REST API. Governance is built in. Content on responsible AI, handling facial and other sensitive data, and Form Recognizer billing helps teams set guardrails and anticipate costs before adopting AI tools. The course runs about 19 hours across 20 skills. Plan for developers to take the full path while non-coders focus on concepts and Designer pipelines, and use team reporting to track progress and completion. Microsoft retired the AI-900 exam on 30 June 2026, so the course is assigned today for the Azure AI baseline it builds. To see how it fits your team's training plan, Book a Demo.
Trevor Sullivan, Knox Hutchinson
Entry
PL-900
This PL-900 training prepares you to leverage the full suite of Microsoft Power Platform tools to drive business value. You will explore the foundational components of the platform, including Dataverse, connectors, and administration/governance. This course provides hands-on insights into building Power Apps (Canvas and Model-driven), creating Power BI dashboards, designing Power Automate flows, and utilizing Power Pages. You’ll also discover the AI authoring experience through Copilot Studio and AI Builder, giving you the skills needed to earn the Microsoft Certified Power Platform Fundamentals certification.
John Munjoma
Entry
Microsoft AB-900
This Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals (AB-900) training prepares you to earn a valuable Microsoft AI certification. Keep your Microsoft 365 admin skills relevant and valuable in the age of AI. Learn how to enable your organization with Copilot, and roll out AI agents without compromising security, identity, or data protections. Microsoft expert James Conrad guides you through M365 governance, AI readiness, and modern IT management, so you can lead AI adoption with confidence and pass the AB-900 exam.
James Conrad
2
Certification tier
Tier 2 — Associate Certifications
Core role credentials — the level most teams standardize on for day-to-day operations.
Associate
Microsoft AZ-104
This entry-level Microsoft Azure Administrator training prepares aspiring Azure administrators to pass the AZ-104 exam — the single exam required to earn the Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator Associate certification. This training builds hands-on skills for managing Azure resources using the Azure portal, PowerShell, and Azure CLI. You’ll learn how to implement and manage virtual networking, secure identities with Microsoft Entra ID, automate deployments using ARM templates and Bicep files, and configure Azure storage solutions. The course also covers monitoring with Azure Monitor and ensuring business continuity through Azure Backup and Site Recovery. Whether you're deploying virtual machines, configuring load balancers, or managing costs with Azure Policy, this AZ-104 course equips you to confidently manage core infrastructure across the Azure ecosystem.
Knox Hutchinson
AssociateLabs
Microsoft MD-102
This Microsoft MD-102 training is a perfect starting point for becoming a professional Endpoint Administrator. In this course, you’ll master the full device lifecycle using Microsoft Intune and Entra ID. You'll learn to automate deployments with Windows Autopilot, manage app catalogs, and secure devices with Windows Defender. You'll also explore configuring compliance policies and running remote actions with KQL. Along the way, you’ll gain the hands-on skills needed to build a secure workplace strategy, and earn your Microsoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate certification.
James Conrad
Associate
AZ-700
Prepare for the AZ-700 exam and earn your Microsoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate certification. This AZ-700 training covers Virtual WAN, Azure Route Server, Firewall Manager, and DDoS Protection. You'll dive into Application Gateway v2, Front Door, and Private Link for secure app delivery, plus ExpressRoute and Azure DNS. Whether designing hub-and-spoke topologies or implementing NSGs, this AZ-700 course equips you to optimize performance and scale. Prove your expertise by utilizing the latest Azure networking features.
Knox Hutchinson
Associate
SC-300
This Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator (SC-300) training prepares you to become a Microsoft identity and access admin. Expert-led training will teach you to implement and manage secure identity solutions using Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) and hybrid identities. You’ll set up and manage users, groups, devices, and custom roles. You’ll learn to configure passwordless and multifactor sign-in, apply conditional access policies, and use tools like PIM to support a zero-trust strategy. You’ll also manage app access with registrations, service principals, and entitlement controls. Bring on-prem and cloud together using Azure AD Connect and Active Directory Federation Services, and monitor and protect identities using Defender for Cloud Apps, Sentinel, Identity Protection and Identity Secure Score. With practice exams and real‑world scenarios, this course maps to the SC‑300 exam blueprint, giving you the skills and confidence to get certified and secure access to your organization’s cloud resources.
Bob Salmans, James Conrad
Associate
PL-300
Kick off your Power BI journey and prepare for the PL-300 Power BI Data Analyst certification. This entry-level PL-300 training walks you through connecting, cleaning, and shaping data before turning it into simple, powerful charts and dashboards using Power Query and DAX. You’ll build skills in data modeling, report design, and workspace management with clear, practical examples. Reinforce your learning with unlimited PL-300 practice exams to make sure you have the best shot at acing the exam. If you’re ready to work smarter with data and earn your first Power BI cert, this expert-led course is the perfect place to start.
John Munjoma
Associate
DP-300
This Microsoft Certified Azure Database Administrator Associate (DP-300) course prepares you to master the DP-300 exam and earn your professional credential. While SQL fundamentals, T-SQL, and implementing data platform resources are core to the role, knowing how to integrate these in the cloud sets a database administrator apart. Start training today to get access to the course and unlimited DP-300 practice exams.
Knox Hutchinson
3
Certification tier
Tier 3 — Professional Certifications
Advanced credentials for the engineers who own design, escalation, and complex environments.
ProfessionalLabs
AZ-800: Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure
This AZ-800 course gives IT Directors and Team Leads a standard way to close skill gaps across AD DS, Hyper-V, DNS/DHCP, file services, and Azure-connected workloads. Completion exports in Team Reporting give Training Managers a clear record of who has covered each block. Built for systems administrators and Windows Server administrators with 2–3 years of experience, the training covers installing domain controllers and building trusts, configuring Microsoft Entra Connect Sync and Cloud Sync, and troubleshooting Group Policy by isolating computer-side and user-side settings. Admins also gain the ability to reach servers securely and keep workloads and file services available, so teams handle hybrid connectivity and continuity with fewer escalations and less reliance on outside help, using PowerShell Remoting, PowerShell Direct, SSH, Azure Bastion, Hyper-V Replica and clustering, Azure File Sync, and DFS. Virtual labs let your admins practice domain controller work before it touches production. Microsoft retired the AZ-800 exam on September 30th, 2026, so teams can assign this course for the hybrid administration skills rather than a credential.
James Conrad, Knox Hutchinson, Ben Finkel
Professional
AZ-140
This AZ-140 training prepares you to design, implement, and manage Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) environments and remote apps for any device. Earning the Microsoft Certified: Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty certification validates your expertise in configuring host pools, session hosts, and FSLogix storage. Whether you are migrating on-premises VDI to the cloud, or optimizing existing virtual desktops, this course provides the hands-on training needed to earn Microsoft’s premier desktop virtualization certification and pass the AZ-140 exam.
Knox Hutchinson
Professional
AZ-400
This expert Microsoft Azure DevOps Engineer Expert training covers the objectives in the AZ-400 exam, which is required to earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert certification. This Azure DevOps course teaches the skills needed to design and implement a DevOps strategy.
Knox Hutchinson
Professional
AZ-801
Build your team's Windows Server 2025 hybrid advanced services capability with this course, which follows the AZ-801 objectives Microsoft retired on 30 September 2026. Through guided lessons and real-world scenarios, you’ll gain hands-on practice with security, hybrid Active Directory, Microsoft Entra, and Windows Defender tools. Learn clustering, storage, and disaster recovery while mastering the migration of servers and workloads. The result is a team that can run secure, resilient Windows Server environments across on-premises and Azure.
Knox Hutchinson
Professional
Microsoft AB-730
Stop wondering how AI fits into your workday and start leading the transition. This certification-aligned Microsoft AI Business Professional (AB-730) training transforms you into a power user who implements AI effectively in your work, and helps you earn an in-demand Microsoft AI certification. You’ll use Copilot to draft documents, analyze information, run meetings, and collaborate effectively across Microsoft 365. After taking this Microsoft AB-730: AI Business Professional training, you’ll understand how Copilot works in different apps, how to write effective prompts, and how to use agents responsibly. This course also covers AI fundamentals, privacy, security, and compliance, so you can use AI confidently and appropriately in real business environments.
Simona Millham
Professional
Microsoft AB-731
Lead AI projects without writing a single line of code. This Microsoft AI Transformation Leader course is designed to help you pass the AB-731 certification exam, and earn your seat at the technical table. Prove you can lead real AI initiatives across your organization, map Microsoft and Azure services to real business problems, build AI strategies that avoid security, cost, and governance pitfalls. The Microsoft AI certification focuses on AI business value, adoption planning, and enterprise best practices so you can collaborate with technical teams, and make smart decisions about Microsoft AI investments.
Simona Millham
4
Certification tier
Tier 4 — Expert & Specialty Certifications
Expert tracks and specialty credentials for architects and niche platform owners.
Expert
AZ-305
Prepare for the AZ-305 certification exam by learning to design resilient, scalable enterprise solutions in Microsoft Azure. This course focuses on complex architecture, teaching you to balance cost, performance, and security across the Cloud Adoption Framework. You will explore how to integrate core services (from Compute and Networking to Identity and Governance) and ensure your infrastructure meets modern business requirements for high availability and seamless migration. This AZ-305 training is perfect for cloud engineers and IT pros who want to master the art of building enterprise infrastructures, and earn their Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification.
Knox Hutchinson
Expert
SC-100
This Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert (SC-100) training covers how to design a large network's protective security architecture, grounded in the Zero Trust strategy. You'll master the Microsoft Cybersecurity Reference Architecture (MCRA) and Zero Trust principles to design resilient security strategies for SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS environments. As you learn to translate complex requirements into technical safeguards (from Entra Global Secure Access to advanced identity and data protection) you'll gain the high-level skills necessary to secure enterprise infrastructures and pass the SC-100 exam.
Bob Salmans
Expert
MS-102
This MS-102 training prepares you to step into the role of a Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert, one of the most respected credentials for senior Microsoft cloud administrators. You’ll sharpen the skills necessary to run and secure modern Microsoft 365 environments with rigorous exam prep, gaining experience with Microsoft Defender XDR and Purview, as well as the automation and identity management capabilities of PowerShell and Microsoft Entra ID. Along the way, you’ll learn how experienced administrators deploy and manage Microsoft 365 tenants, and protect enterprise workloads in cloud and hybrid environments. By the end of this MS-102 training, you’ll be equipped with practical knowledge that you can immediately use as a professional Microsoft 365 administrator.
James Conrad
Recently added
Newest Releases
The latest Microsoft training added to the catalog — new courses land here within a day of publication.
Discipline crossover
Microsoft Training by Path
Where Microsoft training overlaps the disciplines your team hires for — each path page shows the full picture.
Expert
Entry
Associate
Professional
Professional
Professional
ProfessionalLabs
Professional
Associate
Entry
Associate
Associate
Expert
Associate
Associate
Entry
Professional
Professional
Associate
Associate
Professional
Hands-on Microsoft practice
Human-led training is the point: engineers practice real skills with expert guidance, not just video playback.
Why CBT Nuggets
How CBT Nuggets is different for Microsoft teams
The platform features IT directors comparing training platforms ask about most often.
Full catalog
More Microsoft Courses
Everything else in the Microsoft catalog beyond the curated sections above.
Professional
Professional
Associate
Professional
Professional
Associate
Associate
Labs
Taught by IT professionals
Microsoft training your team learns from
Built and taught by engineers with decades of experience running real-world IT infrastructure — not crowdsourced contributors.
James Conrad
IT Fundamentals & Systems Administration
Simona Millham
End-User Productivity & Project Management
Team outcome
Faster ramp for new hires
Curated playlists and team assignments make onboarding repeatable instead of relying on ad hoc shadowing and tribal knowledge.
What the team gets: Scale your team, backfill a role, or standardize skills across distributed engineers.
Frequently asked questions about Microsoft training
Common questions IT directors ask when evaluating Microsoft training for their team.
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.