Any good Azure books/resources?
Posted by PineappleScanner@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 15 comments
I'm a junior sysadmin, just started my first admin job late last year.
I really liked the "month of lunches" books for learning Powershell and AD Management. I picked up on things better when I was just taking in bite-sized bits of info, followed by a hands-on lab. My boss actually encourages me to use my time on the clock to learn, as long as we aren't slammed with tickets.
Our org is making a big push this year to move stuff to Azure, and I want to make sure I'm up-to-speed.
I know there's an "Azure in a month of lunches" book, but it's almost 6 years old. Are there any similar resources thst are more current?
Adimentus@reddit
Following this post for the AZ-104 path. Thanks u/AltoGreen
CeC-P@reddit
Last time I looked into learning Azure, by the time I found a book, they had renamed it Entra so I gave up and learned it ad-hoc. I'd recommend that route.
teriaavibes@reddit
Azure is not Entra, 2 different things. I would expect you to know that since you claim to study it.
Wise_Guitar2059@reddit
AWS resources are great. So far Azure also looks good. https://learn.cantrill.io/
A_Curious_Cockroach@reddit
claude + free azure account + "claude help me build a testlab azure environment as cheaply as possible and explain each step in detail. First show me how to do it in the gui and after we are finish show me how to do it using terraform and or azure cli. Also show me how to decomission it in the gui and with terraform."
It will even screw up steps so that you can get some troubleshooting in while you do it.
If you have already exhausted your free azure account don't worry you can still build a pretty robust lab for like 30 dollars, primarily making sure you only use the free tier resources and you set up minor logging.
AI is fluff for a lot of stuff but it's great for teaching yourself stuff like this. Pretty much my preferred method of learning cloud related technologies now.
If your company is moving to azure talk to management about an environment to learn in.
Master-IT-All@reddit
No, there are none.
I've given up on trying to remember anything Azure specific. It's a trap. Tomorrow it will be different.
cjcox4@reddit
Rapidly (emphasis) changing. So.. no books, at least nothing of great value.
The changes are so "rapid", that even Microsoft's own materials aren't adequate day to day.
Anyhow, in a way, the "best thing" is to create your own "project", maintain it actively, and live in the ever changing world. Helps if your "project" is sufficiently complex (network, storage, etc.). Yeah... costs money. So, hopefully "project" makes you some money.
Microsoft Learn (can be a mess) Whizlabs (maybe worth paying for)
himji@reddit
Yes it does change quickly. That doesn't mean it's not a good idea to understand and learn what's under the hood and how it all works together. My MCP's of Windows NT and windows Server 2000 still offer me good insight on how a Wintel network is put together and how to navigate current systems
cjcox4@reddit
True. Even very out of date books are great for overall concepts.
himji@reddit
I'm following as I'd like to put more energy into this.
I've tried Microsoft Learn and just find it hard to get on with
ipreferanothername@reddit
role-based exams allow open book access to MS learn so....i feel you, i dont love poking around it, but also....that makes it very much worth trying to get familiar with.
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/skills-hub-blog/introducing-a-new-resource-for-all-role-based-microsoft-certification-exams/3500870
himji@reddit
That's a great catch, thank you. Yes being familiar with Learn and where to find the sheets and answers will be immensely useful in an exam
Illustrious-Syrup509@reddit
The best is "How To Leave Microsoft."
AltoGreen@reddit
Microsoft Learn's AZ-104 path (free, interactive labs in-browser)—bite-sized modules on admin tasks, exactly your style, and super current for 2026 pushes like Entra ID and Azure Arc.
ultimatrev666@reddit
I started taking the MS Learn course for AZ-104 after I got my AZ-900. It's great!