Module 1 Beginner AZ-900 12 min read

What is Microsoft Azure?

A complete introduction to Microsoft's cloud platform — what it offers, how it's organised, how it compares to other clouds, and how to get started for free today.

What you'll learn: What Azure is · Azure's history · Core service categories · Azure vs AWS vs GCP · How to create a free Azure account · AZ-900 exam tips

In this tutorial

What is Microsoft Azure?

A brief history of Azure

Azure's core service categories

How to create a free Azure account

AZ-900 exam tips

What is Microsoft Azure?

Microsoft Azure is one of the world's largest cloud computing platforms, offering over 200 products and cloud services. It helps individuals, businesses, and governments build, run, and manage applications across a global network of Microsoft-managed data centres.

Whether you want to host a website, store files, run artificial intelligence models, or build enterprise-scale applications — Azure has a service for it. You pay only for what you use, with no upfront hardware costs.

A brief history of Azure

1

2008 — Microsoft announced "Windows Azure" at the Professional Developers Conference. It was designed to extend Microsoft's existing Windows Server platform to the cloud.

2

2010 — Azure officially launched commercially, giving businesses access to cloud compute and storage services for the first time.

3

2014 — Microsoft rebranded it to Microsoft Azure, dropping "Windows" to reflect that it now supports Linux, open-source tools, and non-Microsoft technologies.

4

Today — Azure operates in 60+ regions worldwide, serving millions of customers including 95% of Fortune 500 companies. It is the second largest cloud provider globally.

Azure's core service categories

Azure organises its 200+ services into these main categories. You don't need to know all of them — but understanding the categories helps you navigate Azure confidently.

1

Compute — Run applications and workloads. Includes Virtual Machines, Azure App Service, Azure Functions (serverless), Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), and Azure Container Instances.

2

Storage — Store any type of data. Includes Blob Storage (files & media), Azure Files (file shares), Queue Storage, Table Storage, and Azure Disk Storage.

3

Networking — Connect and secure resources. Includes Azure Virtual Network (VNet), Azure Load Balancer, Azure DNS, VPN Gateway, and Azure CDN.

4

Databases — Managed database services. Includes Azure SQL Database, Azure Cosmos DB (NoSQL), Azure Database for MySQL/PostgreSQL, and Azure Cache for Redis.

5

AI & Machine Learning — Build intelligent apps. Includes Azure OpenAI Service, Azure Cognitive Services, Azure Machine Learning, and Azure Bot Service.

6

Security & Identity — Protect your resources. Includes Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory), Azure Key Vault, Azure Security Center, and Azure Sentinel.

7

DevOps — Build and deploy faster. Includes Azure DevOps, Azure Pipelines, Azure Repos, GitHub Actions integration, and Azure Static Web Apps.

How to create a free Azure account

1

Go to azure.microsoft.com/free and click "Start free"

2

Sign in with a Microsoft account (or create one for free)

3

Enter your details — name, phone number, and credit card (for identity verification only — you won't be charged)

4

You get $200 free credits for 30 days + 55+ always-free services including Azure Static Web Apps, Functions, and more

5

Head to portal.azure.com — your Azure journey begins! 🚀

AZ-900 exam tips

✅ Know that Azure is Microsoft's cloud platform with 200+ services
✅ Remember Azure operates in 60+ regions globally
✅ Understand the core service categories — Compute, Storage, Networking, Databases, AI, Security
✅ Know that Azure free account gives $200 credits for 30 days
✅ Azure is the second largest cloud provider after AWS