You may have noticed from all my whinging on twitter, that I have had to push myself a fair bit to pass several Microsoft exams. The main reason is down to changes in the Microsoft partner programme, so it has a direct impact on my company, Yobah. Maybe, that's a blog for another day.
However, it isn't all bad, as one of the exams I needed to pass is the Microsoft Identity and Access administrator associate. This qualification has been needed for a while, and really focuses on Azure Active Directory and how it provides a robust security layer for accessing services across internal and cloud hosted applications. For me, I believe every cloud engineer, architect or developer should have a sound understanding of how you provide an identity to your applications. Understanding Azure Active Directory is critical to this.
The exam wasn't as easy as I first thought it would be (I am in the AAD portal daily). It tested me across a whole host of capabilities, including App Registrations, Identity governance and even questions on PIM and building in role based access for administrators and third parties alike.
Get your hands dirty!
So, how should you approach the exam? My advice is always get your hands dirty. I can't stress this enough. Get a trial license of AAD P2, setup SSO between a third party app and build out some identity governance workflows. It really helps to run through the motions. There were a few questions I literally had no idea what the answer was... but as I spent time using the technology, I could make a logical guess on what the answer was.
Alongside that, Microsofts learning track gives a great overview, and make sure you cover everything listed in the exam guide. Finally, get yourself on Youtube. My favourite was the study cram by Jason Saville, as he goes into great detail across the whole syllabus.
Anyways, hope this helps, and if you have any questions, please feel free to let me know. Now it's time for me to pass the rest of my exams :)
