Duration 3 Days – 21 hrs
Overview
The Azure Fundamentals and Cloud Governance Training Course is designed to provide participants with a practical understanding of Microsoft Azure cloud concepts, core Azure services, and essential governance practices for managing cloud environments securely, efficiently, and in alignment with organizational policies.
This course introduces participants to cloud computing models, Azure architecture, compute, storage, networking, identity, security, monitoring, cost management, and governance tools. It also covers how organizations can apply cloud governance controls such as role-based access control, Azure Policy, management groups, tagging, budgeting, compliance monitoring, and cloud operating standards.
The course is suitable for organizations beginning or expanding their Microsoft Azure adoption and for teams that need a strong foundation in both Azure services and responsible cloud governance.
Objectives
- Understand cloud computing concepts, cloud service models, and cloud deployment models.
- Identify the core components of Microsoft Azure architecture.
- Describe key Azure services for compute, storage, networking, databases, and identity.
- Understand Azure subscriptions, resource groups, regions, availability zones, and management groups.
- Apply basic cloud governance principles for access control, security, compliance, cost control, and operational visibility.
- Understand the role of Azure Policy, RBAC, tagging, budgets, and monitoring in cloud governance.
- Recognize common Azure security and compliance tools.
- Explain cloud cost management and resource optimization practices.
- Understand the importance of Azure landing zones and governance frameworks.
- Prepare for further Azure learning or certification paths such as Microsoft Azure Fundamentals.
Target Audience
- IT professionals new to Microsoft Azure
- Cloud beginners and junior cloud engineers
- Systems administrators and infrastructure support teams
- Network administrators
- Application support teams
- IT governance, risk, compliance, and audit teams
- IT managers and team leads
- Business analysts and project teams involved in cloud initiatives
- Technical and non-technical professionals supporting Azure adoption
- Organizations planning or implementing cloud governance standards
Prerequisites
- Basic understanding of IT concepts
- Familiarity with computers, networks, systems, or business applications
- Basic awareness of security and compliance concepts is helpful but not required
- No prior Microsoft Azure experience is required
Course Outline
Day 1: Azure Fundamentals and Core Cloud Concepts
Module 1: Introduction to Cloud Computing
- What is cloud computing?
- Benefits of cloud computing
- Cloud service models: IaaS, PaaS, SaaS
- Cloud deployment models: public, private, hybrid, and multi-cloud
- Shared responsibility model
- Cloud adoption drivers and business benefits
Module 2: Introduction to Microsoft Azure
- Overview of Microsoft Azure
- Azure global infrastructure
- Azure regions and region pairs
- Availability zones
- Azure Resource Manager
- Azure portal overview
- Azure accounts, tenants, subscriptions, and resource groups
Module 3: Core Azure Services
- Azure compute services
- Virtual Machines
- App Services
- Azure Functions
- Containers overview
- Azure storage services
- Blob Storage, Files, Queues, and Tables
- Azure database services overview
- Azure SQL Database and other database options
Module 4: Azure Networking Fundamentals
- Virtual networks
- Subnets
- Network security groups
- Public and private IP addresses
- VPN Gateway and ExpressRoute overview
- Load balancing concepts
- Basic network security considerations
Day 2: Azure Security, Identity, and Management
Module 5: Identity and Access Management in Azure
- Microsoft Entra ID overview
- Users, groups, and roles
- Role-Based Access Control
- Least privilege access
- Multi-factor authentication overview
- Conditional Access overview
- Identity governance concepts
Module 6: Azure Security Fundamentals
- Security responsibility in the cloud
- Azure security baseline concepts
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud overview
- Secure configuration practices
- Encryption basics
- Key management overview
- Security monitoring and alerting concepts
Module 7: Azure Monitoring and Operations
- Azure Monitor overview
- Log Analytics overview
- Metrics, logs, and alerts
- Activity logs
- Azure Service Health
- Azure Advisor
- Operational visibility and reporting
- Basic incident response considerations
Module 8: Cost Management and Resource Optimization
- Azure pricing concepts
- Cost drivers in Azure
- Azure Cost Management overview
- Budgets and alerts
- Resource tagging for cost allocation
- Rightsizing and optimization
- Reserved instances and savings options overview
- Cost governance best practices
Day 3: Cloud Governance, Compliance, and Best Practices
Module 9: Cloud Governance Fundamentals
- What is cloud governance?
- Why governance is important in cloud adoption
- Governance versus management
- Governance roles and responsibilities
- Cloud governance operating model
- Governance challenges in enterprise environments
Module 10: Azure Governance Tools and Controls
- Azure management groups
- Subscription governance
- Resource group structure
- Azure Policy overview
- Policy initiatives
- Policy assignment and compliance tracking
- Resource locks
- Naming standards
- Tagging standards
- Governance hierarchy and inheritance
Module 11: Compliance, Risk, and Security Governance
- Cloud risk management principles
- Compliance requirements in cloud environments
- Audit readiness and evidence handling
- Security posture management
- Data protection considerations
- Regulatory and organizational policy alignment
- Governance reporting and review cycles
Module 12: Azure Landing Zone and Governance Framework
- Introduction to Azure landing zones
- Purpose of landing zones
- Platform landing zones and application landing zones
- Identity, networking, security, management, and governance design considerations
- Standardized cloud environment setup
- Governance guardrails and automation
- Best practices for scalable Azure adoption
Module 13: Practical Governance Workshop
- Define a sample Azure governance model
- Create a sample subscription and resource group strategy
- Design a naming and tagging standard
- Identify required governance policies
- Define access roles and responsibilities
- Create a basic cost governance plan
- Prepare a sample cloud governance checklist
