Azure Roadmap 2026

Stage 1: Core Compute and Storage (2-3 weeks)

1. Virtual Machines -- sizing, availability sets
2. Azure App Service for managed web app hosting
3. Blob Storage
4. Example: deploy a simple web app to App Service and store its uploaded files in Blob Storage

Stage 2: Identity and Networking (2-3 weeks)

1. Azure AD (Entra ID) -- users, groups, roles
2. Virtual Networks -- subnets, network security groups
3. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
4. Example: set up RBAC so a junior team role can deploy to a resource group but not modify networking

Stage 3: Databases and Serverless (2-3 weeks)

1. Azure SQL Database
2. Cosmos DB fundamentals
3. Azure Functions -- triggers and bindings
4. Example: build a simple serverless API with Azure Functions and Cosmos DB

Stage 4: Scaling and Monitoring (2 weeks)

1. Azure Load Balancer / Application Gateway
2. Virtual Machine Scale Sets
3. Azure Monitor and Application Insights
4. Example: add Application Insights to the app from Stage 1 to track real request performance

Stage 5: Infrastructure as Code (2-3 weeks)

1. Bicep (Azure's native IaC language) or Terraform
2. Example: define the full Stage 1-4 setup as Bicep templates, deployable from a pipeline

Stage 6: Certification Path

1. AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals) -- a solid starting point, especially without prior cloud experience
2. AZ-104 (Azure Administrator Associate)
3. AZ-204 (Azure Developer Associate) if your role leans more toward building apps than infrastructure

Frequently Asked Questions