The AZ 305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions exam is considered one of the toughest in the Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification path. With its expansive coverage of complex Azure services and infrastructures, preparing for the AZ-305 can be an intimidating task for even seasoned cloud professionals.
However, with the right strategic approach and an understanding of the exam’s key topics, passing the AZ 305 is absolutely achievable. This comprehensive guide aims to empower AZ-305 aspirants with insights into the core focus areas, tips to leverage the available resources, and actionable strategies to overcome the exam’s challenges.
Why the AZ 305 Matters
Obtaining the Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert credential validates your subject matter expertise in designing cloud and hybrid solutions on Azure. It is an elite certification targeted at candidates with extensive experience in Azure administration, development, and infrastructure.
The AZ 305 exam measures your ability to accomplish critical technical tasks such as:
- Translating business requirements into secure, scalable, and reliable cloud solutions
- Advising stakeholders and implementing solutions that leverage Azure services
- Bringing innovation with cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain, IoT, and machine learning
This exam will assess your mastery of cloud architectural design principles, Azure deployment methodologies, and ability to make optimum design decisions spanning storage, security, networking and more.
Clearing this exam proves your expertise in designing solutions on Microsoft Azure and helps you stand out in the lucrative cloud computing industry.
Demystifying the Exam
Before diving deeper into the key topics, it is vital to understand this certification exam’s structure:
| Details | Description |
|---|---|
| Exam Name | AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions |
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Registration Fee | $165 |
| Format | Multiple choice and multi-select questions |
| Number of Questions | 40-60 |
| Passing Score | 700 / 1000 |
| Prerequisites | Azure Administrator Associate Certification Azure Solutions Architect Expert Certification |
| Schedule Exam | Pearson VUE |
| Practice Questions | AZ-305 Practice Tests |
Additionally, the exam is available in English, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese.
Note: You must pass the Azure Administrator Associate exam, either AZ-104 or the new AZ-305, as a prerequisite for taking the AZ-305.
AZ-305 Exam Syllabus and Coverage
The AZ-305 tests your expertise across six critical technical domains:
- Design Identity, Governance, and Monitoring solutions
- Design Data Storage solutions
- Design Business Continuity solutions
- Design Infrastructure solutions
- Design Authentication and Authorization solutions
- Design solutions for Logging and Monitoring
We will explore the key topics and concepts assessed in each domain over the next sections.
I. Design Identity, Governance and Monitoring Solutions
Identity and access management form the foundation for securing resources hosted on Azure. The AZ-305 exam will evaluate your skills in conceptualizing identity solutions, establishing governance mechanisms, and designing monitoring strategies.
Key Focus Areas
Authorization and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
You should demonstrate expertise in recommending authorization solutions using Azure’s native RBAC capabilities to provide fine-grained access control. This encompasses aspects like:
- Assigning owners, contributors, and readers
- Segregating duties with custom roles
- Establishing role inheritance through management groups
- Troubleshooting RBAC misconfigurations causing access failures
Azure Policy
Assess your knowledge of implementing governance guardrails using Azure Policy across the cloud environment. This includes policy definition, initiative creation, and remediation for non-compliance.
Azure AD B2B/ B2C
Exhibit your skills in expanding identity management capabilities using Azure AD’s business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) collaboration options.
Azure Monitor
Demonstrate how to enable resource monitoring, set alerts, visualize metrics, and gain operational insights using Azure Monitor.
II. Design Data Storage Solutions
The AZ-305 will evaluate your expertise in identifying data storage requirements and recommending optimum solutions considering aspects like scalability, durability, replication, encryption, and costs.
Key Focus Areas
Storage Services – Blob storage, Disk storage, Files storage, Tables storage, Queues storage
Data Lake Storage – Azure Data Lake Store for big data analytics
Database Services – Azure SQL Database, Azure Database for MySQL, Cosmos DB, Azure Database Migration Service, SQL Data Warehouse, etc.
Caching – Azure Cache for Redis to reduce latency and app bottlenecks
StorSimple – Integrate on-premises storage with Azure via StorSimple
Data Protection – Azure Backup Service, Azure Site Recovery and Azure Archive Storage for data resilience
Design considerations – CAP theorem, storage account limits, replication options, encryption, network egress charges, and storage access options.
III. Design Business Continuity Solutions
The exam evaluates your skills in enabling business continuity through data backups, disaster recovery, and high availability (HA) solutions.
Key Focus Areas
High Availability
Proficiency in providing application uptime via HA options like availability zones, availability sets, and zone-redundant services.
Disaster Recovery
Expertise in architecting disaster recovery solutions encompassing database backups, recovery services vaults, Azure Site Recovery, and storage geo-redundancy.
Data Archiving
Conceptualizing archival solutions for compliance and eDiscovery using Azure Blob Storage lifecycle management and Azure Archive Storage.
Network Resiliency
Skills in improving network uptime via traffic routing methods like Azure Front Door, Azure Traffic Manager and Azure Load Balancer.
Design considerations – Recovery time objectives (RTO), recovery point objectives (RPO), service level agreements (SLAs), and backup retention policies.
IV. Design Infrastructure Solutions
You will be tested on recommending optimal infrastructure solutions focused on scalability, agility, resiliency and total cost of ownership.
Key Focus Areas
Compute Services – App Service, Azure Kubernetes Service, Azure Container Instances, Azure Functions, Virtual Machines, and Virtual Machine Scale Sets.
Networking Services – Virtual Networks, VPN Gateway, ExpressRoute, Azure Firewall, Azure Bastion, Azure DNS, and Content Delivery Network.
Migration Solutions – Azure Migrate for discovery and assessment and Azure Site Recovery for agentless migration.
Monitoring & Management – Azure Monitor, Azure Advisor, Azure Service Health, Log Analytics, and Azure Automation.
Design considerations – provisioning timelines, capacity planning, cost management, SLA adherence, and regulatory compliance.
V. Design Authentication and Authorization Solutions
You should demonstrate your skills in:
- Choosing and implementing robust authentication mechanisms aligned to organizational security posture
- Providing conditional access policies for context-based secure access
- Recommending solutions to securely store and control access to certificates, secrets, and keys
VI. Design Solutions for Logging and Monitoring
Exhibit your expertise in enabling organizational compliance and operational efficiency through logging and monitoring mechanisms like:
- Azure Monitor – For collecting platform logs and metrics
- Azure Sentinel – For security monitoring and threat detection
- Log Analytics – For log search and correlation
- Azure Diagnostic Settings – For resource logging configuration
- Log Routing – To archive logs in Azure Storage for auditing needs
Preparing for the AZ-305 Exam
While the AZ-305 might seem intimidating at first glance, structured and strategic preparation with the right resources can empower you to pass with flying colors.
Here are some tips to guide your study plan:
Master the Prerequisites
Since the Azure Administrator Associate certification, either AZ-104 or the new AZ 305 exam, serves as the prerequisite, ensure you have cleared this exam already. The skills and knowledge gained will tremendously complement your AZ-305 preparation journey.
Use Authentic Practice Tests
Solve as many practice questions as possible across all the domains and technical areas covered in the exam. Tutorials Dojo’s AZ-305 practice exams provide a bank of 700+ questions curated by Microsoft Azure experts and conforming to the actual exam pattern.
Learn from Microsoft Documentation
Refer to Microsoft’s official exam skills outline and Azure documentation for in-depth understanding. Resources like Microsoft Learn also offer role-based learning paths aligned to Azure certifications.
Read Relevant Blogs and Community Posts
Look for recent blogs from people who have taken the beta exam for insights into the actual exam experience, key learnings and recommendations. Stay active on community forums to clarify doubts and learn from shared experiences.
Attempt Mock Exams
Mock exams simulate the real exam environment, pressure, constraints which prepares you mentally. Evaluate yourself truthfully against the passing score to gauge readiness. Identify improvement areas and work on them.
Leveraging Real-World Azure Experience
While theory and bookish knowledge provide the foundation, real-world Azure experience is invaluable for AZ 305 success.
If your role allows, implement or actively partake in Azure solutions development projects. This will enable you to:
- Gain first-hand experience of Azure architectural patterns and best practices
- Understand nuances around networking, deployment, scaling, and interoperability
- Identify common troubleshooting scenarios
- Appreciate cross-functional dependencies in large distributed systems
Actively reflect on your learnings and connect them back to concepts relevant for the exam. Over time, you will develop well-rounded domain expertise.
Hands-on Practice Using Azure Sandbox Subscriptions
Complement learning with generous hands-on practice in a safe sandbox environment through:
Azure free account – Offers $200 credit for 30 days and 12 months of popular free services for practice
Visual Studio subscription – Access Azure dev/test discounted rates and free tier services
Trial subscriptions – Avail free trials for Azure products by keeping credits card handy
Student offers – Students can create free Azure for Students Starter account with $100 credit
Learn sandboxes – Get free sandbox access for hands-on labs with Azure services using Microsoft Learn
GitHub Student Developer Pack – Free access to various developer tools and Azure credits for students
Microsoft 365 developer program – Build apps and solutions leveraging Microsoft 365 with 90 days free subscription
Community Support Channels
Connect with the larger Azure community to gain peer insights. Active forums include:
Microsoft Q&A – Official community for Azure technical queries
Reddit – r/AZURE and r/AzureCertification groups
Microsoft Tech Community – Discuss Azure certifications and study strategies
LinkedIn Groups – Microsoft Azure Certifications, Azure Architects Club
YouTube Channels – Guy in a Cube, Azure Fridays, Azure for Everyone
Leverage these channels to get guidance, share experiences, and stay motivated throughout your prep journey.
Conclusion
The AZ 305 exam tests your mettle as an Azure Solutions Architect across a multitude of services and scenarios. While the breadth of content might seem overwhelming at first, sticking to the fundamentals and leveraging the right preparatory resources will empower you to succeed.
Remember to focus on understanding concepts rather than just memorizing, get hands-on practice on Azure portals and sandboxes, reinforce learning with mock tests, and stay confident.
With diligent and structured preparation over 8-12 weeks, clearing the AZ-305 is absolutely achievable. Here’s wishing you the very best!