Azure Solutions Architect Career Path (AZ-900 → AZ-104 → AZ-305)
The Azure Solutions Architect designs how everything fits together — compute, storage, networking, identity, security, and cost — into secure, scalable solutions that meet business requirements. It's one of the highest-paid cloud roles, and this guide maps the path to reach it.
Who this path is for
Best for experienced IT professionals, administrators, or developers who want to move into design and decision-making. A grounding in Azure administration (AZ-104) makes AZ-305 far easier.
The certification path
1. AZ-900 — Azure Fundamentals
Build the vocabulary of the cloud: services, pricing, and governance. (See our AZ-900 study guide.)
2. AZ-104 — Azure Administrator
Learn how Azure actually runs — identity, storage, compute, and networking. Architects design what administrators operate, so this hands-on layer is essential.
3. AZ-305 — Designing Azure Infrastructure Solutions
The expert-level certification. Design identity and governance, data storage, business continuity, and infrastructure solutions that balance performance, security, and cost.
Skills you'll gain
- Translating business requirements into Azure architecture
- Designing for high availability, disaster recovery, and scale
- Choosing the right compute, storage, and database services
- Designing identity, governance, and security (Zero Trust principles)
- Optimising for cost and the Well-Architected Framework
Jobs this path leads to
- Azure Solutions Architect
- Cloud Architect
- Enterprise / Infrastructure Architect
- Cloud Consultant
Become an Azure Solutions Architect with EduRyze
Live, instructor-led AZ-900, AZ-104 and AZ-305 training with real design projects and AI-powered exam prep.