Take a cheap class on Microsoft Azure, a competitor to AWS

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By TEAM COMMERCEMashable Deals2019-03-20 09:00:00 UTC

Anyone running an enterprise business is worshipping at the feet of Amazon Web Services. But in the midst of all the hubbub surrounding AWS, what about other options? 

Microsoft’s platform Azure flies under the radar when it comes to fast and reliable cloud computing services, but pound for pound it easily keeps up with its more widely touted competitors.

As with other cloud computing platforms, Azure enables users to store and process their data on remotely accessible servers maintained by a third party (in other words, the “cloud”). Cloud adoption has accelerated over the past few years, as companies increasingly outsource the expensive task of maintaining in-house IT infrastructure — and Azure continues to quietly gobble up market share with an unparalleled 154 percent yearly growth rate. In fact, Microsoft itself estimates that 95 percent of all Fortune 500 companies are already utilizing Azure as a cloud computing solution, including Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler AG and online fashion retailer ASOS.

Azure’s user base is comparable to that of AWS, and with cloud technologies’ growth rate outpacing that of the entire IT sector, already-plentiful career opportunities as an Azure Architect are certain to increase as well. Oh, and if you’ve heard that anyone dreaming about a six-figure salary has their head in the cloud, that’s pretty much correct. Salaries for Azure Architects usually land somewhere between $130,000 and $170,000.

The most effective way to prove your cloud computing mettle to recruiters, of course, is to pass Microsoft’s official certification exams in Azure. The Complete Microsoft Azure Certification Prep Bundle 2019 is a set of four online courses spanning 23 hours of instruction and can help you get started. You’ll get prep for the following exams:

• AZ-100 Azure Administrator & Deployment

• AZ-101 Microsoft Azure Integration & Security

• AZ-203 Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure

• AZ-300 Azure Architecture Technologies

The Complete Microsoft Azure Certification Prep Bundle 2019 is normally $387, and it’s previously been on sale at $29. You can snag it at an additional price drop — just $19 — and you’ll get another 15% off on top of that when you use the code MADNESS15 at checkout, dropping the price even further.