AZ-900Exam Domain

Describe Azure Management and Governance (30–35%)AZ-900 Study Guide

30 chapters
~750 min total
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Quick Answer

Azure Management and Governance covers the tools and practices for organizing, securing, and controlling Azure resources, including Azure Policy, RBAC, resource locks, tags, cost management, and the Cloud Adoption Framework.

Azure Management and Governance is the domain that covers how to organize, secure, and control your Azure resources at scale. Think of it as the 'operating system' for your cloud environment—it includes tools for managing multiple subscriptions, applying policies to enforce compliance, tracking costs, and ensuring your cloud stays secure and well-organized. For example, you might use Azure Policy to automatically block the creation of virtual machines in certain regions, or Azure Cost Management to set budgets and get alerts when spending exceeds a threshold. This domain is crucial because without proper governance, cloud environments can quickly become chaotic, expensive, and insecure. In real-world IT, a company might have hundreds of subscriptions and thousands of resources; governance tools help administrators maintain control, meet regulatory requirements, and optimize costs. On the AZ-900 exam, this domain tests your understanding of these management and governance services, not their deep technical implementation. You'll need to know what each service does, when to use it, and how they relate to each other. Common topics include Azure Blueprints, Azure Policy, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), resource locks, tags, Azure Cost Management, and the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework. To study effectively, focus on the purpose and use cases of each service rather than memorizing steps. Use Microsoft's free documentation and the Azure portal to explore these tools in a trial subscription. Create a resource group, apply a policy, set up a budget, and assign roles—this hands-on practice will solidify your understanding and help you answer scenario-based questions on the exam.

What the exam tests

  • Azure Policy – creating and assigning policies to enforce compliance rules
  • Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) – assigning roles like Owner, Contributor, Reader to users/groups
  • Resource locks – preventing accidental deletion or modification of resources
  • Tags – organizing resources with metadata for cost tracking and management
  • Azure Cost Management – setting budgets, analyzing costs, and using pricing calculator
  • Azure Blueprints – packaging policies, RBAC, and resource groups for repeatable deployments

Common exam traps

  • Confusing Azure Policy with Azure RBAC: Policy enforces rules on resources (e.g., 'must have a tag'), while RBAC controls who can access resources
  • Thinking resource locks prevent all changes: Read-only lock prevents modification but not deletion; Delete lock prevents deletion but allows modification
  • Assuming tags are inherited by default: Tags are not automatically inherited from resource groups to resources; you must apply them explicitly or use Azure Policy to enforce inheritance

Describe Azure Management and Governance (30–35%) Chapters

31

Azure Cost Management and Billing

Objective 3.1 · Azure Management Governance

25m
32

Azure Pricing and TCO Calculator

Objective 3.1 · Azure Management Governance

25m
33

Azure Policy

Objective 3.2 · Azure Management Governance

25m
34

Azure Blueprints and Management Groups

Objective 3.2 · Azure Management Governance

25m
35

Azure Monitor

Objective 3.3 · Azure Management Governance

25m
36

Azure Service Health

Objective 3.3 · Azure Management Governance

25m
37

Azure Portal, CLI, and PowerShell

Objective 3.4 · Azure Management Governance

25m
38

Azure Arc

Objective 3.4 · Azure Management Governance

25m
39

Azure Resource Locks and Tags

Objective 3.2 · Azure Management Governance

25m
40

Azure Advisor

Objective 3.3 · Azure Management Governance

25m
108

Microsoft Compliance Manager

Objective 3.2 · Azure Management Governance

25m
109

Microsoft Trust Center

Objective 3.2 · Azure Management Governance

25m
110

Azure Cost Allocation and Tags

Objective 3.1 · Azure Management Governance

25m
111

Azure Reservations and Savings Plans

Objective 3.1 · Azure Management Governance

25m
112

Azure Budgets and Cost Alerts

Objective 3.1 · Azure Management Governance

25m
113

Azure Cloud Shell

Objective 3.4 · Azure Management Governance

25m
114

ARM Templates — Infrastructure as Code

Objective 3.4 · Azure Management Governance

25m
115

Azure Bicep Language

Objective 3.4 · Azure Management Governance

25m
116

Azure Automation and Runbooks

Objective 3.4 · Azure Management Governance

25m
117

Azure Log Analytics and Workspaces

Objective 3.3 · Azure Management Governance

25m
118

Azure Application Insights

Objective 3.3 · Azure Management Governance

25m
119

Azure Update Management

Objective 3.3 · Azure Management Governance

25m
120

Azure Mobile App

Objective 3.4 · Azure Management Governance

25m
121

Azure Policy Initiatives

Objective 3.2 · Azure Management Governance

25m
122

Microsoft Purview (Data Governance)

Objective 3.2 · Azure Management Governance

25m
123

Azure Cost Optimization Strategies

Objective 3.1 · Azure Management Governance

25m
124

Azure Support Plans

Objective 3.5 · Azure Management Governance

25m
125

Azure Service Trust Portal

Objective 3.2 · Azure Management Governance

25m
126

Azure Preview Features and Updates

Objective 3.5 · Azure Management Governance

25m
127

Azure Region Selection for Compliance

Objective 3.2 · Azure Management Governance

25m

Other AZ-900 Domains

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