This post is authored by Julia White, Corporate Vice President, Azure + Security Marketing.
As I recently discussed in my Top Cloud Myths of 2016 blog post, the use of cloud technology has become mainstream. Over 90% of the Fortune 500 companies now use at least one of Microsoft’s enterprise-grade services, and more than 60% are using three or more Microsoft cloud technologies. Azure compute usage has more than doubled year-over-year, and across a variety of industries, companies like Rolls Royce, Uber, and Coca-Cola are using Azure to transform their businesses.
With this rapid adoption of Azure, we have consistently heard from developers and IT operators about the need for Azure training and certification to help ensure they have the latest and greatest information. With the rapid innovation cycle of Azure, it’s critical to stay up to date on the latest technology and methodologies.
To make sure you have up-to-date technical skills and best practices using Azure, we are introducing new training resources and discounted access to certification. Announcing today, we have three training offers that combine free access to our library of flexible online courses, discounts on our industry-standard Microsoft Certified Professional exams, and a discount on Linux certification offered through the Linux Foundation. In case you missed the recent news, Microsoft joined the Linux Foundation, further demonstrating our commitment to open source for Azure, and as a company.
We are offering a broad range of learning resources – from a Massively Open Online Course, or MOOC, to full certification offerings. The MOOCs offer online videos, demos, labs, graded assessments, office hours, and more. When you complete a MOOC you get digital certificates for completion, and you get access to reduced-cost Microsoft Certified Professional exams for formal certification.
Check out all the learning options for Azure, and read my colleague Gavriella Schuster’s blog post to dive into more details about our new resources and discounted certifications!