📌 This article was originally published on Sherdil E-Learning. I'm republishing it here so the dev.to community can benefit too.
Azure is the second-largest cloud platform globally and the dominant enterprise cloud in Pakistan's corporate, banking, and government sectors. The credential combination Pakistani employers ask for most is AZ-104 (Administrator) paired with AZ-500 (Security). This guide covers the full certification ladder, what each exam costs in PKR, what each pays, and a 12-month plan to get there.
The Azure certification ladder in 2026
| Tier | Certifications | Target Audience |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamentals | AZ-900, AI-900, DP-900 | Beginners, non-technical staff, career switchers |
| Associate | AZ-104 Administrator, AZ-500 Security Engineer, AZ-700 Network Engineer, AI-102, DP-203 | Role-specific engineers; the most common credential Pakistani employers ask for |
| Expert | AZ-305 Solutions Architect, AZ-400 DevOps Engineer | Senior engineers with 2+ years Azure experience |
| Specialty | AZ-140 Virtual Desktop, AZ-800/801 Windows Server Hybrid | Narrow-domain specialists |
| Retired | AZ-303, AZ-304 | Replaced by AZ-305, don't target these |
For a Pakistani candidate starting from zero, three certifications carry most of the job-market signal: AZ-900 as the entry credential, AZ-104 for infrastructure and operations roles, and AZ-500 for the security specialisation.
AZ-900: the entry point
- Cost: $99 (~PKR 27,700)
- Duration: 45 minutes, 40-60 questions, pass at 700/1000
AZ-900 validates conceptual understanding of Azure services, pricing, and governance, no hands-on architecture or coding required. It's the easiest cloud certification on the market: pass rates near 85% on first attempt after three weeks of part-time prep in Sherdil cohorts. Non-technical candidates in sales, project management, or business analysis often use AZ-900 alone and land relevant work at PKR 70,000–140,000/month.
AZ-104: the operations path
- Cost: $165 (~PKR 46,200)
- Duration: 120 minutes, 40-60 questions, no formal prerequisites (AZ-900 recommended)
AZ-104 is the most in-demand Azure credential in Pakistan's corporate segment. It covers identity and access with Microsoft Entra ID, virtual networking, compute (VMs and containers), storage, monitoring, and backup/recovery. Pakistani banks, telcos, and government agencies filter Azure operations listings by AZ-104 more than any other credential.
The exam includes case studies and drag-and-drop sequencing. First-attempt pass rates run around 65%, climbing to 85% for candidates who complete at least 40 hours of hands-on Azure portal work.
AZ-500: the security specialisation
- Cost: $165 (~PKR 46,200)
- Duration: 120 minutes, 40-60 questions
AZ-500 covers Entra ID, platform protection (NSGs, Azure Firewall), data security (Key Vault, encryption), and security operations (Microsoft Sentinel, Defender for Cloud). It's the associate credential most closely aligned with the compliance and audit requirements Pakistani financial services and government departments must meet, and it produces some of the strongest salary bumps in the Azure ecosystem.
Attempting AZ-500 without AZ-104 background fails at roughly twice the cohort baseline, because the exam assumes fluent Azure administration.
Which one should you take first?
- No prior IT experience → start with AZ-900. Cohorts that skipped it and jumped to AZ-104 lost weeks recovering foundational concepts.
- Windows sysadmin, networking, or IT ops background → go straight to AZ-104. Your Active Directory, DNS, and VM knowledge transfers nearly one-to-one.
- Targeting banking, government, or compliance-heavy sectors → plan the AZ-104 + AZ-500 pair from the start. Regulatory pressure is creating a shortage of security-certified engineers, and salaries there run above the general Azure administrator band.
What it costs in PKR
| Certification | USD | PKR (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals | $99 | 27,700 |
| AI-900 AI Fundamentals | $99 | 27,700 |
| DP-900 Data Fundamentals | $99 | 27,700 |
| AZ-104 Administrator Associate | $165 | 46,200 |
| AZ-500 Security Engineer Associate | $165 | 46,200 |
| AZ-305 Solutions Architect Expert | $165 | 46,200 |
A realistic total from zero to certified Azure Administrator plus Security Engineer (AZ-900 → AZ-104 → AZ-500) is PKR 155,000–210,000, including three exam fees (about PKR 120,000), Sherdil's Urdu-medium Azure 2-in-1 course (PKR 15,000–45,000 depending on tier), and a small allowance for practice exams and Free Tier lab spend.
Paying from Pakistan: international transactions must be enabled on your card, often off by default. Habib Bank, UBL, Meezan, Bank Alfalah, and Standard Chartered cards all work for a $99–$165 fee. The PKR charge on your statement can run 3–5% above the raw conversion because of interbank spread and card-issuer markup, and SBP forex limits apply.
What Azure certifications pay (2026)
| Certification Held | Pakistan (PKR/month) | Remote (USD/month) |
|---|---|---|
| AZ-900 only (entry-level roles) | 70,000–140,000 | $1,500–$2,500 |
| AZ-104 (mid-level administrator) | 150,000–280,000 | $2,500–$5,000 |
| AZ-500 (security specialist) | 250,000–450,000 | $4,000–$7,000 |
| AZ-104 + AZ-500 | 300,000–550,000 | $5,000–$8,500 |
| AZ-305 (senior architect) | 350,000–600,000 | $6,000–$10,000 |
Azure bands track slightly below AWS at junior levels but converge at senior levels. Candidates holding both AZ-104 and AZ-500 land in the security-specialist segment where Pakistani banking, insurance, and government employers pay a premium.
Who hires Azure-certified engineers in Pakistan
- Banking and financial services, HBL, UBL, Meezan Bank, Faysal Islamic, Bank Alfalah, Standard Chartered Pakistan. Preferred mix is AZ-104 + AZ-500 because compliance weights security skills heavily.
- Government and public sector, NADRA, State Bank of Pakistan, provincial IT boards. Favours AZ-104, with citizenship and clearance requirements narrowing the applicant pool.
- Software houses and multinationals, Systems Limited, NetSol, i2c, TPS, PwC, EY, Deloitte, and international firms with Karachi or Lahore operations. Admin roles favour AZ-104, security roles AZ-500, architect roles AZ-305.
Booking the exam
- Physical test centres: Pearson VUE-authorised centres in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad routinely host Microsoft exams. Faisalabad and Rawalpindi carry them less often but accept bookings.
- OnVUE online proctoring: needs a laptop, webcam, microphone, quiet private room, and government photo ID. Setup rules are strict, no other people or devices visible, clear desk, stable internet.
A 12-month Azure plan
- Months 1-2, AZ-900. Complete Fundamentals with hands-on Free Tier work and sit the exam by end of month 2. About 30–40 study hours.
- Months 3-6, AZ-104. Your first associate credential. Book the exam at the end of month 5 or start of month 6. About 80–120 study hours, including at least 40 hours in the real Azure portal.
- Months 7-9, Portfolio and first applications. Build two deployed Azure projects on GitHub: a multi-region web app with load balancer and monitoring, and an identity project using Entra ID with conditional access and RBAC. Start applying to AZ-104-eligible roles at the start of month 7, not month 9.
- Months 10-12, AZ-500. The second associate credential, where salary bands move from the PKR 200,000 range to 400,000+. Study time compresses to 60–80 hours if you sit the exam within 4–6 weeks of finishing the Administrator work.
Four mistakes behind most first-attempt failures
- Booking AZ-104 without background. It isn't harder than AWS Solutions Architect Associate, but it assumes familiarity with Microsoft tooling: Entra ID, PowerShell, Azure CLI.
- Using retired exam codes. Old study material still circulates pointing at codes that no longer exist. Cross-check with learn.microsoft.com before booking.
- Studying only from PDFs. Azure exams include drag-and-drop sequencing and case studies that require knowing how the portal actually behaves. PDF-only candidates fail at roughly three times the baseline rate.
- Attempting AZ-500 before AZ-104. Roughly double the cohort failure rate.
Frequently asked questions
Which Azure certification is best for beginners in Pakistan?
AZ-900. It costs $99, takes three to four weeks of part-time prep, and confirms you understand the platform before you commit PKR 46,000 to a harder associate exam.
How much does AZ-104 cost in Pakistan?
$165, roughly PKR 46,200. With training and practice exams (PKR 15,000–45,000 for Sherdil's Azure 2-in-1 course), total spend from zero to AZ-104-certified is PKR 65,000–100,000.
Is Azure worth it compared with AWS in Pakistan?
Yes, if you're targeting banking, government, or the Microsoft-partner corporate ecosystem, roughly 55% of Azure-mentioning job listings in Pakistan sit in these segments. For startup, SaaS, and freelance-heavy work, AWS remains the higher-volume choice.
How long does AZ-104 prep take?
Three to four months part-time (1–2 hours a day, 5–6 days a week) if you already hold AZ-900. Without prior Azure background, plan for five months.
Should I take AZ-500 right after AZ-104?
Yes, if you're targeting banking, government, or compliance-heavy corporate work. The security material reuses your Entra ID and networking knowledge, so study time drops to six to eight weeks.
Can I take Azure exams from home in Pakistan?
Yes, via OnVUE online proctoring. Most first-timers still prefer a physical Pearson VUE centre for predictability.
Do Pakistani employers recognise Azure certifications?
Yes, often more strongly than in the startup segment. Banks, government departments, and Microsoft-partner software houses treat AZ-104 and AZ-500 as application filter criteria.
What comes after AZ-104 and AZ-500?
AZ-305 (Solutions Architect Expert) for architecture and system design, or AZ-400 (DevOps Engineer Expert) to add CI/CD, infrastructure-as-code, and Kubernetes. Both are Expert-tier and expect two-plus years of Azure experience.
Next steps
The order that works for most Pakistani beginners: AZ-900 to confirm the direction, AZ-104 as your first associate credential, AZ-500 to open the security-specialist segment, then AZ-305 or AZ-400 once you have two years of Azure experience.
Sherdil's Azure 2-in-1 course covers AZ-104 and AZ-500 in Urdu with hands-on portal labs. Not ready to commit? Start with the free cloud fundamentals course, or get everything under the Unlimited Cloud Access Pass covering Azure, AWS, GCP, Alibaba Cloud, and the DevOps tracks.
About the author
Muhammad Usman Khan is a Lead Cloud Instructor at Sherdil E-Learning, holding the Alibaba Cloud ACP certification along with AWS and Azure credentials. He is an expert trainer in AWS and Google Cloud, having delivered 1,500+ hours of training across 12+ countries and completed 50+ multi-cloud projects.
💬 Found this useful? Drop a ❤️ or a 🦄, and tell me in the comments whether you're starting at AZ-900 or jumping straight to AZ-104.
📖 Full original article (with the complete salary tables and employer breakdown): elearning.sherdil.org/pages/azure-certification-path-pakistan-2026
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