AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator — Complete Exam Prep vs Complete Networking Fundamentals Course: CCNA Start

The course is aligned to the five official AZ-104 exam domains: managing Azure Identities and Governance (Azure Entra ID, RBAC, subscriptions, resource groups), implementing and managing Storage (Blob, File, SAS tokens, lifecycle policies, backup), deploying and managing Compute Resources (virtual machines, scale sets, App Services, containers), implementing and managing Virtual Networking (VNets, NSGs, load balancers, VPN gateways), and monitoring and maintaining Azure Resources (Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, backups, alerts). The V6.0 May 2025 update added practice exam content, refreshed the Microsoft Entra ID modules, and expanded Azure Web Apps coverage. The curriculum totals approximately 17.5 hours of on-demand video — substantial enough to cover every exam objective at meaningful depth without the padding that inflates cheaper courses. Eleven downloadable resources and a free study guide PDF supplement the video content. The bonus "last-minute exam cram" is a three-hour focused review session specifically praised by learners who used it the day before their scheduled exam. The content limitation most frequently cited by learners is a structural consequence of Azure's continuous update cycle: Microsoft regularly changes the Azure portal interface, and some lab walkthroughs demonstrate configurations in interface versions that no longer match the current portal. Learners report that the underlying concepts remain accurate — the lab steps just require adaptation to the current UI when steps do not match.

Scott Duffy is a software architect and Microsoft Azure MVP (Most Valuable Professional) with the MVP award held continuously from 2022 to 2025. He has accumulated 1.5 million total students across his Udemy catalogue, making him one of the platform's most-enrolled cloud computing instructors. His background as a software architect rather than a pure trainer gives the course a practitioner's perspective — he explains architectural trade-offs and design rationale rather than simply narrating portal clicks. Learner feedback consistently describes Duffy as "well organized," with one opencourser.com review noting he "clarified a lot of issues in the first few lectures" in a way that set a strong conceptual foundation before moving into complex topics. His willingness to update the course repeatedly (six major versions, with V6.0 released May 2025) signals genuine investment in keeping the material current — a differentiator in a certification niche where many courses are recorded once and left to age. The criticism that appears across multiple three-star reviews is pacing: the course assumes some prior familiarity with cloud concepts, and learners who are new to Azure entirely may find some modules progress faster than they can absorb. Scott's AZ-900 (Fundamentals) course is the recommended prerequisite for those without prior Azure exposure.

The course lists at $119.99 but Udemy's promotional pricing structure means the effective purchase price is consistently $14–$15. At that price point, 17.5 hours of video plus a full practice exam, downloadable resources, a study guide PDF, and lifetime access with ongoing updates represents outstanding value in the certification preparation market. The AZ-104 certification itself costs $165 per exam attempt. A course that equips learners to pass on the first attempt — as documented by multiple first-attempt pass reports in blog coverage — has a total cost (course + exam) of approximately $180, compared to failing the exam once and retaking it ($330 total). The course's value calculation therefore extends beyond the purchase price to include avoided retake costs. The included practice exam was highlighted as a significant value addition in the V6.0 update. Prior versions required learners to purchase practice exams separately; having both preparation content and assessment in a single purchase at this price is notable. Learners who want more practice exams beyond the included set frequently cite Whizlabs or MeasureUp as well-regarded supplements at additional cost.

The AZ-104 certification maps to the Azure Administrator associate role — a job title with significant market demand across mid-size and enterprise organisations that have adopted Azure as their primary cloud platform. The course is therefore preparation for both a certification exam and a real job function. Multiple learners in blog coverage describe the course as directly applicable to their current administrative responsibilities: understanding the concepts in the networking module (VNets, NSGs, VPN gateways) is immediately useful for administrators managing Azure environments in production. The monitoring module (Azure Monitor, Log Analytics) addresses skills needed to maintain production systems rather than pass exam questions in isolation. The Malith Ileperuma documentation of passing the AZ-104 in fifteen days (studying four to six hours per day) while combining Duffy's course with hands-on Azure labs demonstrates the study pattern that produces the best outcomes: the course as conceptual framework, supplemented by actual Azure portal practice using Microsoft's free labs. Learners who only watch the videos without deploying resources in a real Azure subscription consistently report less confidence in exam and post-certification scenarios.

The course spans approximately 79.5 hours of video across all core CCNA 200-301 domains, covering networking fundamentals, OSI and TCP/IP models, IP addressing and subnetting, routing (static routes, OSPF, EIGRP, IPv6), switching, VLANs, Spanning Tree, NAT, ACLs, wireless technologies, QoS, VoIP, and network automation. Reviewers on Reddit and course aggregator sites consistently describe it as "one of the most comprehensive networking courses I have ever seen for the price" and praise its logical, ground-up progression. The course includes GNS3 and Packet Tracer lab demonstrations, cheat sheets, quizzes, and downloadable resources, though a small number of reviewers note it should be supplemented with additional practice exam resources for full 200-301 readiness.

David Bombal holds CCIE #11023 Emeritus, which he earned on his first attempt in January 2003 — a distinction achieved by a very small percentage of Cisco engineers. He has over 20 years of network training experience, has trained engineers at Fortune 100 companies, holds Cisco and HPE certified instructor status, and has over 2 million YouTube subscribers. Reviewers consistently praise his teaching methodology for the care put into scope and learning progression, with one Reddit user describing the course as the result of someone who "invested significant effort into what needs to be learned and in what order." His credentials are regularly cited as a reason students trust the material.

The course is consistently available on Udemy for $11–$20 during the platform's frequent sales, which Reddit reviewers repeatedly highlight as exceptional value. One r/homelab user who purchased it for $13.99 called it "the best purchase I made of thousands I've spent on my homelab over the years." Another r/linuxadmin commenter noted paying "a whopping $11.99" for "one of the most comprehensive networking courses I have ever seen." With nearly 80 hours of content, lifetime access, 18 articles, 124 downloadable resources, and regular updates to keep pace with the CCNA 200-301 exam blueprint, the cost-per-hour ratio is among the lowest of any CCNA prep course on the market.

David Bombal explicitly designs the course for both exam preparation and real-world application — the curriculum covers actual device configuration on simulated Cisco routers and switches via Packet Tracer and GNS3, not just definitions and theory. Reddit discussions in r/homelab, r/linuxadmin, and r/ccna note that the course teaches concepts in a way that applies directly to home labs and enterprise networking jobs, not just to passing an exam. The practical emphasis on configuration, VLANs, routing protocols, and troubleshooting scenarios means graduates are better prepared for entry-level network engineering roles, not just the Cisco certification exam.

The course's integration of GNS3 and Packet Tracer labs throughout the curriculum is the most consistently praised retention element — learners build and configure simulated networks rather than passively watching lectures. Multiple Reddit reviewers credit the hands-on component with making the course worthwhile for both CCNA candidates and general networking enthusiasts. The course length of ~79.5 hours is frequently described as thorough but potentially overwhelming for learners with time constraints, and some reviewers note the instructor's delivery can occasionally be hard to follow during dense technical sections. Overall, the lab-heavy format gives it stronger retention than purely lecture-driven alternatives.