Azure AZ-801 study plan

Azure AZ-801 · Give each week a clear focus.

8 weeks · About 7 hours per week

Week 1

Secure Windows Server on-premises and hybrid infrastructures

Configure Windows Defender Firewall rules with scoped remote addresses and verify effective policy using PowerShell cmdlets
Harden a member server baseline with security templates and audit policy, then compare results against a known-good baseline
Implement BitLocker on OS and data volumes including TPM protector and recovery key escrow to Active Directory
Audit local and domain account policy settings and remediate weak privileged group membership

A written hardening report with before/after policy export files and a screenshot-free table of remediated settings for one lab server

Week 2

Deploy and validate Credential Guard and LSASS protection on a supported lab host
Configure Just Enough Administration endpoints and constrain delegated tasks to a defined role
Implement tiered administration concepts by restricting privileged logon rights per tier
Troubleshoot a failed policy application by reading event logs and resultant set of policy output

A one-page JEA role capability listing plus a troubleshooting log that documents root cause and fix for one denied-logon incident

Week 3

Inventory source workloads using assessment tooling and classify each as rehost, refactor, or retire
Perform a storage migration of file server data with permissions and shares preserved and verified
Migrate a domain controller role and validate replication health after transfer of FSMO roles
Plan an IP address and name resolution cutover for a migrated server and execute it in a lab

A migration runbook covering one file server and one domain controller, including rollback steps and validation checks

Week 4

Migrate a workload to Azure using an agent-based replication workflow and confirm post-migration boot and network connectivity
Configure Azure Migrate assessment settings and interpret readiness findings for at least three servers
Set up Azure File Sync with cloud tiering and verify recall behavior for tiered files
Compare hybrid identity options and implement password hash synchronization in a lab tenant

A migration decision matrix comparing at least three workloads across cost, effort, downtime, and chosen method, with test-cutover evidence

Week 5

Configure performance monitoring with data collector sets and identify a bottleneck from captured counters
Build an alert rule set for CPU, memory, disk, and service health, then trigger and confirm one alert
Configure a failover cluster with shared storage and validate quorum and node membership
Test cluster-aware updating and document the rolling upgrade sequence

A monitoring dashboard definition plus a cluster validation report showing quorum configuration and one successful failover test

Week 6

Configure a highly available file server role and verify client reconnect after node failure
Implement network load balancing or a highly available virtual machine configuration and test failover
Troubleshoot a simulated cluster network partition by reviewing cluster log output
Analyze a boot or service startup failure using event logs and recovery environment tooling

A troubleshooting case file for two simulated incidents, each with symptoms, evidence gathered, root cause, and remediation

Week 7

Design and implement a backup schedule for system state and workload data with retention policy
Perform a bare-metal or full server restore in a lab and verify application functionality after recovery
Configure Azure Backup for an on-premises server via the recovery services vault and run a test restore
Implement Hyper-V replica or storage replication and measure recovery point and recovery time against targets

A disaster recovery test record listing each scenario, measured RTO and RPO, and gaps identified with corrective actions

Week 8

Re-run timed practice assessments per domain and log weak objectives by name
Re-mediate the three lowest-scoring objectives with hands-on lab repetition
Explain aloud the decision criteria for migration method, HA option, and recovery strategy for three scenarios
Complete a full-length timed mock exam and review every missed item to root cause

A final readiness scorecard showing per-domain practice scores, remaining weak objectives, and a dated exam booking

Week 2: Can harden a member server and explain each control's purpose without notes, scoring at least 80 percent on a domain 1 practice set

Week 4: Has executed one end-to-end workload migration with documented rollback and a completed assessment comparison

Week 6: Has diagnosed two simulated failures from log evidence alone and passed one cluster failover test

Week 7: Has completed a restore that meets the stated RTO target and documented measured RPO

Week 8: Scores at least 85 percent overall on a timed mock exam with no domain below 75 percent