The Azure AZ-700 certification is all about designing and implementing Microsoft Azure networking solutions. This certification builds a strong understanding of hybrid connectivity, routing, network security, load balancing, DNS, and other aspects of the architecture of modern cloud networking. For enterprise cloud infrastructure professionals, AZ-700 is one of the most important certifications as it covers designing secure, scalable, and resilient Azure networks.

Network engineers, cloud administrators, and security professionals working with Azure Virtual Networks, VPN gateways, ExpressRoute circuits, application gateways, and Azure Firewall are meant to take this exam. Cloud adoption is growing rapidly, and with that booming increase, it is also essential to master Azure networking to build strong, high-performing cloud environments.

What Azure AZ-700 Certification cover?

AZ-700, otherwise called Designing and Implementing Microsoft Azure Networking Solutions, tests your expertise in designing, safeguarding, and managing Azure networks. Covered in the exam are:

• Azure Virtual Networks

• Hybrid connectivity

• Network security

• Naming

• Application delivery services

• Routing and traffic management

• ExpressRoute and VPN Gateways

• Network monitoring tools

The target is that you will be able to handle enterprise cloud networks of high availability, performance, and security.

Important Skills Measured in AZ-700

Microsoft organizes AZ-700 skills into five major areas:

1. Design and implement core Azure networking infrastructure

2. Design and implement hybrid network connectivity

3. Design and implement routing solutions

4. Secure and monitor networks.

5. Design and implement application delivery services

Each of these domains requires an understanding of Azure networking tools, protocols, design patterns, and troubleshooting techniques.

1. Designing Azure Core Networking Infrastructure

Essentially, this is an infrastructure at the core of Azure networking. You should know how to design networks that will scale and remain secure.

Key skills include:

Virtual Networks (VNets)

• Creating VNets

• Designing subnets

• Planning IP address ranges

• Efficiently applying CIDR notation.

VNet Peering

• Global VNet peering

• VNet-to-VNet connectivity

• Hub-and-spoke architecture

Network Security Groups (NSGs)

• Allow/deny rules

• Priority management

• Subnet-level and NIC-level NSGs

Azure Firewall

• Configuring NAT rules

• Application rules

• Network rules

• Forced tunneling

Virtual Network NAT

Helps simplify outbound internet connectivity without any inbound exposure.

These concepts are essential in building secure and very well-structured architectures on Azure.

2. Designing Hybrid Network Connectivity

Hybrid connectivity connects the data center on-premises directly to Azure.

Here are the main services:

VPN Gateway

This service covers:

• Site-to-Site VPN

• Point-to-Site VPN

• BGP routing

ExpressRoute

It offers private, dedicated connectivity to Azure.

Some of its attributes include the following:

• Very high bandwidth

• Very low latency

• Global Reach subscription

• FastPath optimization

Azure Virtual WAN

A global networking service that simplifies branch connectivity, user VPN, and hub routing.

Hybrid networking is one of the most valued aspects of AZ-700 because enterprises are using hybrid cloud massively.

3. Designing Routing Solutions

Traffic routing is how packets move, and it does so efficiently and securely.

Routing concepts are the following:

• System vs user-defined routes

• Route tables

• Forced tunneling

• Effective routes

• BGP dynamic routing

• Azure Route Server

• Hub-and-spoke routing design

It is critical, therefore, to have the ability to recognize how Azure makes selections regarding next hops, resolves route conflicts, and does BGP advertisements.

4. Securing and Monitoring Azure Networks

In reality, security is a very prominent part of cloud networking, and AZ-700 focuses on strong emphasis on protecting cloud resources.

Azure Firewall and Firewall Manager

• Centralized security policy

• Threat intelligence-based filtering

• Application-level inspection

DDoS Protection

• Basic protection (default)

• Standard protection for enterprise workloads

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

Which is available with:

• Application Gateway

• Azure Front Door

• CDN

Such a WAF protects applications from attacks like SQL injection and cross-site scripting.

Network Watcher

Tools include:

• Packet capture

• Connection troubleshoot

• Topology view

• NSG flow logs

• Traffic analytics

These tools help detect inefficiencies, identify misconfigurations, and maintain network health.

5. Designing Application Delivery Services

Application delivery ensures the service is highly available, performs well, and scales globally.

Some important services include:

Azure Load Balancer (Layer 4)

• It is capable of supporting both TCP and UDP traffic

• Backend pools

• Health probes

• Outbound rules

Application Gateway (Layer 7)

• Path-based routing

• SSL termination

• Cookie-based affinity

• Web Application Firewall

Azure Front Door

• Global load balancing

• Routing acceleration

• Edge security features

Traffic Manager

• DNS-based load balancing

• Performance routing

• Weighted routing

Azure CDN

• Cached content

• Latency reduction

• Enhanced global performance of applications

Key Concepts in Azure Networking You Need for AZ-700

On top of the exam sections, you need to become an expert in these key cloud networking topics:

• Private Link and Private Endpoints – provide private access to Azure services without exposing public endpoints.

• Split-Horizon DNS – Resolves the same name for both internal and external users.

• Service Endpoints – provide secure access to Azure resources over VNet.

• Zero Trust Networking – focusing on micro-segmentation, least-privilege access, and identity-aware security policies.

• Network segmentation – Security and performance are enhanced by separating workloads via subnets, NSGs, and route tables.

Importance of Azure AZ-700 Certification

AZ-700 is very important since demand is high for Azure networking skills.

Advantages:

1. Better career opportunities
2. Good understanding of cloud architecture
3. Skills to manage enterprise-type networks
4. Ability to secure hybrid-cloud environments
5. Opportunities in cloud, networking, and DevOps

Organizations increasingly demand cloud network engineers who are capable of designing reliable hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

Career Options After Completing AZ-700

Completing the AZ-700 puts you in a good position for roles such as:

1. Azure Network Engineer
2. Cloud Infrastructure Engineer
3. Network Security Engineer
4. Azure Administrator
5. Cloud Solutions Architect
6. DevOps Engineer (Network Focused)

Most of these positions attract decent salaries and opportunities for long-term growth.

Study AZ-700 with Network Kings

Network Kings comes out as a trusted online training provider for IT and cloud certifications.

Among the contents of their AZ-700 course:

• Live instructor-led classes

• Hands-on Azure labs

• Hybrid connectivity projects

• Routing and firewall configuration step by step

• Exam practice questions

• Guidance from experienced cloud trainers

The focus of Network Kings is on real-life implementation rather than just exam-based theory, making their learners job-ready for Azure network engineer roles.

Conclusion

The Azure AZ-700 certification focuses on providing technical knowledge for the purpose of designing and managing Azure networking solutions, comprising core tasks on designing virtual networks, deploying hybrid connectivity, implementing routing, securing cloud resources, and configuring load balancing. 

While the businesses migrate more and more to cloud platforms, those equipped with AZ-700 skills will remain in demand. Structured training and practical labs provided by platforms such as Network Kings will enable learners to acquire the related theoretical and practical skills to pass AZ-700 and then proceed to a rewarding career as a Cloud Network Engineer.