According to recent industry analysis, such as Skillsoft’s annual IT Skills and Salary Report, Microsoft applications, services, and capabilities sit at the very top of the priority list for technology leaders. This is not a new trend; it has been the consistent case for several years. This dominance runs parallel to the growing, universal demand for the power and flexibility offered by cloud computing. The entire industry has been convinced of the cloud’s benefits, from significant cost savings and operational flexibility to enhanced reliability and security. However, this large-scale, long-running migration to the cloud has revealed a critical vulnerability for many organizations: a persistent and widening skills gap. Many companies are poised to mature their cloud efforts but are held back by a lack of internal expertise.
Why Microsoft Dominates the Enterprise
Microsoft’s position as the top priority for tech leaders is built on a foundation of decades of enterprise integration. Unlike any other vendor, Microsoft’s ecosystem is deeply embedded in nearly every facet of the modern business. It starts with the operating systems, Windows Server and Windows Desktop, which form the backbone of corporate IT. It extends to the productivity suite, Microsoft 365, which is the standard for email, document creation, and collaboration. It includes the business logic layer with Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform, and it culminates in the Azure cloud platform, which allows all of these on-premises systems to be seamlessly extended, migrated, and rebuilt in a scalable, global environment. This end-to-end, integrated stack means that a skills gap in one area, like Azure, has a ripple effect across the entire organization.
The Cloud Imperative: More Than Just Cost Savings
The long-running migration to the cloud, which began as a discussion about cost savings by moving from capital expenditure (CapEx) to operational expenditure (OpEx), has matured significantly. While cost optimization remains a key benefit, the primary drivers are now flexibility, reliability, and security. Flexibility allows a business to scale its services from ten users to ten million users in minutes, paying only for what it uses. This agility is a massive competitive advantage, enabling innovation at a pace that was impossible with on-premises hardware. Reliability, through globally redundant data centers, ensures that applications have higher uptime and can survive local disasters. Security, once seen as a weakness of the cloud, is now one of its greatest strengths, as hyperscale vendors can invest billions in security research and personnel, offering protections that few individual companies could ever hope to match.
The Unwavering Skills Gap in Cloud Computing
Despite these benefits, most tech leaders are dealing with an unwavering skills gap, driven by the sheer pace of change in the industry and the continued trouble hiring professionals with the specific skills they need. When it comes to cloud computing, a recent survey shows only 19% of leaders feel “very confident” in their teams’ abilities, a slight but insufficient uptick from 13% the previous year. The highest percentage of leaders, 33%, assess their teams’ skills as somewhere in the middle, between novice and expert. Cloud computing has consistently been a difficult discipline to hire for, second only to cybersecurity. This gap is the primary barrier holding organizations back from realizing the full potential of their cloud investments.
Understanding the Value of a Certification
Knowing this, it pays for individuals and organizations to identify which credentials can help close these gaps. A Microsoft certification is a formal, industry-recognized credential that validates a professional’s skills in a specific, high-demand role. For an individual, earning a certification is a pivotal career move. It often leads to a significant increase in earnings, opens the door to internal promotions, and makes a resume far more competitive in the job market. It provides verifiable proof of expertise, which is far more powerful than simply listing “Azure” as a skill. For an organization, a certified team is a more capable, efficient, and secure team. It leads to faster deployments, fewer errors, and a higher return on investment for their substantial technology spend.
The “Average” Microsoft Certified Professional
Based on global survey data from , we can paint a picture of the average person who holds a Microsoft certification. This individual is typically 38 years old and has earned an average of nine certifications over their career. This high number indicates a strong commitment to continuous learning and adaptation, as they often hold credentials from more than one vendor. This cohort earns a global average salary of $93,288, which is roughly $3,000 more per year than the global average for all IT professionals. This demonstrates a clear, measurable financial benefit associated with these credentials. Nearly half of them (47%) are in a management role, suggesting that certification is a key enabler for career advancement into leadership.
The Compounding Value of Cross-Certifications
The data also highlights a critical trend: Microsoft skills do not exist in a vacuum. The average certification-holder is multi-vendor, with common cross-certifications from AWS, CompTIA, and ISC2. This makes perfect sense in the real world of hybrid and multi-cloud environments. A professional who understands both Azure (Microsoft) and AWS (Amazon) is in a far more strategic and valuable position. A professional who combines an Azure certification with a security certification from CompTIA (Security+) or ISC2 (CISSP) is demonstrating a mastery of the two most in-demand skill sets in all of technology: cloud and security. This combination of skills is what leads to the highest salaries and the most resilient careers.
Characteristics and Disclaimers
It is important to remember that many factors impact a person’s salary, including their seniority, years of management experience, and even soft skills. The salary figures presented in this series are global or US averages and are not normalized for cost of living or a specific location. Furthermore, there is significant overlap between certifications. A professional with an “Expert” level certification almost certainly holds the “Associate” and “Fundamentals” prerequisites. The 77% of certification-holders who earned a new credential in the past year show that this is a field of constant, necessary upskilling. This guide will explore the most valuable of these certifications, starting with the foundational layer of the Microsoft ecosystem.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
This is the starting point for nearly every career path in the Microsoft cloud. The Azure Fundamentals certification, validated by passing the AZ-900 exam, is designed for anyone who wants to demonstrate a foundational knowledge of cloud services and how those services are provided with Microsoft Azure. It is not a highly technical, hands-on certification. Instead, it is a conceptual certification. It validates a candidate’s understanding of core cloud concepts like High Availability, Scalability, and Fault Tolerance, and how they differ from on-premises computing. It covers the high-level architecture of Azure, its core services like Virtual Machines and Storage, and the basics of Azure security, governance, and compliance. This certification is ideal for individuals in non-technical roles who need to communicate effectively with developers and administrators, such as sales, marketing, and project management professionals. It is also the recommended first step for technical professionals who are new to the cloud, as it provides the complete vocabulary needed to understand the Azure ecosystem. While this certification itself is not a huge salary booster, it is the essential, non-negotiable prerequisite for all the higher-paying roles that follow.
The Core Role: Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)
This is arguably the most recognized and essential role-based certification in the entire Azure ecosystem. The Azure Administrator Associate, earned by passing the AZ-104 exam, is a hands-on technical certification for professionals who implement, manage, and monitor an organization’s Azure environment. This is the “boots-on-the-ground” role that keeps the cloud infrastructure running. These administrators are responsible for managing virtual networks, implementing and managing storage solutions, deploying and managing Azure compute resources like Virtual Machines and container apps, managing Azure identities and governance through Entra ID, and monitoring and maintaining resources to ensure performance and cost-efficiency. Nearly every company that uses Azure needs a competent administrator. This certification validates that an individual has the practical, day-to-day skills to keep the environment secure, healthy, and optimized. It is the logical next step after AZ-900 and serves as the foundation for almost all other advanced Azure certifications. The skills learned here—networking, storage, and identity management—are non-negotiable for any senior cloud role.
The Master Plan: Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305)
If the Azure Administrator is the person who implements the solution, the Azure Solutions Architect is the person who designs it. This is a senior, expert-level certification for professionals who plan and carry out well-architected solutions that meet an organization’s business requirements. The exam, AZ-305, tests a candidate’s ability to design solutions for identity and governance, data storage, business continuity (like backup and disaster recovery), and infrastructure. This is a highly cross-functional role that involves deep discussions with business stakeholders, developers, and engineers to ensure the proposed solution is secure, scalable, and cost-effective. To earn this certification, candidates must first pass the Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) exam, which serves as a mandatory prerequisite. This requirement ensures that an “architect” has the necessary hands-on administrative knowledge to design a solution that can actually be built and maintained. A bad architectural decision made at the beginning of a project can cost a company millions of dollars in performance issues or security breaches down the line, which is why professionals with this credential are in such high demand.
The Cloud Connector: Microsoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate (AZ-700)
This is a specialized, associate-level certification for professionals who focus on one of the most complex areas of cloud computing: networking. The Azure Network Engineer Associate certification is designed for individuals with expertise in planning, implementing, and managing Azure networking solutions, including core infrastructure, hybrid connectivity, application delivery services, and private access to Azure services. These engineers are responsible for ensuring the performance, resiliency, scale, and security of the entire cloud network. They design and implement the virtual networks, firewalls, and load balancers that connect all the other services. A critical part of this role is “hybrid connectivity,” which involves connecting an organization’s on-premises data center securely to the Azure cloud using technologies like VPNs and ExpressRoute. As the vast majority of enterprises operate in a hybrid model, this skill is not just valuable; it is essential. The AZ-700 exam validates that a professional can manage this complex and mission-critical component of the cloud environment, making them a highly sought-after specialist.
The Desktop Revolution: Microsoft Certified: Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty (AZ-140)
This specialty certification focuses on a rapidly growing area of cloud services: Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS). The Microsoft Certified: Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty is for administrators with expertise in designing, implementing, managing, and maintaining Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) experiences and remote applications. This technology allows a company to run its Windows desktops and applications in the cloud and stream them securely to any user, on any device, anywhere in the world. This has been a revolutionary technology for enabling remote work, supporting hybrid offices, and ensuring security for external contractors. The AZ-140 exam tests a candidate’s ability to plan and implement an AVD infrastructure, manage identity and security for desktops, configure user environments and applications, and monitor the AVD infrastructure. These professionals collaborate with Azure administrators, architects, and security engineers to deliver a seamless, secure, and performant virtual desktop solution, a skill that has become increasingly critical in the modern “work-from-anywhere” business environment.
The Bridge to the Cloud: Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate (AZ-800 & AZ-801)
This certification is one of the most critical for established enterprises. The vast majority of corporations today do not run 100% in the cloud or 100% on-premises; they run in a “hybrid” model. This associate-level certification is designed for administrators who have deep expertise in Windows Server and are responsible for integrating these on-premises environments with Azure cloud services. This role requires managing Windows Server on-premises, in hybrid environments, and as part of Azure IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service). These administrators are the bridge between the traditional data center and the modern cloud. To earn this certification, candidates must pass two exams: AZ-800 (Configuring Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure) and AZ-801 (Implementing Windows Server Hybrid Advanced Services). These exams test a wide range of skills, from managing Active Directory in a hybrid environment and implementing hybrid networking to managing hybrid storage and disaster recovery. Professionals with this certification are invaluable as they possess the rare and crucial skills needed to manage, migrate, and modernize the legacy workloads that power most of the world’s businesses.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals (DP-900)
This is the foundational-level certification for anyone who will work with data on the Azure platform. Similar to AZ-900, the DP-900 exam is not designed to test hands-on, role-based skills but rather to validate a candidate’s core knowledge of data concepts. Candidates who pass this exam demonstrate an understanding of relational data, non-relational data, and analytics workloads. This includes the concepts of databases, data warehouses, data lakes, and real-time data streaming. It specifically covers the basics of Azure data services like Azure SQL Database, Azure Cosmos DB, and Azure Synapse Analytics. This certification is the ideal starting point for aspiring database administrators, data analysts, or data engineers. It is also suitable for business stakeholders or program managers who need to understand how their organization’s data is managed in the cloud. It provides the essential vocabulary and conceptual understanding required to have meaningful conversations about data and to move on to the more advanced, role-based data certifications that command high salaries.
The Rise of the AI Generalist: Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900)
Parallel to the data fundamentals, the Azure AI Fundamentals certification is the entry point for one of the fastest-growing and most exciting fields in technology: artificial intelligence and machine learning. The AI-900 exam tests a candidate’s foundational knowledge of AI workloads and the principles of machine learning on the Azure platform. It is suitable for a wide range of audiences, from students and developers to data scientists and AI engineers who are just starting with Azure. It is even useful for non-technical individuals who want to understand the art of the possible with AI. The exam covers the principles of machine learning, such as how models are trained and evaluated. It also covers Azure-specific services for computer vision, natural language processing (NLP), and generative AI. With the recent explosion in generative AI, understanding the fundamentals of Azure’s AI services has become a critical skill. This certification provides a baseline understanding of AI workloads and prepares candidates for the more advanced, hands-on AI Engineer and Data Scientist roles.
The Data Plumber: Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate (DP-203)
This is one of the highest-demand and highest-paying associate-level certifications available. The Azure Data Engineer Associate, earned by passing the DP-203 exam, is for professionals who are the “data plumbers” of the cloud. Their main objective is to design and implement solutions that bring disparate data systems together to create meaningful, unified datasets for analysis. This is a highly technical, hands-on role. These engineers design and build data processing pipelines, data storage solutions, and data-streaming systems using a suite of Azure tools like Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, and Azure Stream Analytics. This role is the prerequisite for all other data-driven work. Before a data analyst can build a report or a data scientist can train a model, a data engineer must first build the clean, reliable, and performant data pipeline that provides them with the data. Candidates for this certification must be proficient in data manipulation languages like SQL and a scripting language such as Python or Scala, making this a challenging but extremely rewarding certification.
The Data Modeler: Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate (PL-300)
While the data engineer builds the data pipeline, the data analyst uses it to find business insights. The Power BI Data Analyst Associate, earned by passing the PL-300 exam, is the premier certification for professionals who use Microsoft Power BI. Power BI has become the dominant tool in the industry for business intelligence and data visualization. This certification validates a candidate’s ability to take a dataset, clean and transform it, build a scalable data model, visualize the data with compelling reports, and share those insights securely across their organization. This role is less about code and more about business logic and visualization. These professionals are the bridge between the raw data and the business decision-makers. They are responsible for turning complex spreadsheets and databases into clear, interactive dashboards that tell a story and help leaders make informed, data-driven decisions. As every company strives to become “data-driven,” the demand for skilled Power BI data analysts has exploded, making this a highly valuable credential.
The New Analytics King: Microsoft Certified: Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate (DP-600)
This is one of the newest and most exciting certifications from Microsoft, reflecting a major shift in its data strategy. The Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate (DP-600) is for professionals working with Microsoft Fabric, an all-in-one, unified analytics platform that combines data engineering, data warehousing, and business intelligence into a single product. This role is a “full-stack” data professional, responsible for everything from building data pipelines and data warehouses in Fabric to creating reports and dashboards with Power BI. This certification is rapidly gaining traction as companies begin to adopt the Fabric platform. It validates a candidate’s ability to design, build, and manage a complete, end-to-end analytics solution. As one of the highest-paying associate-level certifications on the list, it reflects the high market demand for professionals who understand this new, unified platform and can help organizations consolidate their complex data estates into a single, more efficient system.
The Predictor: Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate (DP-100)
If the data analyst’s job is to describe what happened, the data scientist’s job is to predict what will happen. The Azure Data Scientist Associate certification, earned by passing the DP-100 exam, is for professionals with expertise in applying data science and machine learning to build and manage ML workloads on Azure. This is a highly specialized role for individuals with a strong background in statistics and programming. These professionals are responsible for designing the data science environment, exploring and preparing data, running experiments, training predictive machine learning models, and deploying those models as scalable, real-time AI applications. The DP-100 exam is a rigorous, hands-on test of a candidate’s ability to use the Azure Machine Learning platform, MLflow, and other Azure AI services to build and optimize these models. As companies move from simple business intelligence to predictive and generative AI, data scientists are the ones who build these high-value solutions, making this one of the most intellectually challenging and financially rewarding paths.
The AI Developer: Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate (AI-102)
The Azure AI Engineer Associate is a role that works closely with data scientists but focuses more on the development and integration of AI solutions into applications. While the data scientist might create the core model, the AI engineer builds the surrounding application. This includes developing secure, end-to-end solutions that use Azure’s “pre-built” AI services, such as those for generative AI, natural language processing (e.g., bot services), and computer vision (e.g., image analysis). To pass the AI-102 exam, candidates must be proficient in C# or Python and be able to gather requirements, work with architects, and build, deploy, integrate, and maintain AI solutions. This role is crucial for “operationalizing” AI, taking a model from a data scientist’s notebook and turning it into a real, robust, and scalable product that can be used by millions of people.
The Database Manager: Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate (DP-300)
This certification is for the classic, essential IT role of the Database Administrator (DBA), but updated for the cloud. The Azure Database Administrator Associate, validated by the DP-300 exam, is for professionals with expertise in managing SQL Server and Azure SQL databases in cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments. While data engineers build pipelines, the DBA is responsible for the performance, security, and availability of the core databases themselves. This role involves planning and implementing data platform resources, securing the database environment, monitoring and optimizing database performance, and planning for high availability and disaster recovery (HA/DR). These professionals are masters of the Transact-SQL (T-SQL) language and use it to automate and manage database operations. As long as businesses rely on relational data—which is to say, forever—the role of the database administrator will be absolutely critical.
The NoSQL Specialist: Microsoft Certified: Azure Cosmos DB Developer Specialty (DP-420)
This specialty certification is one of the highest-paying on the entire list, reflecting its niche, high-demand skill set. The Azure Cosmos DB Developer Specialty is for developers with expertise in designing, implementing, and monitoring cloud-native applications that use Azure Cosmos DB. Cosmos DB is Microsoft’s globally distributed, multi-model, “NoSQL” database. It is designed for applications that require massive scale, low single-digit-millisecond latency, and “always-on” availability anywhere in the world. This is the database that powers massive, global-scale e-commerce sites, gaming platforms, and IoT applications. The DP-420 exam tests a candidate’s ability to design data models for NoSQL, implement data distribution and partitioning, integrate the solution with other Azure services, and optimize it for high performance. Professionals with this specialty are rare and extremely valuable, as they are the ones who can build the backend for the largest and most demanding applications on the planet.
Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals (MS-900)
This certification is the entry point for the “Modern Workplace” side of the Microsoft ecosystem, just as AZ-900 is for Azure. By earning this credential, candidates prove their foundational knowledge of cloud computing and, more specifically, the Microsoft 365 platform. This is a conceptual exam that validates understanding of core cloud benefits, the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, and the key components of the Microsoft 365 suite, including its productivity apps, collaboration tools like Teams, and its core security and compliance features. The MS-900 exam is designed for individuals who work with, sell, or support Microsoft 365 but are not in a hands-on technical administrator role. It is ideal for sales, project management, and business leadership. It is also the recommended first step for aspiring M365 administrators, as it provides the essential vocabulary and understanding of the platform’s value proposition before they dive into the more complex, role-based certifications.
The Tenant King: Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert (MS-102)
This is the premier, expert-level certification for IT professionals who specialize in implementing, managing, and securing an organization’s entire Microsoft 365 tenant. This role is the “master administrator” for the company’s productivity suite. This certification demonstrates a deep, expert-level commitment to best practices and helps organizations maximize the value and security of their Microsoft investments. The MS-102 exam evaluates a candidate’s knowledge in managing identity and access using Entra ID, implementing security with Microsoft Defender, and managing compliance using Microsoft Purview. This expert-level certification is one of the most valuable in the Modern Workplace track. To qualify for this exam, a candidate must first have earned one of several prerequisite associate-level certifications, such as the Endpoint Administrator Associate, Teams Administrator Associate, or Identity and Access Administrator Associate. This ensures that the “Expert” has a proven, hands-on foundation in at least one of the core M365 disciplines.
The Device Manager: Microsoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate (MD-102)
This associate-level certification is designed for professionals with expertise in managing all the devices and client applications within a Microsoft 365 tenant. In the modern, hybrid “work-from-anywhere” world, this role is more critical than ever. The Endpoint Administrator is responsible for deploying, managing, and securing all of an organization’s endpoints—laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and virtual desktops—using modern management tools like Microsoft Intune and Windows Autopilot. These professionals collaborate with architects, security teams, and other administrators to implement modern workplace strategies that align with organizational needs. The required exam, MD-102, validates a candidate’s ability to prepare the infrastructure for devices, manage and maintain devices, manage applications (like deploying Office apps), and protect devices using Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. This is a core security and productivity role in any M365-powered organization.
The Collaboration Core: Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate (MS-700)
This certification focuses on managing what has become the central hub for workplace collaboration: Microsoft Teams. This associate-level credential is for professionals who manage their organization’s communication solutions. This job encompasses working cross-functionally with other administrators to manage the Teams environment, configure collaboration workloads, and uphold security and governance. The role involves managing chat, teams, channels, and meetings, as well as ensuring that connected services like SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Exchange are all configured correctly. The MS-700 exam tests a candidate’s knowledge of the entire Teams lifecycle, from planning and configuring a new Teams environment to managing live operations and troubleshooting call quality. As companies rely on Teams as their primary communication platform, the administrator responsible for keeping it running, secure, and compliant is an essential member of the IT staff.
The Comms Specialist: Microsoft 365 Certified: Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate (MS-721)
This is a more specialized and advanced certification for professionals who go beyond standard Teams collaboration and into the world of telecommunications. The MS-721 certification is for engineers responsible for planning, deploying, and maintaining systems that integrate traditional phone calling with Microsoft Teams. This includes expertise in Microsoft Teams Phone, Teams Rooms (for conference rooms), and other certified communication devices. This role requires a solid understanding of networking, telecommunications, and identity management. It demonstrates proficiency in using tools like the Microsoft Teams admin center and PowerShell to manage advanced voice features, such as call routing, auto-attendants, and call queues. This certification is valuable for professionals who help organizations replace their old, on-premises phone systems (PBX) with a modern, cloud-based solution in Teams.
The CRM Core: Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (CRM) (MB-910)
This certification is the entry point into the Dynamics 365 ecosystem, focusing on the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) applications. Dynamics 365 is Microsoft’s suite of intelligent business applications that combines CRM and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). This exam, MB-910, is designed for individuals who want to demonstrate a foundational understanding of the CRM capabilities of Dynamics 365. This includes the applications for Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, and Field Service. This is a conceptual certification, not a deep technical one. It is ideal for business analysts, project managers, or sales professionals who want to understand how these tools can be used to manage customer interactions, automate sales processes, and improve customer service. It is the first step for anyone who plans to become a Dynamics 365 consultant or developer on the CRM side.
The ERP Core: Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (ERP) (MB-920)
This is the other half of the Dynamics 365 fundamentals, focusing on the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications. The MB-920 exam validates a candidate’s understanding of the “back-office” capabilities of Dynamics 365. This includes the applications for Finance, Supply Chain Management, Human Resources, and Commerce. These tools are the operational core of a business, managing everything from the general ledger and inventory to hiring and e-commerce operations. Like its CRM counterpart, this is a conceptual exam ideal for business stakeholders, financial analysts, or IT professionals who need to understand the high-level capabilities of Microsoft’s ERP suite. Earning this certification demonstrates a broad understanding of how a business can be managed using a unified, cloud-based platform, and it serves as the foundation for the deeper, associate-level certifications in Dynamics 365 Finance or Supply Chain.
The “No-Code” Foundation: Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals (PL-900)
This is one of the most popular and strategically important fundamental certifications Microsoft offers. The Power Platform is Microsoft’s “low-code/no-code” suite of tools, which includes Power BI (for analytics), Power Apps (for building custom applications), Power Automate (for workflow automation), and Power Virtual Agents (for building chatbots). The PL-900 exam is for anyone who wants to understand the business value and core capabilities of these tools. This certification is designed for a broad audience, from “citizen developers” (non-technical users in business departments) to IT professionals and business analysts. It validates an understanding of how to build simple applications and automate workflows without writing traditional code. As companies race to “democratize” development and empower their employees to solve their own problems, the Power Platform is a key strategic tool, and PL-900 is the perfect starting point.
The “Low-Code” Builder: Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Developer Associate (PL-400)
While the Power Platform is known for its “no-code” capabilities, it also has a “low-code” side that is extremely powerful. This associate-level certification is for professionals who are “pro-developers” and have the skills to extend the platform using code. The PL-400 exam is for developers who specialize in creating, testing, and maintaining applications and automations on the Power Platform. This role requires knowledge of the platform’s developer tools, as well as proficiency in languages like C# and JavaScript to write custom connectors, plug-ins, and complex logic that go beyond the simple drag-and-drop interface. These professionals are crucial for building enterprise-grade solutions on the platform. They are the ones who integrate the Power Platform with other systems, handle complex security requirements, and build the custom components that the “citizen developers” can then use. This role bridges the gap between traditional business users and the pro-developer world.
The Digital Fortress Designer: Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert (SC-100)
This is one of the highest-level expert certifications Microsoft offers, and it commands a top-tier salary. The Cybersecurity Architect Expert is a senior-level role responsible for designing an organization’s entire security strategy from the ground up. This individual works with business leaders and IT teams to create and put plans into motion that protect the organization’s mission and business processes across its cloud and hybrid environments. This is a “big picture” role, focused less on implementing a single tool and more on designing a comprehensive security posture. To earn this certification, candidates must have deep expertise in implementing Zero Trust security strategies, meaning a “never trust, always verify” approach. The SC-100 exam tests a candidate’s ability to design solutions for identity, data, network, and application security, as well as security operations (SecOps) and governance, risk, and compliance (GRC). This certification has several associate-level prerequisites, ensuring that only seasoned professionals with a broad range of hands-on security skills can achieve this elite status.
The Cloud Shield: Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500)
If the Cybersecurity Architect designs the strategy, the Azure Security Engineer implements it within the Azure platform. This associate-level certification is for professionals who keep a close eye on an organization’s Azure resources. Their duties involve implementing security controls, maintaining the security posture, and managing identity and access. They are responsible for protecting data, applications, and networks in the cloud. They make recommendations to bolster security efforts by configuring security components like network security groups, firewalls, and data encryption. To earn this certification, candidates must be able to administer an Azure environment and have experience with Microsoft’s solutions for compute, networking, and storage. The AZ-500 exam is a rigorous test of a candidate’s practical skills in implementing platform-level security. As cybersecurity is the number one concern for most tech leaders, professionals with this verifiable, hands-on cloud security certification are in extremely high demand.
The First Responder: Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate (SC-200)
This role is the “first responder” on the front lines of cybersecurity. The Security Operations Analyst Associate certification is for professionals who work in a Security Operations Center (SOC), monitoring, identifying, and responding to cyber threats in real-time. This role uses Microsoft’s advanced security tools, such as Microsoft Sentinel (a cloud-native SIEM) and Microsoft Defender (an XDR platform), to hunt for threats, investigate incidents, and remediate attacks. They are the digital detectives who sift through logs and alerts to find the “signal in the noise” that indicates a breach. The SC-200 exam tests a candidate’s ability to perform threat management, monitoring, and incident response using Microsoft’s security stack. As cyberattacks become more frequent and sophisticated, the demand for skilled analysts who can use these modern tools to protect an organization has grown exponentially. This is a high-pressure, high-stakes role that is critical for any organization’s cyber-defense strategy.
The Identity Gatekeeper: Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate (SC-300)
This specialized associate-level certification focuses on what many experts consider to be the new “security perimeter”: identity. The Identity and Access Administrator is a role that focuses on managing an organization’s identity and access solutions using Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory). This professional is responsible for implementing and managing everything related to how users sign in, how they are authenticated, and what they are authorized to access. This includes managing multi-factor authentication (MFA), single sign-on (SSO), and conditional access policies that grant access based on user, device, and location. The SC-300 exam validates a candidate’s ability to manage this complete identity lifecycle for users, devices, and applications. In a “Zero Trust” world, where you cannot trust a network location, identity is the one thing you can use to grant access. This makes the administrator who manages the identity “keys to the kingdom” one of the most important security roles in any company.
The Foundational Layer: Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals (SC-900)
This is the foundational-level certification for the entire Security, Compliance, and Identity (SCI) portfolio. Much like AZ-900 and MS-900, the SC-900 exam is designed for a broad audience and tests a candidate’s foundational knowledge of SCI concepts. It covers the fundamentals of security and compliance, the principles of “Zero Trust,” and the core capabilities of Microsoft’s identity solutions (Entra ID), security solutions (Defender), and compliance solutions (Purview). This certification is ideal for any IT professional who wants to build a baseline understanding of security, as well as for business stakeholders in legal, compliance, or risk-management roles. It provides the essential vocabulary needed to understand the security landscape and Microsoft’s suite of tools. It is the perfect starting point for anyone who plans to pursue one of the more advanced, role-based security certifications like AZ-500, SC-200, or SC-300.
The Pipeline Builder: Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400)
This expert-level certification is for a highly advanced role that bridges the gap between development (Dev) and operations (Ops). A DevOps Engineer is responsible for designing and implementing the processes and tools that enable “continuous integration and continuous delivery” (CI/CD). This means they build the automated “pipelines” that allow developers to write code, test it, and deploy it to production quickly, frequently, and reliably. This role requires a mastery of both development practices and infrastructure administration. The AZ-400 exam tests a candidate’s ability to design a DevOps strategy, implement CI/CD pipelines using tools like Azure DevOps and GitHub, and manage source control, infrastructure as code (IaC), and continuous monitoring. To earn this certification, a candidate must first pass either the Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) or the Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204) exam. This ensures the DevOps Engineer has a deep, proven specialty in either administration or development before taking on this expert-level role.
The Classroom Leader: Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE)
This certification is the most unique on the list, as it is not for a traditional IT role. The Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) certification is designed for educators-in-training, faculty at teacher training colleges, and in-service educators. It does not test a person’s ability to be a system administrator, but rather their ability to integrate technology effectively into their teaching practices to provide rich, customized learning experiences for students. It validates global educator technology literacy competencies based on the 21st Century Learning Design (21CLD) framework. The required exam, 62-193, tests an educator’s ability to facilitate student collaboration, skilled communication, self-regulation, and real-world problem-solving using Microsoft’s educational tools. The high salary associated with this certification in the survey data is likely indicative of a “multiplier effect”; it is held by experienced, senior educators, department heads, and technology integration specialists who are in leadership roles within their school systems, demonstrating the high value placed on technology literacy in modern education.
The Data: 30+ Highest-Paying Microsoft Certifications (Worldwide)
The following table represents the average worldwide salary for professionals holding these Microsoft certifications, based on data from Skillsoft’s IT Skills and Salary survey. This data was collected from 1,228 respondents globally. | Certification | Salary (Worldwide) | | :— | :— | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Cosmos DB Developer Specialty | $178,304 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate | $124,714 | | Microsoft Certified: Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate | $118,176 | | Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (CRM) | $117,115 | | Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert | $114,642 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate | $113,311 | | Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert | $112,758 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate | $110,987 | | Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert | $109,247 | | Microsoft Certified Educator | $107,239 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate | $106,896 | | Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals | $106,311 | | Microsoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate | $103,387 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate | $100,998 | | Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (ERP) | $99,344 | | Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate | $95,767 | | Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate | $95,489 | | Microsoft 365 Certified: Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate | $93,932 | | Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate | $93,233 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate | $91,938 | | Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate | $91,506 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals | $90,484 | | Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals | $90,413 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty | $89,951 | | Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Developer Associate | $89,327 | | Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate | $86,531 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate | $86,156 | | Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals | $84,402 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals | $83,870 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals | $82,457 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert | $82,280 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate | $77,436 |
Analysis: What the Worldwide Data Tells Us
The worldwide salary data reveals several critical trends. First, data-related roles are in extremely high demand and are compensated accordingly. The top three highest-paying certifications are all in the data and analytics space: Cosmos DB Developer, Data Engineer, and Fabric Analytics Engineer. This shows that companies are paying a significant premium for professionals who can build, manage, and analyze modern, cloud-scale data platforms. Second, expert-level certifications, such as Cybersecurity Architect and DevOps Engineer, are, as expected, near the top of the list, reflecting the value of senior, strategic skills. Interestingly, some fundamental-level certifications, like Dynamics 365 and Microsoft 365, show surprisingly high salaries. This is likely due to the “average holder” characteristic; these are often held by senior professionals in management or sales who have high base salaries, not by entry-level technicians. The most surprising anomaly is the low position of the Azure Solutions Architect Expert. This is almost certainly a statistical outlier in the global data, as this role is consistently one of the highest-paying in the industry, which is reflected in the US-specific data.
The Data: Top-Paying Certifications in the United States
The following table represents the average salary for US-based respondents. Due to a smaller sample size of 407, these figures are provided for continuity but should be viewed with an understanding that they can have higher variance. | Certification | Salary (US) | | :— | :— | | Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (CRM) | $191,494 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Cosmos DB Developer Specialty | $189,840 | | Microsoft Certified: Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate | $188,727 | | Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert | $176,348 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate | $174,588 | | Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate | $173,244 | | Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert | $161,353 | | Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert | $160,044 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate | $159,152 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate | $157,400 | | Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (ERP) | $154,665 | | Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate | $154,496 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate | $153,241 | | Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals | $152,850 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate | $152,478 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate | $148,849 | | Microsoft 365 Certified: Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate | $147,958 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty | $147,239 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals | $146,300 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert | $145,497 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate | $144,235 | | Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate | $142,418 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate | $142,397 | | Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate | $140,257 | | Microsoft Certified: Educator | $139,923 | | Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate | $132,349 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals | $131,301 | | Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Developer Associate | $128,176 | | Microsoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate | $126,146 | | Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals | $125,989 | | Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals | $124,135 | | Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals | $118,113 |
Analysis: The “US Premium” and Market Drivers
The United States salary data paints a starkly different and more lucrative picture. The first takeaway is the significant “US premium,” with average salaries for the same certifications being 30-60% higher than the global average. This reflects the high cost of living in tech hubs and the intense competition for skilled talent in the US market. The top of the list is dominated by a fascinating mix: Dynamics 365 (CRM), Cosmos DB, and Fabric Analytics. This suggests that US companies are paying an absolute premium for professionals who can manage customer data, build global-scale applications, and implement the newest, all-in-one analytics platforms. The US data also corrects the anomaly from the global list, placing key security and infrastructure roles like Cybersecurity Architect, Data Engineer, and DevOps Engineer in the top tier, with salaries well over $160,000. The Azure Solutions Architect Expert is also in a much more realistic and senior position. This data shows that in the US market, nearly all role-based associate, specialty, and expert certifications are correlated with six-figure salaries.
How We Built This List: A Note on Methodology
These lists and the accompanying analysis were derived from Skillsoft’s annual IT Skills and Salary survey data. The data represents voluntary, self-reported salaries from 1,228 respondents worldwide who indicated they held at least one Microsoft certification. Of those, 407 respondents reside in the United States. It is worth noting again that many factors impact an individual’s salary, including their location, seniority, years of experience, and the number of other certifications they hold. These figures are averages and are presented to show market trends, not as a guarantee of salary for a specific individual.
How to Earn These Certifications: A Strategic Approach
Microsoft’s certifications can be pivotal for IT professionals at all levels, often leading to increased earnings and promotions. Earning them requires a dedicated, strategic approach. This process can be broken down into four key steps. It begins with choosing a path that aligns with your career goals and current skills. It then involves a dedicated period of study, a critical phase of hands-on practice, and finally, the process of sitting the exam and maintaining the credential.
Step 1: Choose Your Path (Fundamentals, Associate, Expert)
First, you must choose a path. Microsoft’s certifications are tiered. The Fundamentals (900-level) exams are the starting point. They are ideal for beginners or non-technical professionals and validate conceptual knowledge. The Associate (100-level to 700-level) certifications are role-based and technical. These are the most common and valuable credentials, validating the hands-on skills needed for a specific job, such as an Azure Administrator (AZ-104) or a Data Engineer (DP-203). Finally, the Expert (100-level, 300-level, 400-level) certifications are the highest tier, validating deep, strategic expertise in roles like Architect or DevOps. Most expert certs require an associate-level certification as a prerequisite. You should start by mastering a fundamental certification and then move on to the associate role that most interests you.
Step 2: Utilize Official Training and On-Demand Resources
Once you have chosen your exam, the next step is to study. Microsoft provides the single best resource for this: its own free, on-demand learning platform. Each certification has a dedicated “learning path” that provides dozens of hours of high-quality articles, tutorials, and sandbox environments. You should use this as your primary study guide. This can be supplemented with other training, whether that is in-person, instructor-led bootcamps or other on-demand video platforms. These external resources can be invaluable for getting a different perspective on complex topics or for following a more structured curriculum.
Step 3: Get Hands-On Experience (The Most Critical Step)
You cannot pass a modern Microsoft exam through memorization alone. The associate, specialty, and expert-level exams are performance-based. They will not just ask you multiple-choice questions; they will drop you into a live, simulated Azure or M365 environment and ask you to perform a task. You might be asked to configure a firewall, write a data query, or set up a user policy. The only way to prepare for this is with real, hands-on experience. You must open the Azure portal, get a free trial account, and start building. Follow tutorials, break things, and learn to fix them. This practical experience is far more important than any textbook.
Step 4: Schedule, Sit, and Renew Your Exam
When you feel confident in your practical skills, it is time to schedule your proctored exam. The exams cost $99 USD for fundamentals and $165 USD for most associate and expert exams, with pricing varying by region. You can take them at a certified testing center or online with a remote proctor. After you pass, your work is not done. The role-based certifications (Associate, Expert, and Specialty) are no longer “lifetime” credentials. They are valid for only 12 months. To maintain your certification, you must pass a free, online, unproctored renewal assessment every year. This ensures that your skills remain up-to-date with the platform’s constant changes and that the certification retains its value in the market.