Microsoft announced the new beta exam Exam AZ-140 Configuring and Operating Azure Virtual Desktop on Microsoft Azure. That is why I want to share my new updated AZ-140 Azure Virtual Desktop Certification Exam Study Guide with you. If you are passing the AZ-140 Configuring and Operating Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop exam, you will earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty certification, which shows that you are an are Azure administrator with subject matter expertise in planning, delivering, and managing virtual desktop experiences and remote apps, for any device, on Azure.
To learn and prepare for the exam, I usually use a couple of online resources, mainly Microsoft Docs and Microsoft Learn, which I am going to share with you. You can find more information about how I prepare for a Microsoft Certification exam on my blog post: How to prepare and pass Microsoft Certification Exam.
Also, check out other Microsoft Azure Certification Exam Study Guides:
- Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam Study Guide
- Exam AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator Exam Study Guide
- Exam AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure Exam Study Guide
- Exam AZ-303: Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies Exam Study Guide
- Exam AZ-304: Microsoft Azure Architect Design Certification Exam Study Guide
- Exam AZ-500: Microsoft Azure Security Technologies Exam Study Guide
Here is my AZ-140 Azure Virtual Desktop Speciality Certification Exam Study Guide
It is essential to get familiar with the exam objectives and skills measured first. That is why I recommend reading the description of the exam and the skills measured.
Exam AZ-140 Configuring and Operating Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop
Candidates for this exam are Azure administrators with subject matter expertise in planning, delivering, and managing virtual desktop experiences and remote apps, for any device, on Azure.
Candidates for this exam should have experience in Azure technologies, including virtualization, networking, identity, storage, backups, resilience, and disaster recovery. They should understand on-premises virtual desktop infrastructure technologies as they relate to migrating to Azure Virtual Desktop. These professionals use the Azure portal and Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates to accomplish many of their tasks. They might use PowerShell and Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI) for more efficient automation.
Candidates for this exam must have expert Azure administration skills.
Microsoft Docs
The high-level view of the skills measured in the exam:
- Plan an Azure Virtual Desktop architecture (10-15%)
- Implement Azure Virtual Desktop infrastructure (25-30%)
- Manage access and security (10-15%)
- Manage user environments and apps (20-25%)
- Monitor and maintain an Azure Virtual Desktop infrastructure (20-25%)
You can find more information on the exam website.
With this exam you will earn the following certification:
Microsoft Certified: Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty
Candidates for the Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty certification are Microsoft Azure administrators with subject matter expertise in planning, delivering, and managing virtual desktop experiences and remote apps, for any device, on Azure.
Responsibilities for this role include deploying virtual desktop experiences and apps to Azure. Professionals in this role deliver applications on Azure Virtual Desktop and optimize them to run in multi-session virtual environments. To deliver these experiences, they work closely with Azure administrators and architects, along with Microsoft 365 administrators.
Candidates for this certification should have experience in Azure technologies, including virtualization, networking, identity, storage, backups, resilience, and disaster recovery. They should understand on-premises virtual desktop infrastructure technologies as they relate to migrating to Azure Virtual Desktop. These professionals use the Azure portal and Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates to accomplish many of their tasks. They might use PowerShell and Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI) for more efficient automation.
Candidates for this certification must have expert Azure administration skills.
Microsoft Docs
Free Online Microsoft Learn Az-140 Exam Study Guide resources
Microsoft Learn provides you with free online training and learning paths for different Microsoft technologies. They not just offer reading material, but also control questions and free online labs. Here are some relevant Microsoft Learn modules and learning paths for the AZ-140 Configuring and Operating Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop Certification Exam. Microsoft Learn is an important part of my AZ-140 Azure Virtual Desktop exam study guide.
The team also just made it easier to prepare with the new AZ-140 related learning paths on Microsoft Learn. I highly recommend that you take these for your AZ-140 exam preparation.
- Learning Path:
- Introduction to Azure Virtual Desktop in Microsoft Azure
- Prepare for Azure Virtual Desktop in Microsoft Azure
- Deploy Azure Virtual Desktop in Microsoft Azure
- Optimize Azure Virtual Desktop in Microsoft Azure
- Secure a Azure Virtual Desktop deployment
- Deploy applications by using MSIX app attach for Azure Virtual Desktop
Microsoft Docs AZ-140 Azure Virtual Desktop study guide resources
One thing I always used to prepare for my Microsoft exams is Microsoft Docs. Here are the relevant Microsoft Docs which I used to prepare and study for the AZ-140 exam.
Plan a Azure Virtual Desktop Architecture (10-15%)
Design the Azure Virtual Desktop architecture
- assess existing physical and virtual desktop environments
- assess network capacity and speed requirements for Azure Virtual Desktop
- recommend an operating system for an Azure Virtual Desktop implementation
- plan and configure name resolution for Active Directory (AD) and Azure Active Directory Domain Services (Azure AD DS)
- plan a host pools architecture
- recommend resource groups, subscriptions, and management groups
- configure a location for the Azure Virtual Desktop metadata
- calculate and recommend a configuration for performance requirements
- calculate and recommend a configuration for Azure Virtual Machine capacity requirements
Design for user identities and profiles
- select an appropriate licensing model for Azure Virtual Desktop based on requirements
- recommend an appropriate storage solution (including Azure NetApp Files versus Azure Files)
- plan for Azure Virtual Desktop client deployment
- Connect with the Azure Desktop client
- Connect to Azure Virtual Desktop with the web client
- Connect to Azure Virtual Desktop with the Android client
- Connect to Azure Virtual Desktop with the macOS client
- Connect to Azure Virtual Desktop with the iOS client
- Connect with the Microsoft Store client
- Linux support
- plan for user profiles
- recommend a solution for network connectivity
- plan for Azure AD Connect for user identities
Implement an Azure Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (25-30%)
Implement and manage networking for Azure Virtual Desktop
- implement Azure virtual network connectivity
- manage connectivity to the internet and on-premises networks
- implement and manage network security
- manage Azure Virtual Desktop session hosts by using Azure Bastion
- monitor and troubleshoot network connectivity
Implement and manage storage for Azure Virtual Desktop
- configure storage for FSLogix components
- configure storage accounts
- configure disks
- create file shares
Create and configure host pools and session hosts
- create a host pool by using the Azure portal
- automate creation of Azure Virtual Desktop host and host pools by using PowerShell, Command-Line Interface (CLI), and Azure Resource Manager templates
- create a host pool based on Windows client or Windows Server session hosts
- configure host pool settings
- manage licensing for session hosts that run Windows client or Windows Server
- assign users to host pools
- apply OS and application updates to a running Azure Virtual Desktop host
- apply security and compliance settings to session hosts
Create and manage session host images
- create a gold image
- modify a session host image
- install language packs in Azure Virtual Desktop
- deploy a session host by using a custom image
- plan for image update and management
- create and use a Shared Image Gallery
- troubleshoot OS issues related to Azure Virtual Desktop
Manage Access and Security (10-15%)
Manage access
- plan and implement Azure roles and role-based access control (RBAC) for Azure Virtual Desktop
- manage local roles, groups and rights assignment on Azure Virtual Desktop session hosts
- configure user restrictions by using Azure AD group policies and AD policies
Manage security
- plan and implement Conditional Access policies for connections to Azure Virtual Desktop
- plan and implement multifactor authentication in Azure Virtual Desktop
- manage security by using Azure Security Center
- configure Microsoft Defender Antivirus for session hosts
Manage User Environments and Apps (20-25%)
Implement and manage FSLogix
- plan for FSLogix
- install and configure FSLogix
- configure Profile Containers
- configure Cloud Cache
- migrate user profiles to FSLogix
Configure user experience settings
- configure Universal Print
- configure user settings through group policies and Endpoint Manager policies
- configure persistent and non-persistent desktop environments
- configure Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) properties on a host pool
- configure session timeout properties
- troubleshoot user profile issues
- troubleshoot Azure Virtual Desktop clients
Install and configure apps on a session host
- configure dynamic application delivery by using MSIX App Attach
- implement application masking
- deploy an application as a RemoteApp
- implement and manage OneDrive for Business for a multi-session environment
- implement and manage Microsoft Teams AV Redirect
- implement and manage browsers and internet access for Azure Virtual Desktop sessions
- create and configure an application group
- troubleshoot application issues related to Azure Virtual Desktop
Monitor and Maintain an Azure Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (20-25%)
Plan and implement business continuity and disaster recovery
- plan and implement a disaster recovery plan for Azure Virtual Desktop
- design a backup strategy for Azure Virtual Desktop
- configure backup and restore for FSLogix user profiles, personal virtual desktop infrastructures (VDIs), and golden images
Automate Azure Virtual Desktop management tasks
- configure automation for Azure Virtual Desktop
- automate management of host pools, session hosts, and user sessions by using PowerShell and Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI)
- implement autoscaling in host pools
Monitor and manage performance and health
- monitor Azure Virtual Desktop by using Azure Monitor
- monitor Azure Virtual Desktop by using Azure Advisor
- customize Azure Monitor workbooks for Azure Virtual Desktop monitoring
- optimize session host capacity and performance
- manage active sessions and application groups
- monitor and optimize autoscaling results
Additional Tips and Resources
I hope this AZ-140 Azure Virtual Desktop Certification Exam Study Guide helps you pass the exam. I also recommend that you open a free Azure account if you don’t have one yet. You can create your free Azure account here. Also, check out my blog posts about Microsoft Azure Certification:
- Why you should become Microsoft Azure certified
- How to pick the right Azure exam certification path
- How to prepare and pass a Microsoft Azure exam
I hope you enjoyed my AZ-140 Azure Virtual Desktop Study Guide. Did I miss any link, or do you have any recommended AZ-140 Configuring and Operating Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop Certification Exam Study resources? Let me know in the comments.
Tags: Az-140, Azure, Azure Virtual Desktop, Certification, Exam, Microsoft, Study Guide, Virtual Desktop, Windows Virtual Desktop, WVD Last modified: June 11, 2021
Hello Thomas – great content, thank you. I used this to study for the beta exam and I think I did well enough.
I was doing some testing in my lab and noticed that the configuration of the txt record for feed discovery may be not needed. I submitted a request on the documentation. Just figured you may care to know how this turned out. https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/azure-docs/issues/74393
Hi Thomas,
Thanks for posting this. I’m new to Azure though have some AWS and GCP experience. I’m going to be part of a team delivering Azure virtual desktop though not the hands on technical delivery. So wondering if the AZ900 followed by the AZ140 exam is a good way to go to help me get a broad understanding of how it all hangs together without having to sit too many exams?
Yes, I think so.
Maybe also have a look at AZ-104 after AZ-900 (but this is not required).
Hello Thomas, how many hours of study are recommended for the AZ-140?
I have the AZ-104, would it be as much study as this?
Thanks James.