It was a very long run, but finally, I got it. I am Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert. Yesterday I passed the last missing exam :). However, let me start from the begging. As you know, I believe in the power of knowledge. And if you want to be successful as a freelancer, you have to be professional. You can earn certifications that show you are keeping pace with today’s technical roles and requirements in Microsoft world. Microsoft has certification paths for many technical job roles. Each of these certifications consists of passing a series of exams to earn certification.
Why Enterprise Administrator Expert?
For the last couple of months, I have focused on Office 365 from an administrator/architect point of view. My effort was focused on modern IT department implementation. I believe in an agile IT team idea. Therefore, you can do amazing things when you can use tools like Office 365, Intune, and Azure AD. The certificate proves to your clients that you are the right person to do the job. The exam itself measures the following skills:
- Design and implement Microsoft 365 services
- Manage user identity and roles
- Manage access and authentication
- Plan Office 365 workloads and applications
- Implement modern device services
- Implement Microsoft 365 security and threat management
- Manage Microsoft 365 governance and compliance
Now let me one thing clear. It’s not about Office 365. To pass this exam, you need knowledge of various solutions that are combined into the Microsoft 365 package. If you want to read more about this exam, check the Microsoft site.
It’s a challenge!
It’ wasn’t easy to get an Enterprise Administrator Expert certificate! First of all, Microsoft made some changes to the exam path. I have started with the MS-300 exam, but MS-301 was retired at the end of August. I had to switch to MS-500. But I was surprised by the difficulty, and I failed with the first approach. In other words, if you didn’t work with Office 365 E5 license features like PIM or Security, you will not be able to pass.
It’s essential to be familiar with securing tenants using all tools provided by Microsoft.
Do it online
I took my last few exams online, and I love it! If you are interested in Pearson VUE online exams, you should read more here. You have to prepare your room in a specific way, but it’s much better when you take your exam from a safe place. Of course, there’s a remote proctor, but it’s still a great way to participate in an exam, especially in the covid time.
How to learn for Microsoft 365 certified Enterprise administrator expert?
Firstly you have to have experience with Office 356, a BIG experience! Many questions have obvious answers if you work with Office daily. Secondly, if you want to learn with Pluralsight, you can learn the basics only! I am a big fan of Pluralsight, but in this case, it’s just not enough. Thirdly learn with Microsoft Learn! For example, for MS-500, check this link. The current level of the content there is just incredible. Some time ago, the content wasn’t too useful for us. But right now, you will be stunned. I love interactive guides. What’s more important, you will find advanced and very advanced scenarios that are key to successfully passing certification exams, including Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert.
How to get the tools for Microsoft 365 certified enterprise administrator expert certificate? A few people told me they couldn’t learn as they don’t have access to the tools, but it’s not true. You can quickly get a Microsoft 365 tenant with E5 license for free. You need to register for Microsoft 365 developer account. And that’s it.
Good luck!