In this article, I will share with you how to prepare and pass the AZ-140: Windows Virtual Desktop Specialty certification exam successfully.
Contents of this Article
Introduction
Microsoft is keeping evolving its learning programs to help you and your career keep pace with today’s demanding IT environments. The new updated role-based certifications will help you to keep pace with today’s business requirements. Microsoft Learning is constantly evolving its learning program to better offer what you need to skill up, prove your expertise to employers and peers, and get the recognition—and opportunities you’ve earned.
At the Windows Virtual Desktop Master Class in late January 2021, Microsoft announced a new certification exam specialty for Windows Virtual Desktop: Configuring and Operating Windows Virtual Desktop on Microsoft Azure.
Exam preparation
While preparing to take this exam myself, I would like to share with you how to prepare and pass the AZ-140: Configuring and Operating Windows Virtual Desktop on Microsoft Azure exam successfully.
At the time of this writing, this exam will be available in March 2021 in the Beta phase. Beta exams are not scored immediately because Microsoft is gathering data on the quality of the questions and the exam. I will update this article as soon as I get the exam results from Microsoft.
Exam Target Audience
Candidates for this exam are Microsoft Azure administrators with subject matter expertise in planning, delivering, and managing virtual desktop experiences and remote applications, for any device, on Azure.
The responsibilities for this role include deploying virtual desktop experiences and apps to Azure. Professionals in this role deliver applications on Windows Virtual Desktop and optimize them to run in multi-session virtual environments. To deliver these experiences, they work closely with the Azure administrators and architects, along with Microsoft 365 Administrators.
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 Windows Virtual Desktop. These professionals use the Azure portal and Azure Resource Manager templates to accomplish many tasks. This role may use PowerShell and Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI) for more efficient automation.
Please note that to take this exam, you must have expert Azure administration skills. Check my AZ-104 Exam: Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator Associate study guide to get prepared.
Skills measured on this exam
This exam measures your ability to accomplish the technical topics listed below based on the latest update from Microsoft.
I have also included the direct link to the Microsoft documentation so you can read more about each objective.
Plan a Windows Virtual Desktop Architecture (10-15%)
Design the Windows Virtual Desktop architecture
- Assess existing physical and virtual desktop environments
- Assess network capacity and speed requirements for Windows Virtual Desktop
- Recommend an operating system for a Windows 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 Windows 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 Windows Virtual Desktop based on requirements
- Recommend an appropriate storage solution (including Azure NetApp Files versus Azure Files)
- Plan for Windows Virtual Desktop client deployment
- Connect with the Windows Desktop client
- Connect to Windows Virtual Desktop with the web client
- Connect to Windows Virtual Desktop with the Android client
- Connect to Windows Virtual Desktop with the macOS client
- Connect to Windows 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 a Windows Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (25-30%)
Implement and manage networking for Windows Virtual Desktop
- Implement Azure virtual network connectivity
- Manage connectivity to the internet and on-premises networks
- Implement and manage network security
- Manage Windows Virtual Desktop session hosts by using Azure Bastion
- Monitor and troubleshoot network connectivity
Implement and manage storage for Windows 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 the creation of Windows 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 to license for session hosts that run Windows client or Windows Server
- Assign users to host pools
- Apply OS and application updates to a running Windows 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 Windows 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 Windows Virtual Desktop
Manage Access and Security (10-15%)
Manage access
- Plan and implement Azure roles and role-based access control (RBAC) for Windows Virtual Desktop
- Manage local roles, groups, and rights assignment on Windows 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 Windows Virtual Desktop
- Plan and implement multifactor authentication in Windows 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 Windows 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 Windows Virtual Desktop sessions
- Create and configure an application group
- Troubleshoot application issues related to Windows Virtual Desktop
Monitor and Maintain a Windows Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (20-25%)
Plan and implement business continuity and disaster recovery
- Plan and implement a disaster recovery plan for Windows Virtual Desktop
- Design a backup strategy for Windows Virtual Desktop
- Configure backup and restore for FSLogix user profiles, personal virtual desktop infrastructures (VDIs), and golden images
Automate Windows Virtual Desktop management tasks
- Configure automation for Windows Virtual Desktop
- Automate the 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 Windows Virtual Desktop by using Azure Monitor
- Monitor Windows Virtual Desktop by using Azure Advisor
- Customize Azure Monitor workbooks for Windows Virtual Desktop monitoring
- Optimize session host capacity and performance
- Manage active sessions and application groups
- Monitor and optimize autoscaling results
Learning Paths
At the time of this writing, Microsoft did not publish the official learning path for this exam yet. However, I gathered all the resources available to help you get prepared ahead of time and pass this exam.
I highly recommend you start practicing how to implement Windows Virtual Desktop in the enterprise by following the online course and the step-by-step guide below:
- Implementing Windows Virtual Desktop: Windows Virtual Desktop Overview and Architecture.
- Implementing Windows Virtual Desktop: WVD Deployment, Profile management, Identity, and Security.
- Implementing Windows Virtual Desktop: WVD Infrastructure Management.
- Implementing Windows Virtual Desktop: WVD Assessment, Migration, and Optimization.
- Hands-on lab preparation guide: Implementing Windows Virtual Desktop in the enterprise.
- Hands-on lab step-by-step guide: Implementing Windows Virtual Desktop in the enterprise.
The hands-on lab is brought to you by Microsoft Cloud Workshop.
Additionally, you can study and go through the following resources that will help you to get prepare for this exam based on the topics covered in the learning objectives for each domain:
- Windows Virtual Desktop – Product vision, latest news, and roadmap.
- Security Practices for Windows Virtual Desktop Environments – How to increase the security posture of your Windows Virtual Desktop deployment.
- Windows Virtual Desktop – Security Best Practices.
- Windows Virtual Desktop – Operating your Windows Virtual Desktop environment at scale.
- Windows Virtual Desktop – Simplifying image and application management.
- Windows Virtual Desktop – Cost Optimization.
- Windows Virtual Desktop – Using GPUs to improve user experience and scalability.
- Windows Virtual Desktop – Migrating to Windows Virtual Desktop.
- Windows Virtual Desktop – AZ-140 WVD Study Guide YouTube Playlist.
Microsoft Learn – Study Resources
To prepare for this exam, I use the new Microsoft Learn which is a great resource and provides self-paced skills training on delivering remote desktops and applications from Azure with Windows Virtual Desktop. I highly recommend checking the following modules:
- Introduction to Windows Virtual Desktop in Microsoft Azure ( 6 units).
- Prepare for Windows Virtual Desktop in Microsoft Azure (7 units).
- Deploy Windows Virtual Desktop in Microsoft Azure (7 units).
- Optimize Windows Virtual Desktop in Microsoft Azure (7 units).
- Secure a Windows Virtual Desktop deployment (9 units).
- Deploy applications by using the MSIX app attach for Windows Virtual Desktop (7 units).
Schedule AZ-140 Exam
At the time of this writing, this exam will be available in March 2021 and it will be in the beta phase first. Please head over to the Microsoft official certification page and stay tuned once this exam becomes available for registration.
If you are planning to take this exam… I wish you all the best and Happy Studying!!!
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Thank you for reading my blog.
If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment.
-Charbel Nemnom-
