Beginners often step into Azure expecting it to work like traditional IT systems. It doesn’t. Azure requires deliberate planning, clean configurations, and basic knowledge of cloud concepts. Most early mistakes come from rushing deployments or overlooking default settings.

This guide explains the most common Azure beginners mistakes, why they happen, and how to fix them using simple steps. The explanations connect directly to skills tested in AZ-900 and AZ-104, so you understand both exam relevance and real cloud behavior.

Most Common Azure beginners mistakes

Below are the mistakes we see most often when teaching Azure learners at NileCertify. Each one includes a clear explanation and a simple correction path.

1. Skipping Azure Cost Management

Beginners deploy resources without checking cost impact. Azure charges for almost everything—VMs, storage, IPs, databases, backup, bandwidth.

Why this matters

AZ-900 tests basic cost management. AZ-104 expects you to understand budgets and cost alerts.

Example

A student creates a Standard_D2s_v3 VM for a quick lab and leaves it running for three days. The VM costs more than the entire learning budget.

How to avoid this mistake

• Open Cost Management → Cost Analysis before deploying anything.
• Create a budget alert for your subscription.
• Use B-series VMs for labs.
• Delete unused public IPs and disks after VM deletion.

2. Poor Resource Group Organization

Many beginners put unrelated resources into a single resource group. This makes management difficult and breaks clean deployments.

How Azure expects you to work

A resource group should contain resources that share the same lifecycle.

Practical example

A VM, a SQL database, and a test Kubernetes cluster stored inside rg-general. You delete the group and accidentally wipe everything.

Fix this with a simple rule

• One app → One resource group
• Keep prod, dev, and test separate
• Use clear naming:
  • rg-webapp-prod
  • rg-webapp-dev

This structure aligns with AZ-104 Domain 1.

3. Ignoring Azure Security Center (Defender for Cloud)

Beginners assume Azure is secure by default. It isn’t. You must enable and review security recommendations.

Why this matters

AZ-900 includes basic security. AZ-104 tests Defender for Cloud directly.

Common errors

• Leaving RDP (3389) open to the internet
• Allowing SSH (22) from “Any”
• Not enabling MFA for Azure users

How to fix it

• Navigate to Defender for Cloud → Recommendations
• Fix high-severity items first
• Restrict RDP/SSH using Just-In-Time access

4. Incorrect Virtual Network (VNet) Setup

VNets confuse beginners because they require IP planning.

Typical mistakes

• Using the default address space without checking overlap
• Creating too few or too many subnets
• Missing NSG rules

Simple correction

• Use 10.0.0.0/16 for labs
• Divide into subnets such as:
  • 10.0.1.0/24 (web)
  • 10.0.2.0/24 (app)
  • 10.0.3.0/24 (db)
• Attach NSGs at subnet level

AZ-104 expects you to know this fully.

5. Over-permissive IAM Roles

Many beginners assign Owner or Contributor to almost everyone.

Why this is a problem

High permissions increase the risk of accidental deletions or misconfigurations.

Correct approach

• Use least privilege
• Assign roles like VM Reader, Storage Blob Data Reader, or Network Contributor
• Review access monthly

This appears in AZ-900 (RBAC basics) and AZ-104 (RBAC configuration).

6. Not Using Monitoring Tools

New learners deploy resources and forget to track health, performance, or logs.

Azure tools to enable

• Azure Monitor
• Log Analytics Workspace
• Application Insights

Simple workflow

1. Create a Log Analytics Workspace.
2. Link VMs or app services to it.
3. Set alerts for CPU, memory, and disk.

This is part of AZ-104 monitoring tasks.

7. Deploying Without Understanding SLAs

Beginners rarely check service-level agreements. They assume all Azure services offer the same uptime.

Quick example

A single VM has a lower SLA than a VM in an availability set or zone.

Exam relevance

AZ-900 and AZ-104 both test this.

How to avoid the mistake

• Check SLA documentation before choosing a service tier.
• Use availability zones for critical workloads.
• Add redundancy where needed.

8. Ignoring Backup and Recovery

Azure does not automatically back up your data. Beginners often learn this only after losing something important.

Fix this

• Enable Azure Backup for VMs.
• Use Geo-redundant storage (GRS) for critical data.
• Test restores monthly.

This skill appears in AZ-104’s backup domain.

9. Messy Tagging and Naming Conventions

Untagged resources become impossible to track in large environments.

Good naming example

vm-web-prod-01
nic-web-prod-01
pip-web-prod-01

Useful tags

• Environment: Prod / Dev
• Owner: IT Team
• CostCenter: 108

AZ-104 includes tagging in resource management tasks.

10. Manually Configuring Everything

Beginners often skip automation tools.

Better approach

• Use Azure Policy to enforce rules
• Use ARM templates, Bicep, or Terraform for repeatable deployments
• Apply Blue-Green or staged deployments for safe changes

Automation appears throughout AZ-104.

Best Practices to Avoid Azure beginners mistakes

Start Small

Use simple deployments such as:

• 1 VNet
• 1 VM
• 1 storage account

Learn how they interact.

Use Microsoft Learn

The official documentation is free and exam-aligned.

Focus on Identity, Cost, and Security First

These three areas cause most early failures.

FAQs

Conclusion

Beginners run into problems in Azure because they skip planning, ignore defaults, or misunderstand how cloud resources behave. By learning cost controls, organizing resource groups, planning networks, enabling security, and using automation, you avoid most early Azure mistakes.

These skills also align directly with AZ-900 and AZ-104, making them essential for both exams and real cloud work.