Introduction

I got inspired by a few people who asked me lately: "How do I get started with Microsoft Cloud?" to write a roadmap for your personal learning journey.

Microsoft Cloud is still one of the fastest growing SaaS-products and certainly a backbone when it comes to enterprise IT. Consider Microsoft Cloud as your playground to support digitalization in business. Keep in mind that delivering an efficient business case in a secure, scalable and state-of-the-art fashion should be your top aim. Technology is meant to empower humans!

As Microsoft MVP I want to amplify the community to get real-world experience based on the latest technology. Read this post to get practical tips & insights how to get started (or master) Microsoft Cloud 😉

Methods 🧰

First, let's discover the different tools and methods you should leverage for your learning path.

1. The best way to learn Microsoft Cloud is to set up a personal tenant for testing and demo experiences. That way, you don't need to be afraid of breaking anything (with major impact) and it's the most intuitive way to learn technology. Every technology expert has his demo environment to play around with new features. You should too! My advice is to get a paid tenant with a Business Premium license (about 20$/month) - with that you can cover most popular areas that companies use nowadays. (+E5 Security Step-up if you want to dive deeper)

Building your own technology playground will be your best career investment.

More on how to get started with setting up your tenant:

Launch with Microsoft 365: a guide

Launch your business with Microsoft 365. Increase productivity, run and manage workloads, gurantee security & compliance.

OceanleafNiklas Tinner

2. Of course, you can also follow along the Microsoft Learning Path and get certified. If you're fresh in this topic, I would suggest to do the exams with a 900 number. Those are fundamentals for basic understanding of the technology. (MS-900 → AZ-900 → SC-900)

3. Community is awesome, especially with Microsoft! You should discover communities on LinkedIn or other platforms and exchange experiences and ideas. My personal highlight is to attend and speak on events. (More on that at the end of this post 😉)

🔥 Topics

Next up, well equipped, you should focus on specific technology areas. Leading industry experts have their primary domain and excel in a few key technologies. Get inspired by this holistic line-up:

Technology areas

• Azure Platform - Cloud infrastructure with compute, storage, networking and databases for running applications and services
• Security & Identity - Comprehensive security solutions, identity management and compliance tools to protect the entire cloud environment
• Collaboration & Productivity - Microsoft 365 with Teams, Office apps and SharePoint for modern collaboration and communication
• Business Applications - Dynamics 365 for CRM, ERP and business processes plus Power Platform for low-code development
• AI & Data - Artificial intelligence, machine learning, analytics and business intelligence for data-driven decisions
• Modern Work & Endpoints - Device management, endpoint security and tools for hybrid work from anywhere
• Developer Tools - Azure DevOps, GitHub and developer platforms for modern software development and deployment

How do I choose?

Obviously, there are a lot of exciting and interesting technology areas - you should have a basic understanding of as much as possible, but especially when starting it is important to FOCUS (Follow One Course Until Successful). That means until you can explain the technology to someone else and could deliver it as a project to a customer.

As always, follow your passion ❤️‍🔥 and look out for the areas that captivate you personally!

My 🛣️ Recommendation

For me, the Microsoft Cloud Security ecosystem is the shining technology area where I focus in. It's what fascinates me the most and there is also huge traction by Microsoft with new features. If you also want to get started with this space, I would suggest you the following roadmap:

1. Microsoft Entra
   1. Conditional Access
   2. Global Secure Access
2. Microsoft Intune
   1. Windows Management
   2. macOS Management
   3. Mobile Management
   4. Windows 365
3. Defender XDR
   1. Endpoint
   2. Office 365
   3. Cloud Apps
   4. Identity

2026 🎉

Let's have a look at my highlights for this year:

Technology

This year, I'm diving deep into six key Microsoft technologies that form the backbone of modern IT infrastructure and security.

I'll be exploring Microsoft Entra for next-generation identity and access management, paired with Microsoft Global Secure Access to implement Zero Trust network security principles. On the endpoint management side, Intune will be my central platform, with a special focus on macOS Management - an increasingly critical skill in today's diverse environments.

Windows 365 opens up exciting possibilities for cloud-based workspace solutions, while Defender XDR rounds out my focus with comprehensive threat detection and response capabilities across the entire security landscape.

Events

Event line-up list:

• MVP Summit 🇺🇸 (Invite-only, March)
• Modern Endpoint Management Summit 🇫🇷 (April)
• MMS 🇺🇸 (May + October)
• Workplace Ninja Summit 🇨🇭 (September)
• Ignite 🇺🇸 (Official, November)
• Geekmania 🇨🇭 (November)
• Workplace Ninja User Groups 🌍 (All Year)
• Experts Live 🌍 (All Year)

powered by Oceanleaf

Oceanleaf

Technology blog on Microsoft Cloud. Learn about cutting edge tech, explained simply & straightforward in quality focused blog posts.

OceanleafNiklas Tinner