Developing Intelligent Bots with Azure Training Course

About This Course

In this course, participants will learn how to design and develop services that access local and remote data from various sources. They will also gain skills in developing and deploying services to hybrid environments, including on-premises servers and Microsoft Azure.

Audience Profile

Primary: .NET developers who are interested in learning how to develop services and deploy them to hybrid environments.
Secondary: .NET developers with experience in web application development who are considering the development of new applications or the migration of existing applications to Microsoft Azure.

At Course Completion

Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the fundamental concepts of service development and data access strategies using the .NET platform.
• Describe the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, including its compute, data, and application hosting capabilities.
• Design and develop a data-centric application using Visual Studio 2017 and Entity Framework Core.
• Create and consume HTTP services using ASP.NET Core.
• Extend HTTP services with advanced features in ASP.NET Core.
• Host services both on-premises and in Microsoft Azure environments.
• Deploy services to both on-premises and cloud environments, managing the interface and policy configurations for their services.
• Select appropriate data storage solutions, implement caching, distribute, and synchronize data.
• Monitor, log, and troubleshoot service performance and issues.
• Understand claim-based identity concepts and standards, and implement authentication and authorization using Azure Active Directory.
• Create scalable and efficient service applications for government and other sectors.

Acquire the essential knowledge for designing an Azure AI solution for government by constructing a customer support chatbot that leverages artificial intelligence from the Microsoft Azure platform. This process includes integrating language understanding and utilizing pre-built AI capabilities within Azure Cognitive Services to enhance service delivery and efficiency.

About This Course

This course provides an introduction to fundamental concepts related to artificial intelligence (AI) and the Microsoft Azure services that can be utilized to develop AI solutions. It is designed not to turn students into professional data scientists or software developers, but rather to enhance their awareness of common AI applications and enable them to identify appropriate Azure services to support these workloads. The course combines instructor-led sessions with online resources available on the Microsoft Learn platform (https://azure.com/learn). Hands-on exercises are based on modules from Microsoft Learn, and students are encouraged to use this content as reference material to deepen their understanding and explore topics further.

Audience Profile

The Azure AI Fundamentals course is tailored for individuals interested in learning about the types of solutions that artificial intelligence (AI) can enable and the services on Microsoft Azure that can be used to create them. No prior experience with Microsoft Azure is required, but a basic understanding of computer technology and the Internet is assumed. Some concepts covered in the course involve basic mathematical skills, such as interpreting charts. The hands-on activities include working with data and running code, so a foundational knowledge of programming principles will be beneficial.

At Course Completion

Upon completing this course, you will be able to:

• Describe AI workloads and considerations for government and other sectors
• Explain the fundamental principles of machine learning on Azure
• Identify features of computer vision workloads on Azure
• Outline features of Natural Language Processing (NLP) workloads on Azure
• Detail features of conversational AI workloads on Azure

This instructor-led, live training (online or onsite) is aimed at intermediate to advanced professionals who wish to build and deploy AI-powered cloud applications using Microsoft Azure for government.

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Develop event-driven and serverless applications using Azure Functions.
• Manage Azure storage solutions and virtual machines for efficient data handling.
• Deploy and scale web applications using Azure App Service and Docker containers to ensure robust performance.
• Integrate AI, machine learning, and natural language processing capabilities with Azure AI Services to enhance application functionality.
• Utilize GitHub Copilot to streamline the development process of AI-driven cloud applications for government.

This instructor-led, live training in [location] (online or onsite) is aimed at engineers who wish to utilize Azure ML's intuitive drag-and-drop platform to deploy Machine Learning workloads without the need for purchasing software and hardware or managing maintenance and deployment. By the end of this training, participants will be able to: - Develop highly accurate machine learning models using Python, R, or zero-code tools. - Utilize Azure’s extensive data sets and algorithms to train and track machine learning and deep-learning models. - Collaborate effectively in Azure's interactive workspace for developing ML models. - Select from a variety of Azure-supported ML frameworks, including PyTorch, TensorFlow, and scikit-learn, to meet specific project requirements. This training is designed to enhance the capabilities of engineers working on government projects by providing them with the skills necessary to leverage Azure ML efficiently.

About This Course

This three-day course is designed to equip AWS (Amazon Web Services) developers with the skills needed to prepare end-to-end solutions in Microsoft Azure. Throughout the course, participants will construct Azure App Service Web App solutions and Azure Functions, utilize blob or Cosmos DB storage, implement secure cloud solutions that include user authentication and authorization, manage APIs, develop event- and message-based solutions, and monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize their Azure solutions. The curriculum emphasizes how developers can leverage Azure services, with a particular focus on features and tasks that differ from AWS, ensuring a smooth transition for those developing applications hosted in the Azure environment.

Audience Profile

This course is tailored for experienced AWS developers who are interested in expanding their skills to include Azure development. It is particularly beneficial for government professionals looking to enhance their cloud capabilities and align with public sector workflows, governance, and accountability standards.

This course equips students with the essential knowledge and skills to utilize PowerShell for the administration and automation of Windows servers. Students will gain the ability to identify and construct the commands necessary to execute specific tasks. Additionally, they will learn to develop scripts to handle advanced tasks, such as automating repetitive processes and generating reports. The course provides foundational skills that support a wide range of Microsoft products, including Windows Server, Windows Client, Microsoft Azure, and Microsoft 365. While the focus is not on any single product, Windows Server serves as the primary platform for demonstrating the techniques taught in this course, ensuring relevance and applicability for government IT professionals.

This course equips IT professionals with the skills needed to manage their Azure subscriptions effectively, secure identities, administer infrastructure, configure virtual networking, connect Azure and on-premises sites, manage network traffic, implement storage solutions, create and scale virtual machines, deploy web apps and containers, back up and share data, and monitor their solutions. Designed specifically for government Azure Administrators, this course covers the essential tasks of implementing, managing, and monitoring identity, governance, storage, compute, and virtual networks in a cloud environment. Azure Administrators will learn to provision, size, monitor, and adjust resources as needed to ensure optimal performance and compliance with public sector workflows, governance, and accountability standards.

This course is designed to instruct Azure administrators on how to plan, deliver, and manage virtual desktop experiences and remote applications for any device on Azure. Participants will gain knowledge through a combination of demonstrations and hands-on laboratory exercises focused on deploying and optimizing these services on Azure Virtual Desktop to ensure efficient performance in multi-session virtual environments. The curriculum aligns with the technical requirements and best practices for government agencies, ensuring that administrators can effectively support secure and scalable remote access solutions for government use.

About This Course

This course is designed to equip developers with the skills needed to create comprehensive solutions in Microsoft Azure for government. Participants will learn how to implement Azure compute solutions, develop Azure Functions, manage and deploy web apps, and utilize Azure storage options. The curriculum also covers implementing authentication and authorization mechanisms, securing solutions through KeyVault and Managed Identities, and connecting to both Azure and third-party services. Additionally, students will explore event- and message-based models, as well as techniques for monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimizing Azure solutions.

Audience Profile

• This course is intended for developers interested in Azure development or those preparing to pass the Microsoft Azure Developer Associate certification exam for government.

This course is designed to equip Solutions Architects with the skills necessary to translate business requirements into secure, scalable, and reliable solutions for government. The curriculum covers essential topics such as virtualization, automation, networking, storage, identity management, security, data platforms, and application infrastructure. Each lesson emphasizes how decisions in these areas impact the overall solution. ### Audience Profile This course is intended for IT Professionals who have expertise in designing and implementing solutions on Microsoft Azure for government. Participants should possess a comprehensive understanding of IT operations, including networking, virtualization, identity management, security, business continuity, disaster recovery, data platforms, budgeting, and governance. Azure Solution Architects will learn to utilize the Azure Portal effectively and, as they gain proficiency, transition to using the Command Line Interface. Candidates must have advanced skills in Azure administration and practical experience with Azure development processes and DevOps methodologies.

This course is designed to equip Solutions Architects with the skills necessary to translate business requirements into secure, scalable, and reliable solutions for government. The curriculum covers essential design considerations such as logging, cost analysis, authentication and authorization, governance, security, storage, high availability, and migration. Solutions Architects must make informed decisions across these areas to ensure an effective and cohesive design solution that aligns with public sector workflows and accountability standards.

Skills Gained for Government

• Design governance solutions that align with public sector workflows and accountability standards.
• Design compute solutions that meet the performance and security requirements of government operations.
• Design application architectures that support efficient and secure data processing in a governmental context.
• Design storage solutions, both non-relational and relational, to ensure reliable and scalable data management for government agencies.
• Design data integration solutions that facilitate seamless information sharing across different government departments and systems.
• Design authentication, authorization, and identity solutions to enhance security and compliance in government IT environments.
• Design network solutions that ensure robust connectivity and secure data transmission for government operations.
• Design backup and disaster recovery solutions to protect critical government data and ensure business continuity.
• Design monitoring solutions to track system performance and security metrics, ensuring ongoing compliance with government standards.
• Design migration solutions that facilitate the smooth transition of legacy systems to modern, more efficient platforms for government use.

This course provides the knowledge and skills necessary for designing and implementing DevOps processes and practices, tailored specifically for government agencies. Students will learn how to plan for DevOps, use source control, scale Git for an enterprise, consolidate artifacts, design a dependency management strategy, manage secrets, implement continuous integration, develop a container build strategy, design a release strategy, set up a release management workflow, implement a deployment pattern, and optimize feedback mechanisms.

Audience Profile

This course is designed for professionals interested in designing and implementing DevOps processes or preparing to pass the Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions certification exam.

Job Role: DevOps Engineer

Preparation for Exam: AZ-400

Skills Gained

• Plan for transformation with shared goals and timelines, ensuring alignment with public sector workflows.
• Select a project and identify project metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure success in government projects.
• Create a team and agile organizational structure that supports efficient governance and accountability.
• Design a tool integration strategy that enhances collaboration and efficiency within the agency.
• Develop a license management strategy for tools such as Azure DevOps and GitHub, ensuring compliance with federal regulations.
• Design a strategy for end-to-end traceability from work items to working software, supporting transparent project management.
• Create an authentication and access strategy that adheres to government security standards.
• Develop a strategy for integrating on-premises and cloud resources, ensuring secure data exchange and compliance with federal IT policies.
• Explain the benefits of using source control in enhancing project management and collaboration within government agencies.
• Describe Azure Repos and GitHub, highlighting their utility in managing large-scale projects for government.
• Migrate from TFVC to Git, ensuring a smooth transition that maintains data integrity and compliance with federal standards.
• Manage code quality, including technical debt reduction using tools like SonarCloud, to ensure high-quality software development for government applications.
• Build organizational knowledge on code quality by implementing best practices and continuous improvement processes.
• Explain how to structure Git repositories to support efficient project management and collaboration.
• Describe Git branching workflows that facilitate agile development and version control in government projects.
• Leverage pull requests for collaboration and code reviews, ensuring a robust peer review process.
• Leverage Git hooks for automation, enhancing efficiency and reducing manual errors.
• Use Git to foster inner source across the organization, promoting knowledge sharing and innovation within government agencies.
• Explain the role of Azure Pipelines and its components in automating build and deployment processes.
• Configure agents for use in Azure Pipelines to support scalable and secure continuous integration.
• Explain why continuous integration is essential for maintaining high-quality software development standards in government projects.
• Implement continuous integration using Azure Pipelines, ensuring compliance with federal IT policies.
• Define Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles and their application in government IT environments.
• Design processes to measure end-user satisfaction and analyze user feedback, enhancing service delivery for government programs.
• Design processes to automate application analytics, providing actionable insights for continuous improvement.
• Manage alerts and reduce meaningless and non-actionable alerts to ensure effective monitoring and response.
• Carry out blameless retrospectives and create a just culture that promotes learning and accountability within government teams.
• Define an infrastructure and configuration strategy, including appropriate toolsets for release pipelines and application infrastructure in government settings.
• Implement compliance and security measures in your application infrastructure to meet federal standards and regulations.
• Describe the potential challenges with integrating open-source software in government projects and how to mitigate them.
• Inspect open-source software packages for security and license compliance, ensuring adherence to federal guidelines.
• Manage organizational security and compliance policies to protect sensitive data and maintain trust in government services.
• Integrate license and vulnerability scans into build and deployment pipelines to ensure continuous compliance and security.
• Configure build pipelines to access package security and license ratings, enhancing the integrity of software development for government applications.

This course equips IT Security Professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to implement security controls, maintain an organization’s security posture, and identify and remediate security vulnerabilities. It covers security for identity and access management, platform protection, data and applications, and security operations, specifically tailored for government environments.

Audience Profile

This course is designed for Azure Security Engineers who are preparing to take the associated certification exam or who are responsible for security tasks in their day-to-day job. It is also beneficial for engineers looking to specialize in providing security for Azure-based digital platforms, playing a crucial role in protecting an organization's data, particularly for government agencies.

Skills Gained

• Implement enterprise governance strategies, including role-based access control, Azure policies, and resource locks, tailored for government use.
• Set up an Azure AD infrastructure, including users, groups, and multi-factor authentication, to enhance security for government operations.
• Deploy Azure AD Identity Protection, incorporating risk policies, conditional access, and access reviews, to safeguard against identity threats in a government context.
• Utilize Azure AD Privileged Identity Management for managing Azure AD roles and resources, ensuring secure administration for government environments.
• Configure Azure AD Connect with appropriate authentication methods and on-premises directory synchronization to support seamless integration for government systems.
• Implement perimeter security strategies using Azure Firewall to protect against external threats in government networks.
• Apply network security measures, such as Network Security Groups and Application Security Groups, to enhance the security of government data and applications.
• Enforce host security strategies, including endpoint protection, remote access management, update management, and disk encryption, to ensure robust security for government endpoints.
• Secure container environments using Azure Container Instances, Azure Container Registry, and Azure Kubernetes, tailored for government compliance and security standards.
• Manage secrets and keys securely with Azure Key Vault, ensuring cryptographic material is protected in government applications.
• Implement application security strategies, including app registration, managed identities, and service endpoints, to secure government applications and services.
• Apply storage security measures, such as shared access signatures, blob retention policies, and Azure Files authentication, to protect government data at rest and in transit.
• Enforce database security practices, including authentication, data classification, dynamic data masking, and always encrypted, to safeguard government databases.
• Leverage Azure Monitor for comprehensive monitoring, using connected sources, log analytics, and alerts to maintain visibility and control over government systems.
• Utilize Azure Security Center to manage security policies, recommendations, and just-in-time virtual machine access, ensuring continuous compliance and threat detection for government operations.
• Deploy Azure Sentinel to enhance incident response with workbooks, incidents, and playbooks, providing advanced threat hunting capabilities for government agencies.