Learning tips for a small business Admin planning a migration to the Microsoft Cloud

Are you a small business (SME) Admin planning to move your on-prem server-based infrastructure to the Microsoft Cloud? If so, you're in the same position I was in 12 months ago. We're now reaching the end of our M365 migration, utilising the security and management features included with Microsoft's Business Premium licence.

To get to this point, I've spent much of the last year trawling the internet, trying to learn and retain as much information as possible. To make life a little easier for those starting a similar project, I've listed six learning tips that have served me well:

1. Get YouTube Premium (the first 3 months are free). YouTube is great resource for learning, but your patience will wear thin if you're forced to watch adverts every few minutes. Trust me, this is worth every penny.

2. Find content creators who resonate with you. A YouTube channel may provide great technical content, but if you don't enjoy the presentation style or delivery method, you won't make it through the videos or retain the information. These are the people who make learning easier for me:

Peter Rising (MVP) - detailed educational videos including expert demos, deep dives, exam guides and essential Microsoft 365 and Azure tips.

https://www.youtube.com/@peterrisingM365 

Jonathon Edwards (MVP) - fantastic demo's covering all aspects of Microsoft 365 - apps, security and administration.

https://www.youtube.com/@bearded365guy

Pete Zerger @ Inside Cloud and Security - Superb exam cram videos available for a variety of Microsoft 365 certifications.

https://www.youtube.com/@InsideCloudAndSecurity

Wayne Chapin @ Xerillion - a business-centric approach to helping Admins and IT managers understand the benefits and capabilities of Microsoft 365.

https://www.youtube.com/@Xerillion

Andy Malone (MVP) - learn and master key components of M365 administration and security.

https://www.youtube.com/@AndyMaloneMVP

Dougie Wood (MVP) - SharePoint made easy. Create attractive, secure SharePoint sites without the need for third party products.

https://www.youtube.com/@Dougie_Wood

3. Look beyond YouTube.

Microsoft Learn - read the documentation, learn the specifics and test your knowledge at your own pace. Also a great way to demonstrate your learning commitment to potential employers.

Udemy - John Christopher @ ExamLabPractice has many in-depth M365/Azure courses available on Udemy, all for £15 or less. These consist of several hours of video tuition with hands-on labs included. These courses are frequently updated to reflect changes in terminology and portal design.

LinkedIn Learning - there are thousands of courses available covering all aspects of Microsoft 365 and Azure. Your first month is free.

Quizlet - if flashcards are your thing, you can create your own (or use those created by others) to help you prepare for Microsoft exams.

4. Create a test tenant. If you don't have access to a Microsoft 365 tenant, or you don't want to risk making changes to your organisation's tenant, create your own. Microsoft provide a free 30 day trial of their top tier E5 licencing, equipping you with 25 licences to assign to fictional users. You can then test your Conditional Access policies without fear of locking your users out of M365. Just be sure cancel your subscription before the 30 day trial expires so you don't incur any charges. You can always sign-up for an additional trial using a different email address.

5. Ask Copilot. Copilot doesn't just create images of squirrels driving tanks against a psychedelic sky... it can provide detailed answers, simplify complex concepts and convert the results from paragraphs into tables. It can even create practice tests based on the questions you've asked. You may find it more effective than Google search.

6. Consider certifications. Once you've mastered the basics, decide which certifications you might want to work towards. Even if you don't intend taking the exams, following the study-guides will make you a more competent M365 Administrator. The examples listed below are the certifications I've been working towards.

If you're new to Microsoft certifications, the Fundamental (Beginner) courses are a good way to familiarise yourself with the exam conditions and question structure:

SC-900: Security, Compliance and Identity Fundamentals

AZ-900: Azure Fundamentals

The next stage is the Associate (Intermediate) and Expert (Advanced) levels. At this point you may identify specific areas that match your career ambitions:

MD-102: Endpoint Administrator Associate

SC-300: Identity and Access Administrator Associate

MS-102: Microsoft 365 Administrator Expert (see Peter Rising's playlist for a detailed study-guide walkthrough)

There's a lot for the IT Generalist to master and my learning journey is still in its infancy. For anyone at the very start of this process. hopefully a bit of direction will prove useful!