After this course you can decide whether AKS Automatic or AKS Standard suits your project and build a cluster accordingly. You will plan node pools and networking, control access through Microsoft Entra ID, attach storage, roll out applications with Helm and keep operations stable through monitoring and upgrades. It suits you if you already know the basics of Kubernetes and are responsible for container workloads on Azure, whether in a platform team or in development.
What you’ll take away.
- Compare AKS Automatic and AKS Standard against specific requirements
- Plan node pools, namespaces and storage to suit your workloads
- Control access with Microsoft Entra ID, Kubernetes RBAC and Workload Identity
- Scale applications and nodes with HPA, KEDA and the cluster autoscaler
- Monitor clusters with Container Insights and Managed Prometheus, and keep them upgraded
Your training in detail
- Who is it for?
- Platform and cloud administrators, and development teams, who run containerised applications on Azure.
- Prerequisites
- You understand containers and Kubernetes basics such as pods and deployments, and have worked with Azure resources and the command line.
- Format & planning
- Standard length: 5 training days. A different length can be arranged for companies.
Agenda: from understanding to application
Our independently developed agenda proposal. Focus areas, lab environment and scope are agreed before booking.
AKS architecture: control plane, nodes and shared responsibility with Azure
Cluster modes, node pools and the node resource group
Networking: CNI options, ingress and application routing
Identity and security: Entra ID, RBAC, Azure Policy and Workload Identity
Persistent storage with Azure Disks and Azure Files
Deployment with Helm and automatic scaling
Monitoring, upgrades and cost optimisation
You deploy a multi-part application to an AKS Standard cluster, separate system and user node pools, expose it through ingress and test under load whether autoscaling behaves as planned.
Exams, licences & credentials
This course does not prepare you for a specific vendor exam and does not lead to a Microsoft certificate. This is not an official Microsoft course.
Vendor references & review date
Sources checked on 2026-11-04. These sources describe the technology or external exam requirements. They do not imply a partnership with NextNowa.
Your learning content
These objectives describe the training topic. The specific syllabus, dates and trainer are agreed before booking; the written offer is binding.
Frequently asked questions
AKS Automatic or AKS Standard: which does the course cover?
Both modes. Automatic takes many operational tasks off your hands, while Standard gives you more control over nodes and networking. You learn when each one makes sense.
Do I need prior Kubernetes knowledge?
Yes. The course assumes you know basics such as pods, deployments and services, and concentrates on running them in Azure.
Does Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS): building, securing and running clusters include a certificate?
This course does not prepare you for a specific vendor exam and does not lead to a Microsoft certificate. This is not an official Microsoft course.