Microsoft has been luring Linux players to its Azure cloud, and today the company signed a deal with The Linux Foundation to create the Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) Linux on Azure certification.

The certification will be given to those individuals who pass both the Microsoft Exam 70-533 (Implementing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions) and the Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) exam.

The foundation said in a press statement: The two exams combine Linux administration and Microsoft Azure implementation skills and will demonstrate the candidate’s ability to design, implement and maintain complex cloud-enabled Linux solutions that take advantage of Microsoft Azure’s extensive features and capabilities.

The certification will be issued by Microsoft and will be available starting today, Dec. 9, 2015.

Commenting on this collaboration Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation said, “A Microsoft-issued certification that includes the Linux Foundation Certified SysAdmin exam will most definitely allow professionals to stand apart from their peers and allow them the opportunity to work on the most interesting technologies of our time.”

More than 25% of Microsoft's Azure customers are running Linux. And the company recently signed deal with ‘arch rival’ Red Hat to bring RHEL to Azure, signalling a major shift in the industry. For Microsoft, this certification is another step towards embracing Linux on Azure.

The Linux Foundation and Microsoft work together on many projects and it will be interesting to see if eventually the Windows maker will join the foundation as a member.