Without a Solid Azure Landing Zone, You Lack a Strong Foundation

That should be the starting point for any organization. Why? First of all, scalability and flexibility are key. Next, you want to be able to innovate. And of course, there’s no organization for which cost efficiency isn’t crucial. In that sense, an Azure landing zone is a must.

But what exactly should you picture when you hear “landing zone”? What specific benefits does it bring? And how do you keep your landing zone healthy?

What is an Azure Landing Zone?

The term already gives it away: an Azure landing zone is a structured, efficient, and secure environment within Microsoft Azure where you deploy your workloads and applications.

Microsoft has developed standards for this, bundled in the Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF). Within CAF, you’ll find different types of landing zones, including:

• Platform landing zones: the technical foundation (think connectivity, identity, security, and management).

• Application landing zones: the environments where your applications are ultimately developed and run.

What does a good Azure landing zone deliver?

As mentioned earlier, your landing zone is the foundation. Without it, chaos emerges: over time, your environment grows into a messy collection of resources.

With a strong landing zone, you work consistently, securely, and at scale from day one. In practice, this means you gain advantages such as:

• Centralized governance and authorization: through a clear management group structure, you bring all your Azure subscriptions under one umbrella. This gives you full visibility into who has access to what, while also enabling you to enforce organizational policies (for example: “These resources may only be deployed in Europe.”).

• Seamless FinOps implementation: by separating applications per workload, you can clearly track which team is responsible for which Azure costs. This makes your financial overview transparent.

• Streamlined monitoring: with everything well-structured and separated, you detect and resolve anomalies or issues more quickly.

How do you keep your Azure landing zone healthy?

A good start is half the battle. But that doesn’t mean you can ignore your landing zone after implementation. You need to stay sharp on maintenance and make adjustments quickly when needed. That’s why it’s important to ensure:

Reactive monitoring
Set up alerts so you can act immediately in case of incidents. Did someone accidentally open a port? You’ll want to be notified right away so you can take action.

Proactive checks
Run regular operational checks. Is your backup still functioning properly? Is governance being followed as intended? Is there room for cost optimization?

It’s wise to review your environment and roadmap once or twice a month with a cloud architect. This way, you spot inconsistencies early and keep control over an environment that’s constantly evolving. Plus, you can proactively respond to new Microsoft developments that are relevant for your organization.