Azure Landing Zone

The confusion: There are two kinds of landing zones, the Azure Landing Zone and the Application Landing Zone. I think for the second, the term landing zone should be changed to not confuse people anymore.

The Azure Landing Zone - This is most of the times a company-wide (one time) base infrastructure that companies use to allow workloads to safely land on the cloud environment. Is contains a bunch of policies, some networking and firewalling and then routing to for the workloads that integrate in the landingzone. But... There are lots of options here, and you could expand the landing zone to facilitate messaging for example, to allow services to communicate with eachother. Therefore there is no fixed configuration for a landing zone, because each and every implementation is very different.

The Application Landing Zone - Is somewhat similar to the Azure Landing Zone, except for the scope. This landing zone is scoped to a single application, meaning that this landing zone contains the base infrastructure for a single applications. Let's say you have an application hosted with Microservices, the application landing zone will contain shared configuration, shared cache, and all other resources that are shared between these services. All resources that belong to a single service, sit right next to that service in the same Resource Group as it shares the same lifecycle of that service.

Landing Zone Types

Building a Secure and Scalable Azure Landing Zone: Best Practices and Insights

Foundational Landing Zone

Foundational Landing Zones provide a baseline environment with essential components for organizations new to Azure or starting their cloud journey. It focuses on establishing core infrastructure elements such as networking, identity, security, and management services.

Use Case

Ideal for organizations beginning their cloud adoption journey or those looking for a standardized, secure, and scalable environment to deploy workloads and applications in Azure.

Features:

• Core networking setup (virtual networks, subnets)
• Basic identity and access management (Azure Active Directory)
• Fundamental security controls (network security groups, encryption)
• Basic resource management (provisioning, monitoring)

Enterprise Landing Zone

Enterprise Landing Zones are more advanced and customizable environments tailored to meet specific organizational requirements, governance policies, and compliance standards. It provides additional features and capabilities for large enterprises or organizations with complex IT environments.

Use Case

Suited for large enterprises or organizations with specific regulatory compliance, security, or governance requirements. It offers flexibility and customization options to align with organizational standards and best practices.

Features:

• Advanced networking configurations (multiple regions, hybrid connectivity)
• Enhanced identity and access management (role-based access control, multi-factor authentication)
• Robust security controls (advanced threat detection, data loss prevention)
• Comprehensive resource management (automation, policy enforcement, cost optimization)

Key Design Principles for Landing Zone

 Here Are Key Design Principles:

• Networking
• Identity Management
• Governance
• Security
• Management

How To Deploy Using Azure Portal?

Azure Portal:

Overview: Deploying Landing Zones using the Azure Portal involves manually configuring and provisioning resources within Azure through its web-based interface.

Evaluation:

• Pros: Offers a straightforward approach for smaller deployments or those who prefer a more hands-on approach. Provides flexibility and control over configurations.
• Cons: Less automated and scalable compared to other methods. May be time-consuming and prone to human error for larger or more complex deployments.

Deploying Landing Zones using the Azure Portal involves manually configuring and provisioning resources within Azure to establish the foundational infrastructure environment.

While this method may not be as automated or scalable as using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates or Terraform, it provides a straightforward approach for smaller deployments or for those who prefer a more hands-on approach.

Here’s a general overview of the process:

1 - Prepare

Before you begin deploying resources in the Azure Portal, it's essential to have a clear understanding of your organization's requirements, including networking, identity, security, and compliance needs. Ensure that you have the necessary permissions and access to create resources within your Azure subscription.

2 - Sign in to the Azure Portal

Log in to the Azure Portal using your Azure account credentials.

3 - Create Resource Groups

Resource groups are logical containers that hold related Azure resources. Create one or more resource groups to organize the resources for your Landing Zone deployment. Navigate to "Resource groups" in the Azure Portal and click "Add" to create a new resource group.

4 - Deploy Networking Resources

Configure networking resources such as virtual networks (VNets), subnets, and network security groups (NSGs) to establish the network infrastructure for your Landing Zone. Navigate to "Virtual networks" in the Azure Portal to create a new VNet and associated subnets.

5 - Set Up Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Configure Azure Active Directory (AAD) for identity management, including user accounts, groups, and roles. Assign appropriate permissions and access controls to users and groups based on their roles within the organization. Navigate to "Azure Active Directory" in the Azure Portal to manage users, groups, and roles.

6 - Enable Security Controls

Implement security controls such as encryption, threat detection, and monitoring solutions to protect resources and data within your Landing Zone. Configure security settings for virtual machines, storage accounts, and other Azure services to ensure compliance with security best practices.

7 - Deploy Core Services

Deploy core services such as Azure Policy, Azure Monitor, and Azure Security Center to enforce governance, monitoring, and security controls across your Landing Zone. Navigate to the respective services in the Azure Portal to configure and enable these features.

8 - Monitor and Manage

Once your Landing Zone resources are deployed, monitor and manage them regularly to ensure they are functioning as expected. Use Azure Monitor and Azure Security Center to monitor resource performance, detect security threats, and remediate issues as needed.

Note

While deploying Landing Zones using the Azure Portal offers a more manual approach compared to using IaC tools, it provides flexibility and control over the configuration and provisioning of resources within your Azure environment.