Over the years, we’ve built lots of landing zones, for many clients across many sectors. And we’ve learnt lots of lessons about what it takes to build an effective Azure landing zone. We've seen what works and what doesn’t – and the common pitfalls that can so often disrupt these projects.
As Martin Ferguson, our CTO, says "Landing Zones are more than just a Hub and Spoke topology. Adopting a secure, scalable, standardised landing zone enables your IT department to deliver services that scale, are secure using policy and other native tooling, as well as a centralised Firewall solution, which can all be monitored and managed with ease."
But getting it right is crucial. So, we put our heads together and come up with the 6 most common mistakes organisations make when building an Azure landing zone – and tips on how to avoid them.
1. Insufficient Planning
We have a mantra here at Azured: we plan, we plan, and we plan. But experience has taught us that the planning phase is often rushed, poorly thought out, or completely overlooked in the rush to deploy. Insufficient planning restricts a project’s scalability and flexibility in the long run and can also compromise security (and budgets). It's crucial to allocate enough time to thoroughly outline your project requirements, understand the organisational needs, and forecast future growth. This ensures that the landing zone can scale securely and efficiently as business needs evolve.
2. Lack of Governance
Proper governance is essential for maintaining control over IT costs and operations. Without it, you’re at a heightened risk of non-compliance and potential cost overruns which can spiral out of control very quickly. Establish a governance model that aligns with your organisational goals and compliance needs early in the setup to prevent pain in the future. This framework should include policies for resource usage, cost tracking, and compliance checks.
3. Inadequate Network Design
Network design can make or break the performance and reliability of applications running in the cloud. An inadequate network setup impacts data transfer rates and can increase latency, affecting end-user experience – and nobody wants to be on the receiving end of those tickets. To build a resilient network architecture, focus on components like throughput requirements, redundancy plans, and connectivity options which ensure high availability and performance consistency.
4. Ignoring Security and Identity Requirements
As a Microsoft cloud security business with our feet firmly in the cloud, security is our first and foremost. Security concerns should never be an afterthought. From the beginning, integrate stringent security measures and identity management protocols. Protecting your resources and data means understanding your security posture, implementing strong access controls, and continuously monitoring for vulnerabilities. Our guide to identity and access management, How to avoid the Fate of the Death Star is available if you’d like to find out more about how security features like Single Sign On (SSO) and Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) can help ensure you meet security and identity requirements in the cloud. It's free to download as a PDF.
5. Improper Configuration Management
Landing zones require precise configuration to operate smoothly across different environments. Improper handling can lead to configuration drift and significant operational hurdles. Which can be both painful and expensive. Utilise configuration management tools and practices to maintain uniformity and automate updates and deployments. This streamlines operations and reduces the potential for errors. Phew.
6. Failing to Consider Cost Management
Cost management is pivotal and should be incorporated from the planning phase. To reiterate the point, 70 per cent of organisations claim their public cloud costs are up to 62 per cent higher than they anticipated. Azure provides tools like Cost Management and Billing to track and manage cloud spend efficiently. Adopt practices such as resource tagging and budget alerts to stay ahead of your spending. Continued oversight helps mitigate the risk of exceeding budget and allows for adjustments in resource usage to optimise costs. Our blog Insider expert tips on reducing your Microsoft Azure monthly bill offers more in-depth practical advice to improve cost management within your organisation.
Tackling these common mistakes when planning your Azure landing zone can significantly enhance your cloud infrastructure's efficiency and security. Each element, from planning to cost management, plays a crucial role in building a solid foundation that supports your organisation's objectives and growth.
If you’d like to know more about building a landing zone, or how to avoid the most common mistakes, we’d be happy to help.