Azure Cloud Tenant Foundation

Project Objective

This project aims to build a secure, scalable, and well-governed Azure Cloud Tenant Foundation by implementing Microsoft’s Well-Architected Framework (WAF) and aligning with the Center for Internet Security (CIS) Framework. Additionally, the project involves setting up an Azure Landing Zone using Terraform Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to ensure automated, consistent, and compliant deployment of cloud environments.

High Level Project Implementation Steps

1. Azure Tenant Setup & Configuration
   • Initial tenant configuration, including directory services integration (Azure AD).
   • Setting up billing and cost management
2. Management Group Hierarchy
   • Defining a hierarchical structure of Management Groups to organize subscriptions and apply policies at different levels (e.g., Root, Environment (Prod, Dev, Test), Department).
     • Root Management Group (Organization Level)
     • Landing Zone Groups (Production, Dev/Test, Sandbox)
     • Workload Subscriptions (Networking, Security, Application)
3. Subscription Management
   • Creating and associating subscriptions with appropriate Management Groups.
   • Implementing subscription tagging standards for resource organization and costtracking.
4. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
   • Defining and assigning RBAC roles to users and groups based on the principle of least privilege
5. Azure Policy Implementation
   • Defining and assigning Azure Policies to enforce compliance with CIS benchmarks and organizational policies.
   • Implementing policies for:
     • Resource naming conventions.
     • Allowed resource types and SKUs.
     • Network security (e.g., NSG rules, subnet configuration).
     • Data encryption (e.g., disk encryption, storage account encryption).
     • Access control (RBAC).
     • Logging and monitoring.
   • Utilizing Azure Policy for regulatory compliance
6. Logging and Monitoring:
   • Configuring Azure Monitor and Log Analytics for centralized logging and monitoring.
   • Setting up alerts for critical events and performance thresholds.
7. Security Hardening (CIS Benchmarks):
   • Implementing security best practices aligned with CIS benchmarks for Azure resources.
8. Cost Optimization
   • Implementing cost management tools and techniques.
   • Setting up budget alerts and cost analysis dashboards.
   • Utilizing reserved instances and other cost-saving mechanisms.
9. Azure Landing Zone Design and Implementation (Terraform)
   • Defining the core infrastructure components of the Landing Zone using Terraform:
     • Virtual Network (VNet) and subnets.
     • Network Security Groups (NSGs).
     • Azure Firewall (optional, depending on requirements).
     • Route Tables and User-Defined Routes (UDRs).
     • Key Vault for secrets management.
     • Resource Tagging
     • Log Analytics Workspace and Azure Monitor.
     • Storage Accounts for logging and other purposes.
     • Resource Groups for logical organization.
     • Apply consistent naming conventions & cost management tags.
   • Implementing Terraform modules for reusable infrastructure components.
   • Setting up a CI/CD pipeline for Terraform deployments.

Architecture Design