AWS Landing Zone
AWS Landing Zone: A Complete Guide for Australian Businesses
Discover how AWS Landing Zone provides a secure, scalable foundation for your cloud infrastructure, with best practices tailored for Australian startups and regulated industries.
CloudPoint Team
When migrating to AWS or starting a new cloud initiative, one of the most critical decisions is how to structure your AWS environment. An AWS Landing Zone provides a secure, scalable, and well-architected foundation that grows with your business.
What is an AWS Landing Zone?
An AWS Landing Zone is a pre-configured, secure, multi-account AWS environment based on AWS best practices. It provides a starting point that includes:
- Multi-account structure with AWS Organizations
- Identity and access management configurations
- Centralised logging and monitoring
- Network architecture with VPCs and connectivity
- Security guardrails and compliance controls
Why Australian Businesses Need a Landing Zone
For Australian startups and organisations in regulated industries like healthcare, finance, and government, a properly configured Landing Zone is essential:
Compliance Ready: Built-in controls for ISM, and Privacy Act compliance Cost Optimisation: Centralised billing and cost allocation from day one Security First: Defense-in-depth architecture protecting your data Scalability: Designed to grow from startup to enterprise scale
Core Components of a Landing Zone
1. Account Structure
A typical Landing Zone includes:
- Management Account: Centralised billing and organization management
- Security Account: Centralised security tooling and logging
- Network Account: Shared networking resources
- Workload Accounts: Development, staging, and production environments
2. Identity Foundation
Centralised identity management using AWS IAM Identity Center (formerly SSO), enabling:
- Single sign-on across all accounts
- Role-based access control
- MFA enforcement
- Integration with existing identity providers
3. Network Architecture
A hub-and-spoke network design providing:
- Isolation between environments
- Centralised egress and ingress controls
- VPN or Direct Connect connectivity
- DNS management
4. Security and Governance
Automated security controls including:
- AWS Config rules for compliance monitoring
- CloudTrail for audit logging
- GuardDuty for threat detection
- Security Hub for centralised security findings
Implementation Approach
At CloudPoint, we implement Landing Zones using a phased approach:
Phase 1: Design - Understanding your requirements, compliance needs, and growth projections
Phase 2: Foundation - Setting up core accounts, networking, and security controls
Phase 3: Migration - Moving existing workloads or deploying new applications
Phase 4: Optimisation - Fine-tuning costs, security, and operational processes
AWS Control Tower vs Custom Landing Zone
AWS Control Tower provides a pre-packaged Landing Zone solution, ideal for:
- Organizations new to AWS
- Standard compliance requirements
- Rapid deployment needs
A custom Landing Zone is better when you need:
- Specific compliance frameworks
- Complex networking requirements
- Integration with existing infrastructure
- Unique organizational structures
Getting Started
Implementing a Landing Zone is a strategic investment that pays dividends in security, compliance, and operational efficiency. Whether you’re just starting your AWS journey or looking to consolidate existing accounts, a well-designed Landing Zone is your foundation for success.
Ready to build your AWS Landing Zone? Contact CloudPoint for a complimentary architecture review tailored to your business needs.
Ready to Build Your AWS Landing Zone?
CloudPoint delivers secure, scalable multi-account AWS foundations in weeks—not months. Get in touch to discuss your requirements and see how a properly architected landing zone can accelerate your cloud journey.