Not knowing where to start to ensure a secure and operational base environment is a common issue that companies have when beginning the cloud native journey. Even if all of the people, processes, and technology considerations are aligned, this lack of a landing zone can cause slowdowns or even failure during the early stages of cloud native activities. There are many different aspects that go into creating the base landing zone for future cloud workloads, and this section will cover some of these and how to consider the right approach for individual organizations. 

Typically, a good starting point is to consider the technology aspect and identify the correct configuration of accounts, virtual networks, security posture, logging, and other base decisions. This will ensure that the base landing zone has the company requirements built in, has ample room for growth, and is capable of being designed by the staff's current cloud skills. For some industries, adding an overlay of one or more specific governance models to ensure proper mapping of external controls to the cloud environment will enable proper auditing ability for regulators. These concepts are explored more in the following sections.