A cloud account without a foundation is a security incident waiting to happen. ALINEDS builds well-architected cloud landing zones for government and regulated organizations - the secure, governed base your workloads land in, with identity, network, guardrails, and policy set up right before the first workload arrives. Following cloud providers' well-architected guidance and a multi-account structure, we give you a cloud environment that's secure and compliant by default, so teams can move fast without drifting out of policy.
Why it matters
Most cloud security and cost problems are baked in at the start - accounts created ad hoc, no guardrails, identity and network improvised. For public agencies, that foundation decides whether the whole cloud estate is compliant or a growing liability. A well-architected landing zone puts the security, governance, and structure in place first, so everything built on it inherits good defaults instead of accumulating risk.
What you get
Well-architected landing zone
We build a secure, multi-account/subscription cloud foundation to provider best practice.
Identity & access foundation
We set up centralized identity, least-privilege access, and role structure.
Network & segmentation
We design secure networking and segmentation for the environment.
Guardrails & policy
We put automated policy guardrails in place - so misconfigurations are caught or blocked automatically and resources stay compliant by default, without relying on manual review.
Governance & cost controls
We add tagging, budgets, and governance so the estate stays organized and on-budget.
Compliant baseline
We align the foundation to NIST 800-53, FedRAMP, and GovRAMP from day one.
How it works
Assess
Understand your workloads, compliance needs, and cloud provider.
Design
Design the landing zone - accounts, identity, network, guardrails.
Build
Implement the foundation with automated guardrails and policy.
Enable
Hand off a governed environment your teams can build on.
Where it fits
New cloud adoption
Stand up a secure foundation before migrating or building anything.
Fixing an ungoverned cloud estate
Retrofit structure, guardrails, and governance onto sprawling accounts.
Multi-account / subscription structure
Organize workloads into a secure, well-architected account model.
Compliance baseline
Establish a FedRAMP/GovRAMP-aligned foundation for regulated workloads.
Landing zone for a regulated workload
Stand up an isolated, compliant foundation for a specific FedRAMP/GovRAMP or CJIS-bound system.
Key distinctions
Well-architected landing zone vs. ad-hoc cloud accounts
| Aspect | Landing zone | Ad-hoc accounts |
|---|---|---|
| Security | Compliant by default | Improvised, gaps |
| Structure | Multi-account, organized | Sprawl |
| Guardrails | Automated policy | None |
| Cost control | Governed | Surprise bills |
| Scale | Adds workloads safely | Risk grows with size |
Compliance & security
Compliant by default, from day one
Landing zones are built to NIST 800-53, FedRAMP, and GovRAMP baselines, with identity, encryption, network segmentation, and automated policy guardrails in place before workloads arrive. Compliance is the default state of the environment, not a later remediation.
- NIST 800-53
- FedRAMP
- GovRAMP
- NIST CSF 2.0
Key terms
- Landing zone
- A pre-configured, secure, governed cloud environment that workloads are deployed into.
- Well-architected framework
- Cloud providers' best-practice guidance for secure, reliable, cost-effective cloud design.
- Guardrails
- Automated policies that keep cloud resources within security and compliance boundaries.
Frequently asked
What is a cloud landing zone?
A pre-built, secure, governed cloud environment - identity, network, guardrails, and policy set up right - that your workloads deploy into.
Why do we need one before migrating?
Because the foundation decides whether everything you build is secure and compliant or accumulates risk. Setting it up first is far cheaper than retrofitting.
What are guardrails?
Automated policies that keep cloud resources within security and compliance boundaries - so teams can move fast without drifting out of policy.
We already have cloud accounts that grew ad hoc - can you help?
Yes. We retrofit structure, guardrails, and governance onto existing sprawl to bring it under control.
Which clouds do you build landing zones for?
AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, following each provider's well-architected guidance.
How does a landing zone control cost?
Through tagging, budgets, and governance built into the foundation, so spend stays visible and on-budget.
Does the foundation meet government compliance requirements?
Yes - we align to NIST 800-53, FedRAMP, and GovRAMP baselines from day one.
How long does it take to stand up a landing zone?
It depends on scope and compliance needs, but because it's built from proven, well-architected patterns rather than from scratch, a foundation is typically in place well before the first workloads migrate.