Cloud Design SOP¶

Sub-procedure for Innovate pillar digital transformation

Overview¶

This sub-procedure defines the process for designing target cloud architectures that meet performance, security, compliance, and cost requirements. It covers landing zone design, network architecture, security controls, and operational framework design.

Scope¶

Pillar: Innovate (Digital Transformation) Service Area: Cloud Architecture Parent SOP: Cloud Migration SOP

Prerequisites¶

Cloud Assessment completed with approved findings
Business requirements documented and prioritized
Compliance requirements identified (HIPAA, SOC 2, PCI, etc.)
Budget parameters established
Cloud provider selected (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Architecture decision makers identified

Procedure¶

Step 1: Requirements Synthesis¶

Objective: Translate assessment findings into design requirements

Review assessment deliverables and cloud readiness scores
Document functional requirements by workload
Define non-functional requirements:
Performance (latency, throughput, IOPS)
Availability (RTO, RPO, uptime SLA)
Security (encryption, access control, network segmentation)
Compliance (regulatory controls, audit requirements)
Establish cost targets and optimization criteria
Identify integration requirements with on-premises systems

Duration: 2-3 days Owner: Cloud Architect

Step 2: Landing Zone Design¶

Objective: Design multi-account/subscription foundation

Define account/subscription structure:
Organizational hierarchy
Environment separation (dev, staging, production)
Workload isolation boundaries
Design identity and access management:
Federation with existing identity providers
Role-based access control (RBAC) model
Privileged access management
Establish governance framework:
Tagging strategy
Policy enforcement (SCPs, Azure Policy)
Cost allocation model

Duration: 3-4 days Owner: Cloud Architect

Step 3: Network Architecture Design¶

Objective: Design secure, performant network topology

Design VPC/VNet architecture:
CIDR planning and IP address management
Subnet segmentation strategy
Availability zone distribution
Plan connectivity:
Hybrid connectivity (VPN, Direct Connect, ExpressRoute)
Internet egress strategy
Cross-region connectivity (if applicable)
Design network security:
Security groups and NACLs
Network segmentation and micro-segmentation
DDoS protection
Web application firewall placement
Document traffic flows and routing

Duration: 3-4 days Owner: Cloud Architect / Network Specialist

Step 4: Security Controls Design¶

Objective: Define security architecture aligned with requirements

Design data protection:
Encryption at rest (KMS, key management)
Encryption in transit (TLS, certificate management)
Data classification enforcement
Define monitoring and logging:
Centralized logging architecture
SIEM integration
Security monitoring and alerting
Plan compliance controls:
Regulatory control mapping
Audit trail requirements
Evidence collection automation
Design incident response capabilities

Duration: 2-3 days Owner: Security Architect

Step 5: Compute and Storage Design¶

Objective: Design workload hosting infrastructure

Define compute strategy:
Instance sizing and selection
Auto-scaling policies
Container orchestration (if applicable)
Serverless opportunities
Design storage architecture:
Storage tier selection (performance vs. cost)
Backup and snapshot strategy
Data lifecycle policies
Plan database architecture:
Managed vs. self-managed databases
High availability configuration
Disaster recovery design

Duration: 2-3 days Owner: Cloud Architect

Step 6: Operational Design¶

Objective: Design operational framework for cloud management

Define monitoring and observability:
Metrics collection and dashboards
Log aggregation and analysis
Distributed tracing (if applicable)
Design automation framework:
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) approach
CI/CD integration
Configuration management
Plan operational procedures:
Change management process
Incident management integration
Patch management approach
Define cost management:
Budget alerts and governance
Reserved capacity planning
Cost optimization automation

Duration: 2-3 days Owner: Cloud Architect / DevOps Lead

Step 7: Architecture Documentation and Review¶

Objective: Document and validate architecture

Create architecture documentation:
High-level architecture diagram
Detailed component diagrams
Network flow diagrams
Security architecture diagram
Document Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)
Conduct architecture review:
Internal technical review
Security review
Client stakeholder review
Obtain architecture approval

Duration: 3-4 days Owner: Engagement Lead

Deliverables¶

Deliverable	Format	Owner
Target Architecture Document	Word/PDF (20-40 pages)	Cloud Architect
Architecture Diagrams	Visio/Draw.io/Lucidchart	Cloud Architect
Network Design Document	Word/PDF	Network Specialist
Security Architecture Document	Word/PDF	Security Architect
Landing Zone Specification	Word/PDF + IaC templates	Cloud Architect
Architecture Decision Records	Markdown	Cloud Architect
Cost Estimate	Excel	Cloud Architect

Quality Gates¶

All functional and non-functional requirements addressed
Security controls mapped to compliance requirements
Network design reviewed by security team
Cost estimate validated against budget parameters
High availability and DR requirements met
Architecture diagrams complete and accurate
Internal architecture review completed
Client architecture approval obtained

Design Principles¶

Principle	Description
Well-Architected	Follow cloud provider Well-Architected Framework
Security by Design	Security embedded, not bolted on
Cost Optimization	Right-sizing and reserved capacity planning
Operational Excellence	Automation and observability first
Reliability	Multi-AZ, fault-tolerant design
Performance	Appropriate service selection and scaling

Last Updated: February 2026