AI adoption isn't just about spinning up a model anymore. It's about speed, governance, and trust. In late 2025, Microsoft's playbook for enterprise AI boils down to three words: CAF. Foundry. Landing Zones.
Here's how they fit together—and why this combo is your fastest route from idea to production.
Connect with us on Discord! Join the Code to Cloud community here.
🔍 Why This Matters Now
- AI governance mandates are tightening.
- Generative AI is moving from hype to enterprise scale.
- Microsoft Foundry is the new standard for orchestrating AI agents and Copilot-like experiences.
- Azure AI Landing Zones give you a production-ready environment aligned with Well-Architected principles.
✅ CAF in 60 Seconds
Microsoft's Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) for AI provides a structured journey:
| Stage | What You Do |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Define AI vision, use cases, and Responsible AI principles. |
| Plan | Assess data readiness, skills, and create actionable adoption plans. |
| Ready | Deploy an AI Landing Zone with networking, identity, policies, and PaaS services (Foundry, Azure OpenAI, AI Search, Azure ML). |
| Adopt | Launch pilots (Foundry chat or RAG) and iterate under an AI Center of Excellence. |
| Govern | Enforce AI policies with Azure Policy, RBAC, Purview. |
| Manage | Operate with GenAIOps and MLOps for lifecycle management. |
| Secure | Lock down endpoints, encrypt data, and apply AI-specific threat detection. |
🛠 Architecture Patterns You'll Actually Deploy
- 💬 Foundry-Orchestrated Chat & Agents — Secure, zone-redundant web app + Foundry Agent Service + AI Search.
- 📚 RAG for Enterprise Knowledge — Combine Azure Cognitive Search with OpenAI models for grounded responses.
- 📈 Traditional ML — Azure ML with full MLOps lifecycle.
AI Landing Zone as a Standalone Deployment
The AI Landing Zone is an application landing zone designed to provide an enterprise-scale, production-ready reference architecture with implementation options (Portal, Bicep & Terraform) to deploy secure, resilient AI Apps & Agents on Azure.
Key Highlights:
- Classified as an application landing zone, it acts as a foundation for AI workloads
- Can be deployed with or without a platform landing zone
- Implements CAF AI Scenario guidance (Ready stage)
- Aligns with Azure Well-Architected Framework for AI workloads
- Includes governance controls (Azure Policy, RBAC, cost tagging) and observability (Azure Monitor, Log Analytics)
- Modular design supports generative and non-generative scenarios (RAG, Copilot-like apps, document processing, predictive analytics)
- IaC implementations (Bicep & Terraform) are based on Azure Verified Modules
- Security-first architecture: private networking, managed identities, encryption at rest/in transit
⚡ Fast Path Playbook
- Strategy → Plan: Capture outcomes, data prerequisites, and RAI/SecOps requirements.
- Ready: Deploy AI ALZ (with platform landing zone if available).
- Adopt: Ship a baseline Foundry chat or RAG pilot under GenAIOps.
- Govern/Manage/Secure: Apply policies, monitor costs, and enforce content safety.
🔒 What's New in Late 2025
- Microsoft Foundry replaces older "Azure AI Foundry" branding.
- Baseline Foundry Chat Architecture for enterprise deployments (private networking, zone redundancy).
- GenAIOps guidance for managing generative AI apps at scale.
- AI ALZ GitHub repo with Bicep/Terraform templates built on Azure Verified Modules.
- Migration to Microsoft Agent Framework: Microsoft now recommends moving from Semantic Kernel to the Microsoft Agent Framework for building agentic AI experiences.
📚 Key Resources & Why They Matter
Cloud Adoption Framework – AI Scenario
Microsoft's end-to-end roadmap for AI adoption within CAF. Aligns technical deployment with business goals.
AI Adoption Checklists
Practical stage-by-stage lists for startups vs enterprises. Verify readiness across strategy, skills, governance, and security.
"Create your AI Strategy" Guide
Identify high-value use cases, Responsible AI principles, and choose the right Azure AI services.
"Plan for AI adoption" Guide
Assess data readiness, skill gaps, and create PoCs. Converts vision into actionable steps.
"Ready: AI on Azure platforms (PaaS)"
Architecture guidance for generative AI (Foundry, RAG) and traditional ML. Networking and governance best practices implemented in AI ALZ.
AI Center of Excellence Guide
Organizational governance for AI adoption. Templates for policies, training, and project reviews.
Azure Well-Architected – AI Workloads
Applies Well-Architected pillars (Reliability, Security, Cost Optimization, Operational Excellence, Performance Efficiency) to AI. Ensures AI solutions are secure, resilient, and cost-efficient.
Other Key Links
- Azure Verified Modules
- Microsoft Agent Framework
- AI Landing Zone Templates (Bicep & Terraform)
- AI Landing Zone Checklist
💡 Pro Tip
Want to avoid AI chaos? Start with GenAIOps—it's the backbone for prompt lifecycle, monitoring, and governance.
Connect with us on Discord! Join the Code to Cloud community here.
Thanks for Reading!
We hope this guide helps you accelerate your AI adoption journey with CAF, Microsoft Foundry, and Azure AI Landing Zones.
Ready to dive deeper? Explore the resources above, join the ALZ Community Call, and connect with us on the Code to Cloud Discord to share ideas and learn from peers.
Stay tuned for more insights—your enterprise AI future starts here!
— Code To Cloud