I’ve had the chance to work with a bunch of digital native customers — you know, those fast-moving, API-first, cloud-from-day-zero teams building the next big thing. And while no two startups are ever quite the same, I’ve noticed a pattern: the same Azure gotchas pop up again and again.
So I thought, why not write down a quick checklist? Not a 100-page whitepaper. Just the stuff that actually helps — especially if you’re trying to go from MVP chaos to something a little more production-grade.
This isn’t just based on my own experience (though there’s been plenty of that). I’ve pulled together insights from some awesome blog posts and official docs to consolidate the essentials into one simple checklist. Let’s jump in!
Identity & Access: First thing to get right
Start here. Trust me, cleaning up Entra ID and access controls after you scale is a nightmare.
- Use Microsoft Entra ID as your single source of truth.
- Ditch the “Owner” role everywhere. Implement RBAC properly.
- Use Managed Identities instead of storing secrets in your code. It’s cleaner, safer, and modern.
- PIM (Privileged Identity Management) is your friend. Turn it on.
Extra reading:
Demystifying Entra Tenants and Subscriptions
From Zero to Hero: Identity in AKS
Networking & Security: You can't secure what you can’t see
Yes, even if you're “just prototyping.” Flat networks and open ports will haunt you later.
- Set up your VNets, subnets, NSGs with actual thought.
- Plan out VNet architecture — even if you think “we’re just testing stuff.”
- Turn on Defender for Cloud. The free plan gives you a lot already.
- Use Azure Firewall and DDoS protection where it makes sense.
- Lock down public IPs, use private endpoints when you can.
- Set up Key Vault + Managed Identity — even for “just a demo.”
Bonus:
Building a Secure & Scalable Foundation
AKS Networking Guide — bookmark this one.
Resource Management: Don’t be that team with 243 unnamed resources
I once worked with a customer who had 15 “rg-dev-test-temp” resource groups. No one knew who owned them. Chaos.
- Follow a resource organization strategy. Management groups. Subscriptions. Do it.
- Use tags everywhere. Tag by owner, environment, cost center — whatever helps. No exceptions.
Cost & FinOps: Avoid billing surprises (and awkward CFO convos)
You will get burned if you don’t track costs. It’s not “extra work” — it’s survival.
- Azure Cost Management is free. Use it.
- Set budgets + alerts. Even if it’s just $10 over, that’s your early warning system.
- Use Azure Advisor regularly. It's free. It’s there. It’s helpful. Just do it.
- Check out those “hidden” optimizations — Reservations, Spot, Savings Plans.
- Learn FinOps basics from this toolkit
Also:
Slash Your Azure Bill – Tips for Startups
Monitoring & Observability: MELT is not just a buzzword
You need to know what’s happening — before your customers do.
- Enable Azure Monitor and Service + Resource Health.
- Use Workbooks to make dashboards that are actually useful.
- Set up advanced alerts.
- MELT = Metrics, Events, Logs, Traces. Here’s a good read: MELT in Azure
Infrastructure as Code: No, clicking around in the portal isn’t “agile”
- Use Bicep, ARM, or Terraform — not the portal. (Unless you're debugging.)
- Plug it into CI/CD. Infra pipelines are a thing. Use them.
- Add Azure Landing Zones for structure, governance, and scale-readiness — even if you’re small. They scale with you.
AKS & App Architecture: Because most of y’all are running Kubernetes anyway
- Start here: AKS Guide for Startups
- Learn about storage, upgrades, identity, and cluster models.
- Add monitoring with Azure Monitor features for Kubernetes
- And please, for the love of uptime, use the best practices for AKS
Azure OpenAI (AOAI): Because GenAI is everywhere now
- Start with this gem: AOAI Best Practices
- Follow this doc if you’re using your own data
- Familiarize yourself with how Azure OpenAI processes and stores data.
- Watch out for data residency, concurrency, and cost — especially at scale
Bonus: AWS background? Here's your Rosetta Stone
Final thought
This isn’t about checking every box on day one. It’s about having a clear, shared view of what “mature” looks like on Azure — for founders, devs, ops, finance, and even the intern shipping ARM templates on day three.
Save this list. Bookmark it. Share it with your team. Better yet, build your own version and make it yours.
Got a checklist you use or a tip you love? I’d seriously love to hear it.
Let’s build smart, not just fast.
Microsoft