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name: cloud-alignment description: Align with cloud architecture frameworks (Microsoft CAF, AWS Well-Architected). Check alignment with pillars, identify gaps. allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep, mcp__microsoft-learn__microsoft_docs_search, mcp__microsoft-learn__microsoft_docs_fetch

Cloud Alignment

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Check alignment with Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF)
• Validate against AWS Well-Architected Framework pillars
• Identify cloud architecture gaps
• Get cloud-specific best practice recommendations

Keywords: cloud adoption framework, caf, well-architected, azure, aws, landing zone, governance, security pillar, reliability, cost optimization, sustainability

Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF)

CAF provides comprehensive guidance for Azure cloud adoption through 7 methodologies:

CAF Methodologies

#	Methodology	Purpose	Key Activities
1	Strategy	Define business justification	Motivations, outcomes, business case
2	Plan	Create adoption plan	Digital estate, skills, timeline
3	Ready	Prepare environment	Landing zones, governance baseline
4	Adopt	Migrate/innovate workloads	Migration waves, modernization
5	Govern	Manage cloud governance	Policies, compliance, cost management
6	Secure	Implement security	Zero trust, identity, data protection
7	Manage	Operate cloud estate	Monitoring, optimization, resilience

CAF Alignment Checklist

Strategy

• Cloud motivations documented
• Business outcomes defined
• Financial considerations addressed
• Technical considerations documented

Plan

• Digital estate assessed
• Skills readiness evaluated
• Cloud adoption plan created
• Azure readiness confirmed

Ready

• Landing zone deployed
• Governance baseline established
• Network topology defined
• Identity management configured

Adopt

• Workload assessment complete
• Migration/modernization approach selected
• Testing and validation plan
• Cutover plan documented

Govern

• Governance policies defined
• Cost management implemented
• Compliance requirements mapped
• Security baselines established

Secure

• Identity and access management
• Network security configured
• Data protection implemented
• Threat protection enabled

Manage

• Monitoring configured
• Backup and recovery tested
• Operations procedures documented
• Optimization practices established

MCP Integration

For current CAF documentation, use the microsoft-learn MCP server:

mcp__microsoft-learn__microsoft_docs_search: "cloud adoption framework [topic]"
mcp__microsoft-learn__microsoft_docs_fetch: [specific URL]

MCP Server Requirement: This skill uses mcp__microsoft-learn__* tools for fetching current Microsoft documentation. If the microsoft-learn MCP server is not configured:

1. Check availability: The skill's allowed-tools includes MCP tools - if unavailable, queries will fail
2. Fallback approach: Use WebSearch or WebFetch to access Microsoft Learn documentation directly at https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/cloud-adoption-framework/
3. Offline reference: The memory/cloud-frameworks/caf-pillars.md file contains static CAF reference content

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AWS Well-Architected Framework

The Well-Architected Framework provides guidance through 6 pillars:

Well-Architected Pillars

Pillar	Focus	Key Questions
Operational Excellence	Run and monitor systems	How do you manage workload and events?
Security	Protect data and systems	How do you manage identities and permissions?
Reliability	Recover from failures	How do you manage service failures?
Performance Efficiency	Use resources efficiently	How do you select appropriate resources?
Cost Optimization	Avoid unnecessary costs	How do you manage usage and cost?
Sustainability	Minimize environmental impact	How do you reduce carbon footprint?

Well-Architected Alignment Checklist

Operational Excellence

• Operations as code implemented
• Documentation maintained
• Small, frequent changes practiced
• Failure procedures tested
• Lessons learned captured

Security

• Strong identity foundation
• Traceability enabled
• Security at all layers
• Risk assessment automated
• Data protected in transit and at rest

Reliability

• Automatic recovery configured
• Recovery procedures tested
• Horizontal scaling enabled
• Capacity planning in place
• Change management automated

Performance Efficiency

• Right-sized resources
• Global reach where needed
• Serverless where appropriate
• Performance monitoring active
• Experimentation enabled

Cost Optimization

• Cloud financial management
• Expenditure awareness
• Cost-effective resources
• Demand management
• Optimization over time

Sustainability

• Region selection for carbon
• Resource efficiency
• Data management practices
• Software efficiency patterns
• Hardware lifecycle management

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Framework Comparison

Aspect	Microsoft CAF	AWS Well-Architected
Scope	End-to-end adoption	Workload design
Structure	7 methodologies	6 pillars
Focus	Journey/transformation	Design principles
Governance	Strong emphasis	Part of security
Sustainability	Part of manage	Dedicated pillar

When to Use Which

• Starting cloud journey: Microsoft CAF (comprehensive adoption guidance)
• Designing workloads: AWS Well-Architected (design review)
• Both: Use CAF for strategy/planning, Well-Architected for implementation

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Cloud Alignment Analysis

Output Structure

# Cloud Alignment Assessment: [System Name]

**Date**: YYYY-MM-DD
**Framework**: [CAF | Well-Architected | Both]
**Cloud Provider**: [Azure | AWS | Multi-cloud]

## Executive Summary
[High-level alignment status]

## Alignment Score

| Area | Status | Score |
| ------ | -------- | ------- |
| [Pillar/Methodology 1] | [Aligned/Partial/Gap] | X/10 |
| [Pillar/Methodology 2] | [Aligned/Partial/Gap] | X/10 |
| ... | ... | ... |

## Detailed Assessment

### [Area 1]
**Status**: [Aligned | Partial | Gap]
**Current state**: [Description]
**Recommendation**: [Action]
**Priority**: [High | Medium | Low]

## Improvement Roadmap
[Prioritized list of improvements]

## References
[Links to relevant framework documentation]

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Integration with Other Skills

• togaf-guidance: Align CAF methodologies with TOGAF phases
• gap-analysis: Use cloud frameworks to identify gaps
• architecture-documentation: Document cloud architecture decisions
• adr-management: Record cloud platform decisions

Version History

• v1.0.0 (2025-12-05): Initial release
  • Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) alignment checklists
  • AWS Well-Architected Framework pillar checklists
  • Framework comparison and guidance
  • MCP integration with fallback documentation

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Last Updated

Date: 2025-12-05 Model: claude-opus-4-5-20251101