Network Automation With Infrastructure as Code: The Benefits
IT infrastructure management hasn’t always been easy. System administrators, at one time, had to manually configure and manage all the software and hardware needed for applications to run.
In the recent past, though, dramatic changes have come. Cloud computing and other trends have improved—and revolutionized—the way companies maintain, develop, and design their IT infrastructure. A crucial component of these changes is known as infrastructure as code or IaC, and it’s changing the way companies automate their networks. Here, readers will learn what IaC is, how to use it, and the problems it solves.
Infrastructure as Code: What Is It?
Before getting into a list of IaC best practices and benefits, one must first learn what it is. Infrastructure as code is defined as the process of provisioning and managing data centers through definition files that are machine-readable rather than using interactive or physical hardware configuration methods. Why would companies want to manage their IT infrastructure with configuration files? That question will be answered below.
Problems Solved With Infrastructure as Code
Now that we have explained what IaC is let’s learn why it’s so important. Historically, IT infrastructure management was a tedious, time-consuming process that required the manual placement of servers. Afterward, those machines were configured to the settings required by applications and the operating system. Not only was this process cumbersome, but it also created numerous problems.
The cost was a primary concern, as companies would have to hire hardware maintenance technicians, network engineers, and other professionals at various points. That created additional overhead and made internal communications more complex—which in turn increased costs.
Availability and scalability are some of the biggest concerns in the corporate IT world. Because the manual configuration is slow, applications would encounter difficulties at times of peak demand, while administrators would scramble to set up servers that could accommodate the spike in usage. When organizations don’t have data centers or backup servers, crucial applications may be unavailable for extended periods.
Another major issue is performance visibility and monitoring. Once the infrastructure is in place, how can users monitor it to ensure optimal performance? When issues arise, how are they detected? With infrastructure as code, there are no blind spots—and it’s easier to get a more complete look at the performance of the company’s IT infrastructure. In the sections below, we’ll outline the benefits of IaC.
Speed and Simplicity
Speed is one of the most significant benefits of infrastructure as code. IaC allows users to quickly set up IT infrastructures by running scripts. It can be done for various environments, such as development, production, staging, quality assurance, and more. IaC makes the software development life cycle more efficient.
Consistency
Manual processes bring mistakes, even under the best of circumstances. Infrastructure as code solves those problems by having the configuration files be the only reference. That way, it’s guaranteed that identical configurations will be repeatedly deployed, with no errors.
Cost Reduction
Another big benefit of IaC is the reduction in infrastructure management cost. No longer will companies have to spend on hardware, hire people to run it, and rent or build data centers to store it. IaC also brings more subtle cost-cutting benefits. By employing automation strategies, owners allow their engineers to spend less time performing menial tasks—and spend more time on the jobs that matter most.
Save Money and Time with Infrastructure as Code
IaC is an integral part of DevOps. If cloud computing is the first step in solving most manual IT management problems, it’s safe to say that infrastructure as code is a logical progression. IaC maximizes the potential of cloud computing by freeing developers and others from performing error-prone manual tasks. Additionally, it reduces costs and increases efficiency at every stage in the software development cycle. With these and other benefits, it’s easy to see why so many of today’s companies are adopting infrastructure as code.
