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The 7 Biggest Benefits of Infrastructure as Code

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The 7 Biggest Benefits of Infrastructure as Code
Author: Duplo Cloud Editor | Tuesday, December 6 2022
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For modern cloud applications, Infrastructure as Code levels up every stage of the development pipeline to give critical business processes a boost. Here’s how.

Automation is almost always considered a business benefit in and of itself. But automation through Infrastructure as Code unlocks benefits that work together to level up any DevOps department. 

You could reduce unnecessary risk and costs or increase accountability and efficiency. The bottom line is that replacing redundant manual processes with an efficient Infrastructure as Code strategy is a boon for businesses of all kinds. 

In this article, we’ll examine seven of the most important benefits of Infrastructure as Code. Every company should carefully consider them. 

Key Takeaways 

  1. Infrastructure as Code delivers consistency, security, and scalability across every stage of the development lifecycle. 
  2. DuploCloud simplifies and accelerates IaC adoptions with a low-code/no-code platform that automates 90% of the manual work. 
  3. Teams of any size of skill level can implement secure, compliant cloud infrastructure with DuploCloud.

Jump to a section…

What Is Infrastructure As Code

7 Top Infrastructure As Code Benefits

#1: Consistent configurations

#2: Decreased risk

#3: Stronger security & faster recovery

#4: Faster deployment

#5: Improved accountability

#6: Increased operational efficiency

#7: Financial savings

What Is Infrastructure as Code?

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is a method of managing and provisioning cloud infrastructure using programming techniques instead of manual processes. IaC allows engineers to codify desired specifications in configuration files. Then, they can return to them time and time again. 

It’s also easy to combine multiple pre-configured components. This avoids the redundant work of manually provisioning each individual service from scratch. Put simply, Infrastructure as Code makes it easy to replicate the same pre-configured environment. And you can do this each time you spin up a virtual machine, network, or connection topology, for example.

IaC also brings infrastructure management into the realm of version control. Every change is tracked, reviewed, and auditable, just like application code. This enables engineering teams to: 

  • Collaborate more effectively
  • Roll back changes safely
  • Reduce the risk of misconfiguration

Moreover, IaC supports rapid scaling and disaster recovery. It does this by allowing infrastructure to be deployed or rebuilt at a moment’s notice. 

You can manage one environment or dozens across multiple cloud providers. Infrastructure as Code delivers:

  • Repeatability
  • Reliability
  • Speed

These are essential to keep modern DevOps pipelines running smoothly.

7 Top Benefits of Infrastructure as Code

Many cascading and compounding benefits are available to businesses that adopt IaC. This is especially true when IaC is the foundation of their development and deployment strategies. This means shifting infrastructure management into a programmatic, automated model. 

Doing this also means teams can: 

  • Eliminate repetitive manual tasks
  • Reduce human error
  • Build more scalable, resilient systems 

IaC empowers organizations to standardize environments. Businesses can also enforce compliance policies and accelerate time-to-market for critical applications. You can do this while improving collaboration across DevOps, security, and operations teams. Whether you’re a startup moving fast or an enterprise tightening governance, IaC offers advantages. 

Let’s look at the top seven reasons why Infrastructure as Code is the right move for DevOps:

#1: Consistent configurations

Repeatability is core to the nature of Infrastructure as Code. The ability to spin up pre-configured environments ensures consistency across the board. Ensuring consistent configurations also avoids incompatibility issues. Issues that would prevent applications from running correctly. 

The consistency that IaC provides also unites engineering teams. This means that every developer is using the same pre-approved baseline infrastructure. They can then initiate deployments without sacrificing quality. Neither will they have to require oversight from senior leadership.

#2: Decreased risk

Repeatedly developing and deploying infrastructure from scratch creates countless possibilities for human error. It can leave engineering teams bogged down with redundant work and complex troubleshooting. They also have to deal with delicate debugging after the fact. Infrastructure as Code is considerably less error-prone, and is also considerably more democratic. 

Codifying IaC makes it impossible for a single engineer to be the sole owner of crucial company knowledge. For example, they’ll know how to manage and deploy critical infrastructure. You want to ensure that infrastructure is documented in a source code repository. When it's locked in one person’s brain, the risk rises as talent churns. 

#3: Stronger security & faster recovery

The benefits of Infrastructure as Code connect to creating consistency and decreasing risk. Pre-provisioning infrastructure resources with code means baking in security protocols. This ensures that every deployment is as secure as possible. And you don't need additional layers of review and approval by a gatekeeper. If a company changes its security practices, it’s simple to update the coded infrastructure configuration. It's easy to reflect them company-wide. Infrastructure as Code can also factor into recovery plans. However, deploying disaster recovery environments in this way can lead to longer downtimes.

No-code/low-code solutions are becoming universal. In our survey of 300 engineering leaders, we found that no-code/low-code cloud automation adoption is expected to hit >90% by 2025. Learn more with your free copy:

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#4: Faster deployment

Maintaining Infrastructure as Code leads to faster execution. This is because it takes just a single command and a few minutes to fully provision environments. This IaC tool is useful for small- or medium-sized businesses. It’s also great for startups fighting uphill battles with their funding plans and go-to-market strategies. But it’s important for the testing phase of the development process in infrastructure management. 

Faster deployment times help prioritize steps like penetration testing. They also help with load testing and bug hunting. This is because they can be executed in duplicate production environments. This speeds up timelines and keeps productivity high. 

#5: Improved accountability

In the past, engineering teams have been forced to commit huge amounts of time and effort. They must carefully document every move they make in an attempt to:

  • Facilitate collaboration
  • Eliminate bottlenecks
  • Counteract issues like talent churn and human error 

But with infrastructure code, all that input is replaced by simple and fully traceable changes to the source code repository. 

Version control supports visibility into every update. This includes information about who made the infrastructure changes and when. If there are questions about a change or about a specific code block that is causing problems, it’s easy to pinpoint the issue. This configuration management helps you understand the broader context. It also helps identify the right person to follow up with if necessary.

#6: Increased operational efficiency

Infrastructure as Code increases efficiency and productivity for developers, architects, and administrators. It’s easy to deploy complex cloud architectures using a combination of pre-configured IaC components. This dramatically shortens the development lifecycle. Also, deploying consistent configurations is as simple as running a script. Multiple teams can be executing work in perfectly matched immutable infrastructure environments. 

That means development, security, QA, and user testing teams can all be iterating consistently. Plus, they can be moving the software development of an application toward the finish line instead of forcing progress to happen one step at a time. In addition to enabling CI/CD techniques, Infrastructure as Code also makes it easy to spin down environments that aren’t in use. This keeps the overall cloud computing architecture lean, efficient, and scalable.

#7: Financial savings

Essentially, every benefit on this list contributes to unlocked financial savings,

You can: 

  • Create consistency
  • Decrease risk
  • Strengthen security
  • Speed up deployment
  • Improve accountability
  • Increase efficiency

Infrastructure as Code reduces unnecessary costs at every level of the development pipeline. 

Automating the cloud platform allows engineers to focus on high-value tasks. All of these financial benefits of infrastructure setup empower employers. They can make more effective and sustainable hiring decisions. These range from the size of the team to individual salaries.

DuploCloud Can Boost the Benefits of Infrastructure as Code

In a world where speed, consistency, and security are non-negotiable, Infrastructure as Code is critical. Infrastructure provisioning is a strategic imperative. But adopting IaC at scale can be complex, especially for teams without deep DevOps expertise. That’s where DuploCloud makes the difference as a code tool. 

Our low-code/no-code platform automates 90% of the manual work involved in cloud resources provisioning. Infrastructure automation lets your team focus on what matters most: building great products. You may be aiming to shorten release cycles or improve governance. Maybe you want to scale your infrastructure without ballooning costs. Whatever the case, DuploCloud delivers the automation, visibility, and control you need. And all the while you’ll be reducing infrastructure spend by up to 75%.

You’ll get consistent configurations and improved security. You can also count on faster deployments and significant cost savings. The benefits of Infrastructure as Code are undeniable. And with DuploCloud, those benefits become a declarative approach accessible to any team, regardless of size or skill set.

Ready to unlock the full potential of Infrastructure as Code? Book a demo with DuploCloud today and see how we can help your team deploy faster, operate smarter, and scale with confidence.

FAQs for Benefits of Infrastructure as Code

What makes DuploCloud different from traditional Infrastructure as Code tools like Terraform?

DuploCloud offers a low-code/no-code platform that automates 90% of what would otherwise require manual IaC scripting. Tools like Terraform require deep DevOps knowledge and constant upkeep. But DuploCloud abstracts that complexity. This lets teams provision secure, compliant infrastructure with just a few clicks.

Can DuploCloud help us migrate from our existing Infrastructure as Code setup?

Yes. DuploCloud is designed to integrate with existing cloud environments. It can help you transition from traditional IaC frameworks. Our team will work with you to map existing resources and automate provisioning. We’ll also ensure a smooth migration path without disrupting your workflows.

Is DuploCloud suitable for regulated industries with strict compliance requirements?

Absolutely. DuploCloud has built-in support for standards like SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and GDPR. Infrastructure is provisioned with compliance baked in. This helps you meet regulatory requirements automatically. So you won’t need manual configuration or third-party tools.

How quickly can we see results after implementing DuploCloud?

Most teams begin seeing meaningful results within the first few weeks of implementation. These include faster deployment times, cost savings, and improved visibility,  Many customers report provisioning environments 10x faster compared to their previous setup.

Author: Duplo Cloud Editor | Tuesday, December 6 2022
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