Benefits of Choosing IAC to Address IT Infrastructure Issues

In this blog, we will understand why we have to use IAC for IT infrastructure management.

Traditional Deployment Cycle

1. Business/Business analyst
   They understand the client’s needs and convert them to high-level technical requirements.

2. Solution Architect
   They design an architecture for application deployment that includes infrastructure such as the type of server, server specification, number of servers, etc.

3. Procurement Team
   This team will arrange the hardware from the DC vendor for the physical servers.

4. Field Engineer
   They rack and stack the server and all other equipment.

5. System & Network Administrator
   They do the initial server setup and enable the network-related configuration on the server and firewalls.

6. Storage & Backup Admin
   Configure the storage and backup on the server for services.

7. Application team
   To deploy the application, all configurations and dependencies must be considered before delivery.

Steps may vary depending on the business requirement

Disadvantages of the traditional deployment cycle

• Slow deployment

• Scaling up / down takes time

• High maintenance

• Limited automation

• Manual work

• Human errors

• Inconsistent environment

• Resources wastage

• Repetition of the same configuration

Cloud computing and Virtualization

• Cloud computing supports virtualization, which makes it easy to use and spin the server as and when required.

• Cloud Infra supports API to manage the services or the infra components like servers, databases, etc.

• It is way faster than the traditional method, as it manages servers with few clicks, and accesses them through a management console, from a different provider.

Advantages of cloud computing

• Faster deployment

• No maintenance

• Minimum resource wastage

• Easy to scale up/down

Challenges in Deployment Cycle

Managing services or other infrastructure components through the management console is easy and efficient for small or mid-sized companies. However, for large or rapidly growing firms, this approach is not feasible due to the following reasons:
- Human errors, while managing the infra
- Inconsistency, in the server or services configuration.

Organizations may use scripts in various programming languages to manage cloud infrastructure via APIs. However, it requires proficiency in those languages to develop multiple logical implementations to handle different use cases and fulfill their requirements.

Doing the same set of configurations and package installation again and again for application deployments.

Infrastructure as code

• The better way to provision the cloud infra is to codify the entire providing process.

• With Infrastructure as Code (IaC), we can manage infrastructure components such as database setups, networks, storage, and application configurations as code.

• With IAC, we can define infra resources in simple human-readable language.

Classification of IAC

IAC can be broadly classified into three categories:

1. Configuration management: These are commonly used to install and manage software on the existing infra resources, like server setup, database configuration, network device setup, etc.
   Key feature: They support idempotent, which ensures that the desired state of the infrastructure is achieved regardless of how many times the configuration is applied.
   Tools: Ansible, Puppet, Chef, Saltstack

2. Server templating: It can be used to create a custom image of a Virtual machine or Application deployment. This image already contains all the required software and dependencies like boxes, AMI, docker hub, etc.
   Tools: Vagrant, Packer, Docker

3. Infra provisioning: This is used to provision infra components such as VM, database, VPC, storage, etc, or any services based on the provider. A provider helps Terraform manage third-party platforms through their APIs.
   Tools: Terraform, Pulumi, Cloud formation

Advantages of using IAC

1. Automation and Consistency

   • IaC enables the automation of infrastructure provisioning and configuration, reducing the need for manual interventions.

   • Since infrastructure is defined as code, it ensures consistent setups and configurations across environments, reducing human errors and discrepancies.

2. Faster Deployment

   • With IaC, infrastructure can be deployed quickly, as code can be reused and applied across various environments (development, staging, production). This speeds up the process and improves time-to-market.

3. Scalability

   • IaC allows us to define infrastructure resources that can scale automatically based on demand. This is particularly useful in cloud environments where resources can be dynamically adjusted.

4. Version Control

   • Infrastructure configurations are stored as code, which can be versioned and tracked using version control systems like Git. This makes it easier to manage changes, collaborate across teams, and roll back to previous states if necessary.

5. Cost Efficiency

   • By automating and managing infrastructure effectively, IaC helps reduce manual labor, minimizes human errors, and optimizes resource allocation, leading to potential cost savings.

6. Reduced Risk of Errors

   • Manual configuration is prone to errors, especially in complex environments. IaC reduces these risks by providing repeatable and predictable infrastructure setups.

7. Easier Maintenance and Updates

   • IaC allows for easy updates to infrastructure. Changes can be managed and rolled out in a controlled manner, ensuring smooth maintenance without disrupting the environment.

8. Disaster Recovery and Backup

   • With IaC, we can define your infrastructure configurations and replicate them easily, making disaster recovery and backup strategies more efficient.

9. Collaboration and Transparency

   • Teams can collaborate more effectively as the infrastructure code is stored in a common repository. It provides transparency and allows for better communication regarding infrastructure changes.

10. Cross-Platform Compatibility

    • IaC tools like Terraform and Ansible support multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud environments, enabling consistent infrastructure management across different cloud providers (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and on-premise systems.

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