Infrastructure as Code: Why it’s vital you build it right

The enabling idea of infrastructure as code is that the systems and devices which are used to run software can be treated as if they, themselves, are software. Using technologies like cloud, virtualisation and configuration automation to manage IT infrastructure means that infrastructure is decoupled from the underlying hardware, turning it into data and code. This transformation can be leveraged by bringing tools and practices from software development to infrastructure management. Many of the principles underpinning infrastructure as code will be familiar to technologists well versed in agile or XP, and due to the fundamental assertion that change is inevitable, finding new ways to embrace change should be front of mind.