Infrastructure as Code (IaC)allows organizations toautomate cloud infrastructure managementusing code-based templatesinstead of manual configuration.
Key Benefits of IaC:
* Version Control & Automation
* IaC uses version control systems (e.g., Git) to track changes in infrastructure.
* Developers can quickly deploy infrastructure updates, reducing human errors.
* Ensuresconsistent, repeatable deploymentsacross environments.
* Rapid & Scalable Deployments
* EnablesCI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment)pipelines.
* Automates infrastructure provisioning, reducingdeployment time from hours to minutes.
* Works withTerraform, AWS CloudFormation, Ansible, and Kubernetes manifests.
* Security & Compliance Enhancements
* Policies as Code (PaC) & Security as Code (SaC) enforce security best practices.
* Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)scans IaC for misconfigurations.
* Reducesshadow IT risksby enforcingpre-approved infrastructure templates.
* Prevents Configuration Drift
* RegularIaC re-application (desired state enforcement)ensuresconsistent infrastructure settings.
* Eliminatesmanual misconfigurations that lead to security vulnerabilities.
This is extensively covered in:
* CCSK v5 - Security Guidance v4.0, Domain 6 (Management Plane and Business Continuity)
* Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) - Infrastructure and Configuration Management Controls.