{"id":401,"date":"2016-04-23T06:59:53","date_gmt":"2016-04-23T06:59:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/?p=401"},"modified":"2016-04-23T06:59:53","modified_gmt":"2016-04-23T06:59:53","slug":"infrastructure-code-iac-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/infrastructure-code-iac-challenges","title":{"rendered":"Infrastructure As Code (IAC) And Its Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<label class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">In this Article<\/label>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/infrastructure-code-iac-challenges\/#IAC_System_include\" >IAC System include:<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/infrastructure-code-iac-challenges\/#Third-Party_Software_Issues\" >Third-Party Software Issues:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/infrastructure-code-iac-challenges\/#Configuration_Drift\" >Configuration Drift:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/infrastructure-code-iac-challenges\/#Security_Compliance\" >Security Compliance:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/infrastructure-code-iac-challenges\/#IAC_Learning_Curves\" >IAC Learning Curves:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/infrastructure-code-iac-challenges\/#IAC_benefits_are\" >IAC benefits are:<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/infrastructure-code-iac-challenges\/#Automated_IT_Infrastructure\" >Automated IT Infrastructure:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/infrastructure-code-iac-challenges\/#Simplifies_IT_Management\" >Simplifies IT Management:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>Infrastructure as Code, also sometimes referred to as \u2018Programmable Infrastructure\u2019 is an IT infrastructure that can be managed by operations teams via code, as opposed to manual processes. It is very similar to scripts, which are simple automations for various static steps across multiple servers. The key difference is in IAC\u2019s versatility. Using management tools such as Puppet, Chef, and Vagrant, the operations team can easily use higher level or descriptive language to make processes more versatile and adaptive. This makes IAC operate very similarly to software design, with developers carefully controlling code versions, testing various iterations of code, and limiting deployment of code until it has been sufficiently tested and approved.<\/p>\n<p>For all of the potential good that can come from utilizing Infrastructure as Code, it has been very slow to catch on in the<a href=\"http:\/\/searchcloudcomputing.techtarget.com\/definition\/Infrastructure-as-Code-IAC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"> tech world<\/a>. Switching from a manual system to a fully automated, code-driven infrastructure is seen as \u2018easier said than done\u2019 and many organizations have yet to really consider its full benefits. There are a few notable disadvantages to switching to an IAC system.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"IAC_System_include\"><\/span>IAC System include:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Third-Party_Software_Issues\"><\/span>Third-Party Software Issues:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The majority of legacy applications on the market were not designed with IAC applications like Chef or Puppet in mind. Further complicating things, most third-party Windows applications can\u2019t really be automated via the Windows command line.<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Configuration_Drift\"><\/span>Configuration Drift:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Configuration drift occurs when administrators change server configurations without also changing the associated IAC code. This results in inconsistent configurations across data center systems, but can be avoided by fully integrating IAC into all policies and procedures relating to systems administration, IT operations, and DevOps processes.<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Security_Compliance\"><\/span>Security Compliance:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Because code can change frequently as it is updated and adjusted for changing technology, security compliance across data center systems becomes more frequent than just an annual check. IT Security professionals will have to make more frequent security checks of IAC systems to ensure compliance is maintained.<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"IAC_Learning_Curves\"><\/span>IAC Learning Curves:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Like any software, IAC code only understands what it is programmed to understand. And switching from a manual system to a code-based automated system requires more applications and tools, which increases the chances for coding errors. This means that a simple error in a line of code can propagate across multiple servers, potentially causing significant problems. To head off any issues, it is imperative to extensively test any pre-release code and monitor released code for any sign of errors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In spite of the potential headaches and disadvantages of Infrastructure as Code, there are a couple noteworthy benefits of switching to it from manual infrastructure management.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"IAC_benefits_are\"><\/span>IAC benefits are:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Automated_IT_Infrastructure\"><\/span>Automated IT Infrastructure:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Manual management of IT Infrastructure can become a complicated, time-consuming process that slows down efficiency. This is especially the case as data centers increase in size and server capacity. With IAC, a developer can write code that allows an IAC process to deploy new applications for QA or experimental deployment.<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Simplifies_IT_Management\"><\/span>Simplifies IT Management:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Developers and IT professionals can streamline the management process thanks to IAC utilities and code written to deploy them. For example, a developer could use Ansible to install a MySQL server, ensure it is running properly, create user accounts and passwords, create new databases, and remove old or unused databases. All of that can be done with software code, making the process run much more smoothly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>About Author:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In addition to her work with rack solutions, Katrina has a video series featured on Youtube called \u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/RackSolutions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Ask Katrina<\/a>&#8221; that aids in answering your IT needs.<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Infrastructure as Code, also sometimes referred to as \u2018Programmable Infrastructure\u2019 is an IT infrastructure that can be managed by operations teams via code, as opposed to manual processes. It is very similar to scripts, which are simple automations for various static steps across multiple servers. The key difference is in&#8230;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.1websdirectory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}