In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, organizations need to ensure their cloud infrastructure is not only efficient and scalable but also compliant with various regulatory standards. IBM Cloud provides a powerful solution with its Infrastructure as Code (IaC) capabilities and the adoption of a shift-left approach to compliance.

This blog explores how IBM Cloud’s IaC, when combined with shift-left compliance practices, can help organizations enhance their cloud infrastructure and maintain a strong focus on compliance.

Understanding Infrastructure as Code

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is an approach to infrastructure management that uses software development techniques to automate the provisioning and configuration of infrastructure resources. Instead of manually configuring infrastructure components, IaC uses code to define infrastructure as a set of reusable templates that can be version-controlled, tested and deployed with greater speed and consistency.

IaC allows teams to manage infrastructure in a manner similar to software, using tools like Git, Jenkins and Ansible. With IaC, infrastructure deployments become repeatable, version-controlled and easily auditable.

Infrastructure as Code offerings from IBM Cloud

IBM Cloud offers robust services to support Infrastructure as Code (IaC). IBM Cloud Terraform provider is used to manage IBM Cloud resources.

Below is a list of various services provided by IBM Cloud for IaC:

• IBM Cloud Schematics: IBM Cloud Schematics is a service that provides a way to automate the deployment, updating and deletion of resources in IBM Cloud using Terraform templates. With Schematics, users can define Infrastructure as Code, store it in Git repositories and automate the execution of Terraform workflows using pipelines.
• IBM Cloud Continuous Delivery: IBM Cloud Continuous Delivery provides a way to automate the delivery of software applications and infrastructure changes using pipelines. Continuous Delivery allows users to define IaC, automate the execution of Terraform workflows and deploy changes to infrastructure resources in a repeatable and scalable manner.
• IBM Cloud Deployable Architecture: The IBM Cloud deployable architecture provides a comprehensive set of services and components to support various application deployment and management scenarios. It offers scalability, resilience, security and integration capabilities, empowering businesses to leverage the full potential of IBM Cloud for their applications and services. IBM Cloud deployable architecture incorporates various controls to ensure the security, governance and compliance of applications and services deployed. It helps organizations maintain a secure, compliant and well-governed cloud environment. It also enables organizations to leverage the benefits of the IBM Cloud platform while mitigating risks and ensuring the integrity of their applications and data.
• IBM Cloud Projects: Utilizing IBM Cloud Projects as part of your IaC strategy offers numerous advantages. By taking advantage of its collaborative platform, streamlined template management, support for multiple cloud platforms, seamless integration with continuous deployment, robust security and compliance features, deployment tracking and resource monitoring capabilities, you can optimize your cloud infrastructure management. IBM Cloud Projects simplifies the administration and deployment of cloud resources, facilitates teamwork and collaboration among team members, and grants enhanced visibility and control over the provisioning process within the IBM Cloud ecosystem.

Understanding compliance and shift-left compliance

The significance of compliance with industry regulations and security standards is crucial for organizations across various sectors. Non-compliance can lead to legal and financial consequences, as well as reputational damage. By ensuring compliance throughout the development and deployment lifecycle, organizations can mitigate risks and build trust with their customers.

Shift-left compliance involves integrating compliance considerations early into the software development lifecycle. Instead of addressing compliance as an afterthought, this approach ensures that compliance requirements are considered from the very beginning. With IBM Cloud’s shift-left compliance practices, organizations can proactively identify and address compliance issues during the development and testing phases, reducing the time and effort required for remediation.

Benefits of IBM Cloud IaC with shift-left compliance

The following are just a few of the benefits organizations can enjoy when combining IBM Cloud IaC with shift-left compliance:

• Streamlined compliance: By leveraging IaC and shift-left compliance practices, organizations can automate compliance checks and validations, ensuring that their cloud infrastructure adheres to regulatory standards throughout the development process.
• Faster time to market: With automated compliance checks integrated into the development workflow, organizations can identify and resolve compliance issues earlier, accelerating the time to market for their cloud-based services and applications.
• Improved security: Shift-left compliance practices enable organizations to implement security controls and best practices from the early stages of development. This approach helps identify and mitigate security risks before they become more challenging and costly to address.
• Greater agility and scalability: IBM Cloud’s IaC capabilities enable organizations to quickly and efficiently provision, modify and scale their cloud infrastructure as per their evolving compliance needs, providing the flexibility to adapt to changing regulatory requirements.

Conclusion

IBM Cloud’s Infrastructure as Code (IaC) offerings, when combined with a shift-left compliance approach, empower organizations to enhance their customer service while ensuring adherence to regulatory standards. By automating compliance checks and integrating them into the development process, organizations can streamline compliance efforts, improve security and accelerate time-to-market. Embracing IBM Cloud IaC with shift-left compliance practices enables organizations to build robust, compliant and customer-centric cloud solutions.

Start your cloud journey with IBM Cloud IaC and experience the benefits of enhanced customer service and a strong focus on compliance.

Learn more about Infrastructure as Code