In today’s digital-centric world, the resilience of IT infrastructure is crucial for business continuity. Infrastructure as Code is a game-changer in this regard, offering robust support for disaster recovery. I want to take a moment to discuss the significance of IaC through the recent lens of the failed CrowdStrike software update.
Before we proceed, it’s important to define Infrastructure as Code (IaC) properly. IaC involves managing and provisioning computing infrastructure through code rather than manual processes. In other words, IaC enables the automation of infrastructure management. Terraform, Ansible, and AWS CloudFormation are widely used to implement IaC. By translating infrastructure into code, businesses can ensure that their IT environments are not only standardized, but also easily reproducible, minimizing the risk of human error and improving overall efficiency.
One of the primary benefits of IaC is its ability to ensure consistency and repeatability in infrastructure deployment. When infrastructure is managed through code, it can be tested, versioned, and reviewed, guaranteeing that each deployment aligns with the intended design. This consistency not only reduces the likelihood of discrepancies and errors, but also creates a more reliable IT environment, instilling a sense of security and confidence in disaster recovery plans.
While coded infrastructure is in the name, a major part of IaC is automation. By automating infrastructure provisioning and scaling, businesses can respond more quickly to changing demands or unexpected disruptions. This agility is crucial in maintaining service availability and performance. Additionally, IaC makes it easy to scale infrastructure based on application needs, ensuring efficient use of resources without over- or under-provisioning.
Collaboration within IT teams is also enhanced through IaC. Infrastructure managed as code can be tracked and analyzed through version control systems, similar to application code. This approach not only improves communication and reduces misunderstandings, but also leads to more cohesive and efficient team operations, making IT professionals feel more productive and effective in their roles.
An often-forgotten aspect of IaC is its role in Disaster Recovery (DR). As with IaC, let’s first start with a definition. In its most basic form, Disaster Recovery focuses on the ability to recover and restore infrastructure and services after a catastrophic event. As you can imagine, IaC significantly enhances disaster recovery strategies by providing automated recovery processes. In the event of an incident, scripts can quickly recreate infrastructure in different regions or cloud environments, significantly reducing downtime and ensuring a swift response.
Consistency in recovery environments is another critical aspect of IaC. For anyone who has been part of a DR execution, you are fully aware of the heightened sense of pressure as your business waits for systems to come back online. It’s entirely reasonable for someone to miss a step in a recovery plan simply due to the pressure placed on them at the moment. By ensuring that recovery environments are identical to production environments, IaC minimizes this risk and other inconsistencies that can complicate recovery efforts. This consistency guarantees a smooth and reliable recovery process.
Additionally, IaC provides clear documentation of the infrastructure setup, which is invaluable during a disaster recovery situation. This documentation aids auditing and compliance, ensuring recovery procedures align with regulatory requirements.
The recent CrowdStrike outage underscored the critical role of IaC in disaster recovery. Organizations with well-defined IaC practices responded more effectively to the outage, using automated recovery scripts to quickly shift workloads to alternative regions or cloud providers. This capability minimized downtime and reduced the impact on operations and customers.
This incident highlighted the need to reevaluate disaster recovery plans for many businesses. Many felt radically unsupported by our DR documentation and were forced to rely on institutional knowledge to rebuild decades-old vital systems. Rather than continuing this pattern, I hope that teams everywhere take time to reflect on the recent outage and look for ways to leverage IaC in their DR plans.
The CrowdStrike outage served as a wake-up call for many, revealing the gaps in disaster recovery plans and the reliance on outdated methods. This incident underscores the importance of reevaluating existing strategies and embracing modern solutions like Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to build a more resilient IT environment.
At New Resources Consulting, we specialize in helping organizations integrate IaC into their automation strategy, enhancing disaster recovery capabilities with a focus on consistency, reliability, and swift recovery. By automating recovery processes and aligning your disaster recovery plans with industry best practices, we ensure your infrastructure is prepared for any challenge. Let’s work together to strengthen your approach to handling disruptions, ensuring business continuity and peace of mind even in the most demanding situations.
