Modern Configuration Management: Policy as Code

When configuration is code, DevSecOps teams work more efficiently, enabling continuous automation across all IT processes.

Learn More about Chef's Approach to Policy as Code:

Chef Infra Automation Best Practices eBook
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Turn Configuration Management into a Competitive Advantage  

Managing multiple virtual machines requires proper configuration—loading them with the right software and making sure that software can run. But how can you manage infrastructure when the number of machines you’re responsible for changes on a daily basis?

The only way to instead of disruptive churn is to implement a policy as code based automation solution that keeps environments consistent.

Chef enables DevSecOps teams to create pipelines that can cross both internal and external boundaries, standardizing environments and processes locally within the data center and up in the cloud.

As a result, you get a dynamic environment that’s stable no matter how complicated your configurations are. When your application deployment and infrastructure changes move at the same pace, your entire IT organization functions better.

In fact, environmental configurations are foundational to application and business success. A DevSecOps team that turns configuration into code can leverage the same tools and processes you use on your applications to efficiently and successfully prepare environments to run applications.

Create A Workflow to Release Configurations

Using Chef Infrastructure Management automation DevOps teams ensure configurations are applied consistently in every environment.

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Create and Test Policies:  Reduce risks by iterating on policy changes before pushing them to production

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System State Enforcement: Enforce policy by converging the system to the state declared by the various resources.

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Data Aggregation and Validation: View and validate intended and actual state across all systems.

Code doesn’t get released without going through a workflow that culminates in testing and approval, and turning configuration into code lets you manage workflow the same way for the infrastructure your applications depend on. Configuration change testing becomes parallel to application change testing. Test-driven development identifies defects through the unit test process; test-driven infrastructure lets you test the changes you make to configurations before unleashing them on production. Your DevOps team delivers environments the same way your developers deliver applications.

Enable Continuous Delivery with Chef Automation

Once you’ve got environments that are stable and ready to run their applications, getting the applications deployed is the next step. Automation tools let you keep the momentum going and smoothly transition to loading the server with its software.

But automation can still fall apart if separate teams use separate tools and separate processes. Chef Enterprise Automation Stack enables continuous automation across the development, operations, and information security and compliance teams.

When you treat infrastructure as code, your configuration is

  • FLEXIBLE
  • TRACEABLE
  • HUMAN-READABLE
  • TESTABLE

Ultimately, configuration as code makes your infrastructure manageable. Chef Enterprise Automation Stack gives you the tools you need to deliver complex environments fast and make smart decisions because there’s no more mystery.