From Code to Control
By Nigel Dsouza
We used to build with hardware.
Now we build with declarations.
A few lines of Terraform can...
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Coming from the pharmaceutical industry, I’ll admit — the word Terraform initially made me think of science fiction, not cloud infrastructure. But this article was a surprisingly smooth read, even for someone who’s more familiar with batch records and stability data than backend systems and provisioning scripts.
What really struck me was how Terraform brings the same kind of standardization and automation to the cloud that we strive for in pharma — think SOPs, validated processes, and audit trails, but for infrastructure. Just like we don’t want variability in our drug batches, IT doesn’t want surprises in their environments. It’s oddly comforting to see that kind of discipline exists across industries.
Also, kudos for making it readable without making me Google every second word. A rare feat in tech writing these days. Looking forward to diving deeper — who knew cloud provisioning and pharma shared so much common ground?
Nigel, you have very thoughtfully brought out the importance of structure and the need for it to serve the purpose.
After all, purposeful structure is all pervasive...imperative in architecture, engineering, finance, research, medicine.....the list is unending!!
There has been a paradigm shift in the way IT infrastructure in any enterprise is modernized to run increasing number of applications. As most new applications are cloud native, most enterprises normally opt for typical lift and shift approach while migrating to cloud. To get the best results, application modernization is a must while migrating to cloud. Tools like Terraform play a major role in enabling automation and management of hybrid infrastructure. Very apt and informative article!
Earlier, we built computer systems using physical machines, cables, and hardware. Now, with a tool like Terraform, you can set up everything — servers, networks, databases, and security — just by writing a few lines of code.
But Nigel says that Terraform is more than just code. It’s a way of telling the system exactly what you want. When you use it, you’re designing how everything works you’re like a digital builder or planner.
This comes with responsibility. A small mistake in your code can break the entire system. So, Terraform needs to be used carefully — your code should be clear, tested, and safe.
In short: Terraform lets you build invisible digital systems — but to do it well, you need to be thoughtful, responsible, and build with care.
Insightful!!
Very interesting read!
Brilliant analogy and well explained👏
Well explained.
A nice read Nigel. Was stumped with an issue I was having and your article has given me clarity on how to proceed
Spot on. As you highlight, getting teams to treat infrastructure-as-code like they treat application code is the real challenge.
Well written Nigel
Very well written Nigel, Brilliant. Thank you for sharing.
Infra as a code was a rightful revolution on it's own.