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#227 - Infrastructure as Code: Delivering Dynamic Systems for the Cloud Age - Kief Morris

#227 - Infrastructure as Code: Delivering Dynamic Systems for the Cloud Age - Kief Morris

FromTech Lead Journal


#227 - Infrastructure as Code: Delivering Dynamic Systems for the Cloud Age - Kief Morris

FromTech Lead Journal

ratings:
Length:
56 minutes
Released:
Aug 4, 2025
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

How has Infrastructure as Code changed in the last five years? Explore the key shifts and how to align your infrastructure to real business value.In this episode, Kief Morris, a Distinguished Infrastructure Engineer at Thoughtworks, returns to discuss the third edition of his book “Infrastructure as Code.” He shares fresh insights on designing and delivering dynamic systems for today’s cloud-driven world. Kief explores the evolution of IaC, practical methods for modern teams, the next generation of tools, and lessons learned from the recent years. Learn how to align infrastructure with business needs and manage today’s growing infrastructure complexities.Key topics discussed:How “Infrastructure as Code” book has evolved across three editionsWhy infrastructure decisions must align with business valueHow IaC and the toolchain have evolved over the last few yearsHandling the growing complexity of modern infrastructureThe rise of platform engineering and internal developer platformsTerraform vs. OpenTofu: which one should you use?Balancing governance, speed, and innovation in the cloud eraThe current limitations and role of AI in managing infrastructureTimestamps:(00:00) Trailer & Intro(02:39) Updates in the Last Five Years(04:13) Infrastructure as Code Definition(05:58) The Practice of Infrastructure as Code(06:32) The Differences Between the Book Editions(10:21) Aligning Infrastructure to the Business Value(15:03) Handling the Growing Infrastructure Complexities(19:10) The Tools and New Inventions in IAC(24:11) Terraform vs OpenTofu(27:38) Orchestrating Infrastructure Changes Using IAC(30:35) Platform Engineering(33:06) Internal Developer Platform Key Success Factor(37:15) Key Considerations of Building Teams with Infrastructure Skills(41:56) Infrastructure Compliance and Governance(45:53) Using AI for Infrastructure as Code(50:31) Using AI for Troubleshooting and Root Cause Analysis(51:50) 3 Tech Lead Wisdom_____Kief Morris’s BioKief Morris is the author of the O’Reilly book Infrastructure as Code, and is a Distinguished Infrastructure Engineer at Thoughtworks, based in London. He works with clients and project teams around the world to explore, shape, and share better ways of working with cloud and infrastructure architecture.Kief started out as a developer and systems administrator in the dot-com boom days, then worked with a series of digital scaleups applying infrastructure automation before DevOps was a thing. He joined Thoughtworks in 2010 as the wider industry was discovering Infrastructure as Code, DevOps, and Cloud, which gave him the opportunity to bring what he had learned in the previous fifteen years to enterprise clients in many industries and many countries.He wrote the book Infrastructure as Code (now on the third edition) to share these ideas with a wider audience, which has given him a platform to meet and learn from an ever-growing variety of people and organizations.Follow Kief:LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/kiefmorrisTwitter – x.com/kiefBlueSky – bsky.app/profile/kief.comPersonal Website – kief.comInfra as Code Website – infrastructure-as-code.com Infrastructure as Code – https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/infrastructure-as-code/9781098150341/Like this episode?Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/227.Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.Buy me a coffee or become a patron.
Released:
Aug 4, 2025
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Great technical leadership requires more than just great coding skills. It requires a variety of other skills that are not well-defined, and they are not something that we can fully learn in any school or book. Hear from experienced technical leaders sharing their journey and philosophy for building great technical teams and achieving technical excellence. Find out what makes them great and how to apply those lessons to your work and team.