This is a hectic and time-consuming process requiring a team of full-time engineers to curate these critical systems, so that the business keeps running smoothly. The focus was reliability at the cost of agility and innovation.
However, the sands of time have shifted, and the number of servers and services required to achieve business goals in today’s world has increased exponentially. This has made it impossible to continue classically managing the servers. Hence the advent of DevOps and concepts like Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
IaC is the methodology used to deploy datacenters, servers, networks, security solutions, software, websites and how you configure them using code in an automated and reproducible way to avoid human error.
There are many benefits to implementing IaC. These include:
In absence of manual intervention and configuration, deployments are quick, safe, and repeatable.
Any version control tool such as Azure DevOps and Github provide increased transparency and allows any size of team, from anywhere around the world, to work on same piece of code- thus increasing speed at which changes can be carried out.
Code itself is living documentation of the infrastructure you have deployed using IaC, as every aspect of it is being managed within code.
This approach makes it easy to track the configuration changes and to revert to previous configuration if something goes awry.
As everything is in code, unlike manual deployments, each deployment via IaC will be the same and consistent across the board.
DevOps provides the capability to update the whole infrastructure in a controlled manner or in a single go, with minor or major feature updates, without waiting for time consuming manual steps.
The same code could be used to create multiple environments such as dev, staging and production or components of code could be used across different products such as virtual machine or network creation.
In short, infrastructure as code offers many opportunities to ensure increased speed, agility, and consistency.
It can be a big undertaking to implement Infrastructure as Code in an existing environment because it affects not just the current infrastructure configuration, but also current integrations and management. It is highly recommended to start using IaC methodology on a new project or greenfield environment to get comfortable with it. By working with an Azure Expert MSP like Intwo, we can help identify your specific needs, challenges and support you during your move to the cloud.
The first step is to define how to approach the deployment and management of the environment. Will you be deploying the same set of resources and configuration for multiple environments (for example – Production, Acceptance, Test environments)? Is this an environment that is updated often? Will you be doing monthly updates for OS or applications within the environment? Who will be performing code updates and releases?
Depending on the type of environments, target location, triggers for initiating changes, and administration access required, your continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) approach will be shaped. Outlining the approach is crucial to understand the requirements for implementation. There are a set of Best Practices that should be followed when defining and implementing your IaC approach, namely:
As a fundamental rule, try to code and automate each and every possible part of your infrastructure requirements. There are several tools available to cater to different scenarios. For example, you can use the Azure Resource Manager (ARM) template to automate the deployment of Azure Services, while you can use PowerShell to install software on those servers or use Chef/Puppet for configuration management. There are countless other options such as YAML, Python, Terraform, Packer, Cloud Foundry suitable to your needs.
It is important to write your code in modular and independent, smallest possible deployable unit fashion, and then combine them using DevOps. Such an approach brings several benefits to the table such as:
Using a version management tool such as GitHub or Azure DevOps provides the ability to track, manage, and restore changes made to the code or configuration if the need arises. Versioning also helps with troubleshooting and diagnosing the issue, if required.
It is of paramount importance that every single piece of code and configuration is tested and ratified. This is often done using preproduction environments such as acceptance and staging to ensure that everything is within desired target parameters. This ensures that your production environment will be error-free, stable, and reliable.
There is no denying the importance of documentation, however, it is recommended that code should be the document itself and written in a way that is easy to understand and is commented in an orderly fashion. As everything is automated, documentation should be limited to operational issues and procedures only.
When the DevOps methodology has been defined according to the IaC best practices and it meets your specific requirements, the next step is to select a tool to manage your code and deployment.
At Intwo, we largely utilize Git Repositories and Azure DevOps. For Azure Cloud environments specifically, deploying and managing entire environments with their supporting resources can be handled through ARM templates and PowerShell scripts. Azure DevOps is not the only option for Azure IaC deployments, but it certainly is a great choice as pre-defined tasks are available in Azure DevOps pipelines for ARM and PowerShell along with many other Azure and third-party integrations.
Once a tool (or set of tools) is selected, just start testing! Testing IaC deployments is essential to get familiar with the tooling, scripting, and update process. There are many resources available online to help get started based on the tool and target infrastructure.
For many companies, migrating to the cloud can be an overwhelming undertaking. We can help identify your specific needs, challenges and support you during your move to the cloud.
Power Automate is a workflow automation tool that’s part of the Microsoft Power Platform. It lets you create custom automated workflows that connect different systems, applications, and services without needing deep coding skills. For manufacturers, this is a big deal because so many daily tasks, like tracking orders, updating inventory, managing delivery status, and distributing production reports, still rely on manual effort. Power Automate takes those repetitive, time-consuming tasks off your team’s plate so they can focus on higher-value work.
Power Automate can handle a wide range of manufacturing tasks. Common use cases include automatically updating inventory systems when sales data comes in, generating and distributing daily production reports, sending alerts when stock levels drop below a certain threshold, importing order data from e-commerce platforms into inventory management systems, and triggering notifications when deliveries change status. Essentially, any routine task that follows a predictable set of steps and involves moving data between systems is a strong candidate for automation.
One of Power Automate’s biggest benefits is eliminating the need for manual data entry across disconnected systems. Instead of someone manually updating an inventory spreadsheet or copying sales figures from one application to another, you can set up automated workflows that handle these transfers in real time. In one real-world example, a global food manufacturer used Power Automate to automatically track van sales data from a mobile sales app and update its inventory system, reducing manual data entry by 50% and improving inventory accuracy by 30%.
Yes, and this is one of its core strengths. Power Automate can connect different systems and applications, allowing manufacturers to streamline their data and gain better visibility across their operations. For example, you can create workflows that automatically sync order data from an e-commerce platform with your inventory management system, or update your CRM with the latest sales figures from a mobile app. By integrating these systems, you eliminate data silos, reduce duplication, and improve data accuracy, all of which support better, more informed decision-making.
Power Automate is highly customizable. You can create workflows that trigger different actions based on specific conditions, such as sending alerts when a product runs out of stock or generating reports when a particular KPI is reached. There are also pre-built templates and connectors available for common business scenarios, which makes it faster to get started. But if your processes are unique, you have the flexibility to build workflows from scratch that match exactly how your operation runs, without needing to write complex code.
The results have been significant across different types of manufacturers. A global food manufacturer reduced manual data entry by 50% and improved inventory accuracy by 30%, leading to better customer service and fewer stock-outs. A regional equipment manufacturer cut the time needed to generate daily production reports by 75% and improved visibility into production performance by 50%, enabling faster and better-informed decisions. Even a local bakery reduced the effort required to manage customer inquiries by 80% and improved customer satisfaction by 90% by automating order-ready notifications.
No, and that’s part of what makes it so accessible. Power Automate is designed as a low-code tool, meaning people with basic business process knowledge can create workflows without writing code. The platform uses a visual interface with pre-built connectors and templates that make it straightforward to set up automation. This means it’s not just an IT-department tool. Business users and operations teams can build and manage their own workflows, which speeds up adoption and means the people closest to the processes are the ones improving them.
Power Automate is part of the broader Microsoft ecosystem, which means it integrates seamlessly with tools like Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, SharePoint, Teams, Power BI, and Azure. For manufacturers, this is valuable because it means automated workflows can pull from and push data to the systems your teams are already using. Whether it’s triggering a Teams notification when a production milestone is hit or updating a Power BI dashboard with real-time sales data, the integrations keep everything connected without requiring custom development.
Power Automate works well for manufacturers of all sizes. The real-world examples in this blog range from a global food manufacturer to a regional equipment company to a local bakery, and each saw measurable improvements. For smaller manufacturers, the low-code approach and pre-built templates make it possible to start automating quickly without a big upfront investment. For larger operations, the platform scales to handle more complex workflows across multiple systems and departments.
Intwo is a Microsoft partner with deep expertise in the Power Platform, Dynamics 365, and Azure. For manufacturers looking to streamline their workflows with Power Automate, Intwo can help identify the processes that will benefit most from automation, design and build custom workflows, integrate Power Automate with existing systems like Dynamics 365 and Azure, and provide ongoing support as your automation needs grow. With Intwo’s experience serving the manufacturing industry, you get a partner who understands both the technology and the operational realities of production environments.
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