Infrastructure as Diagram

Abstract

Techniques, systems, and devices are disclosed for implementing a system that uses a design diagram to generate, configure, modify, delete, and deploy virtual data centers, also known as infrastructure. The current technique of creating virtual data centers is called Infrastructure as Code (IaC), whereby software engineers write code in a domain-specific language that, when executed by deployment programs, will create virtual data centers that can be used to host applications or services.

Problem

This process requires highly skilled software engineers to write the code that generates the infrastructure. Software engineers spend many hours creating, testing and deploying these virtual data centers instead of focusing on solving business problems. Another issue is that architects create design diagrams provided to the engineers for implementation. There is no connection between the approved architecture and the built infrastructure. This can lead to infrastructure not matching the design, causing security, reliability, and scalability issues.

Solution

The invention removes the coding and needs of software engineers by providing a commonly used diagram interface. This interface is bound to the virtual data center platform, so placing common shapes (square, circle, etc.) on the diagram canvas will create the virtual data center component in real-time. This invention lowers the barrier of entry to create virtual data centers, allowing analysts, operations, and business users to participate in the infrastructure creation process, reducing the total cost of ownership, and decreasing software delivery timelines. Furthermore, the invention directly connects design and implementation, whereby the infrastructure always matches the design. If an engineer adds or removes infrastructure manually, the same will be added or removed from the design diagram, which could be prevented with access controls.