Leverage infrastructure platform engineering to manage cloud-native platforms

Cloud native is one of the key principles for enterprises to adopt cloud technologies to promote digital transformation. With the increasing deployment of containers, Kubernetes and the deepening of cloud adoption, especially hybrid cloud deployment, the cognitive burden on developers is getting heavier. The infrastructure environment is becoming increasingly complex and difficult to manage, and cannot meet the agility needs of product or software development teams, artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) engineers (ModelOps) or prompt engineers, such as scalability, flexibility, and adaptability to environmental changes in standards and operating processes, compliance and security requirements. Infrastructure platform engineering is seen as a new discipline that has emerged to cope with the increasing complexity of system design and underlying hybrid infrastructure . This is a particularly effective approach among all cloud-native development models that focus on improving the developer experience.

Although infrastructure platform engineering has been defined as an effective practice that helps infrastructure and operations (I&O) leaders more efficiently manage underlying hybrid infrastructure and operations from a platform perspective, traditional I&O departments and I&O leaders still face challenges. I&O leaders can adopt the following three key success factors (see Figure 1) to ensure that the infrastructure platform meets the needs of the enterprise organization and reflects the priorities of end users.

Figure 1: Three key success factors for managing cloud-native platforms using infrastructure platform engineering

Aligning infrastructure platform engineering principles with the needs of infrastructure users

Gartner defines a platform as "a product that serves or enables other products and services". The scope of the platform should reflect the needs of end users, and any platform is ultimately measured by how well it contributes to meeting the important needs of end users (such as developers or product teams) and the entire enterprise. This criterion also applies to cloud native platforms as part of key infrastructure platforms for I&O and lines of business.

Most large enterprises have introduced cloud-native infrastructure into cloud-native platform construction, especially when expanding to hybrid cloud environments. However, traditional cloud-native platform management is more driven by architecture and leadership rather than by developer experience and digital productivity.

Prioritize incorporating infrastructure platform engineering principles based on the cloud native platform goals in the hybrid cloud. Enterprises integrate key infrastructure platform engineering principles into the cloud native platform in the hybrid cloud that are aligned with specific user demand goals, as follows:

• Self-service experience

• Clarify and unify the application programming interface (API)

• Predictable availability and performance

• Shareable

• Observability

• Default protection

• Unified policy of "established route"

• Product Management

• Block

• Document reusability

Adopt a product-oriented management approach

When cloud native is recognized as the key principle for most large enterprises to adopt cloud technology, more and more internal development teams are beginning to transform to cloud native application architecture (such as microservice architecture and service mesh). This cloud native application architecture requires the underlying infrastructure and platform to have unprecedented scalability, flexibility and programmability, thereby shortening deployment time and improving scalability to better support digital transformation.

However, when enterprises expand to hybrid cloud and rely heavily on Kubernetes, platform engineering teams face architectural challenges and complex requirements for hybrid cloud scenarios (from product or development teams). Traditional management methods make it challenging to manage complex requirements and the underlying complex infrastructure. A product-oriented management approach is the key to successfully expanding cloud native platforms to hybrid clouds.

Compared to traditional development and operations practices, agile delivery practices are more productive, deliver higher-quality digital products, and more consistently meet customer needs.

Clarify roles and responsibilities

Infrastructure platform engineering teams can leverage the built-in design features of deployment components to implement key reusable functionality needed by product teams or developers. Clearly defining the division of responsibilities between platform and product teams is important for establishing a healthy level of autonomy and improving developer productivity.

The management responsibilities of the infrastructure platform engineering team and the common functions of the cloud native platform are shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Management responsibilities of the infrastructure platform team supporting a cloud-native platform