Infrastructure as Code (IaC) has become a powerful tool for automating and managing Azure environments, providing benefits like consistent deployments, streamlined changes, and improved collaboration. However, IaC isn’t always the right answer for every scenario.

In this session, we’ll explore where IaC shines—such as in large, complex, or frequently changing environments—and discuss situations where alternative approaches, like simple automation scripts, ARM/Bicep templates, or even manual configuration, may be more practical and efficient. We’ll dive into decisions around declarative and imperative tooling choices such as Terraform, Bicep, Pulumi, etc. We’ll share decision-making frameworks and best practices to help you assess the needs of your project, team, and environment, ensuring you don’t introduce unnecessary complexity. You’ll leave with a clear understanding of how to choose the right level of automation for your Azure infrastructure, striking a balance between agility, simplicity, and control.