Navigating the complexities of cloud setup and governance, organizations are increasingly looking to automate and streamline their cloud infrastructure processes. This session, led by Linda and Philipp, directly addresses the challenge of manual AWS account creation, a common bottleneck in cloud adoption. Drawing inspiration from the Cloud Native Computing Foundation's Platform Maturity Model, particularly the "Integrated Services" level, our focus shifts to practical, automated solutions that enhance both efficiency and governance in cloud environments.
In this hands-on session, we'll dive into how Backstage, a powerful open-source platform for building developer portals, can be leveraged to automate the AWS account provisioning process. The cornerstone of our approach is the use of a predefined GitHub repository template, which Backstage triggers to kick-start the account setup. This process not only provisions a new AWS account but also equips it with essential services such as budget alerts and foundational configurations, ensuring a well-governed and familiar operational environment from the get-go.
Attendees will be guided through the technical implementation details, showcasing how Backstage facilitates the creation of a new GitHub repository from a template. This repository includes an account blueprint and a pre-configured GitHub Actions pipeline, designed to deploy the necessary cloud foundation into the newly created AWS account seamlessly. This approach exemplifies the "Integrated Services" ethos, where platform capabilities are transparently integrated into developers' workflows, promoting a culture of autonomy and innovation.
Through this session, participants will gain practical insights into leveraging Backstage for automating cloud governance and provisioning tasks. By automating these foundational aspects, organizations can reallocate their focus towards customizing and optimizing their cloud platforms where it truly matters, thereby achieving a higher level of platform maturity and operational excellence.