The most important thing in brief:
Many companies start their journey to the cloud with individual Applications such as Microsoft 365 — often implemented quickly and pragmaticallyto meet current requirements. What initially appears to be a small step towards digitization is rapidly becoming a complex challenge in practice: Several cloud services are being used in parallel, access rights are growing uncontrollably, and the overview of resources used is lost.
The result: security gaps, double costs and an IT department that reacts more than creates. At the latest when problems or audits occur, it becomes apparent that without a structured, documented and monitorable cloud infrastructure, the basis for secure and efficient IT operations is missing.
What is cloud infrastructure?
The cloud infrastructure describes the entirety of IT resources that are required to provide cloud services. It consists of hardware components such as servers, storage, and network hardware, as well as software components such as virtualization platforms, management tools, and security services. Specifically, this includes:
- Computing power (compute) — such as virtual machines or containers
- Storage solutions (storage) — such as cloud storage, databases
- networks (networking) — such as virtual networks, firewalls, load balancers
- Management and security services — to control, automate and secure the environment
In this article, the focus is on the logical and software-based level of cloud infrastructure, i.e. on the components that you, as an IT manager, actively plan, build and document — regardless of the physical hardware at the cloud provider.
Cloud computing: infrastructure as a strategic backbone
Without a powerful infrastructure in cloud computing, the flexible provision of resources, global scalability and dynamic adaptation to business processes would not be possible. It forms the backbone of modern IT strategies and should be given particular attention during planning and operation. A well-thought-out cloud infrastructure forms the basis for companies to take full advantage of the key benefits of cloud computing:
1. Scalability and flexibility
Cloud infrastructure allows companies to scale resources as needed. During peak loads, for example, server capacities can be increased in the short term — a clear advantage over traditional on-premises infrastructure.
2. Cost control
With pay-as-you-go models, companies only pay for what they really use. At the same time, unstructured use also entails risks such as shadow IT or unnecessary resource binding.
3. Security and Compliance
Cloud providers are investing massively in security measures. However, a large part of the responsibility lies with the customer. Topics such as:
- access controls
- encryption
- Traceability of changes
are regulated by law and regulations — for example by the GDPR, ISO 27001 or industry-specific requirements. An example: The GDPR requires complete transparency about stored personal data — which can only be achieved with a structured cloud infrastructure and appropriate documentation.
How is a cloud infrastructure set up?
Anyone who wants to set up a cloud infrastructure should proceed in a structured and forward-looking manner — because without clear objectives, well-thought-out technical structures and comprehensive security requirements, the potential of the cloud can easily be lost in complexity and lack of transparency.
Step 1: Target definition and requirements analysis
Before technical measures are taken, it is important to clarify the strategic framework:
- Which applications and services should be migrated to the cloud (e.g. email systems, ERP, web portals)?
- Are there industry-specific or legal requirements, such as GDPR requirements or compliance guidelines?
- What are the availability, performance, and scalability requirements?
A careful needs analysis forms the basis for the following steps.
Step 2: Architectural Design
The next step is to plan the cloud architecture. This includes:
- Selection of suitable cloud services (e.g. compute, storage, databases)
- Network and security design, for example through virtual private networks (VPNs), firewalls, or zero trust approaches
- Definition of naming conventions, project structures, and resource groups
Cloud infrastructure providers such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offer scalable platforms for Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). A comparison of providers is worthwhile depending on the use case: Azure often scores points in the Microsoft ecosystem, AWS offers a wide variety of services, while GCP shows strengths for data-driven projects.
Practical tip: Use Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with tools such as Terraform or Bicep and Docusnap for automated documentation and visualization of your cloud resources. In this way, infrastructures can not only be deployed efficiently, but also managed comprehensibly and transparently — a gain for scalability, governance and operational security.
Step 3: Deploy and Migrate
As soon as the architecture is ready, implementation begins:
- Migrate existing workloads to the cloud — ideally step-by-step and well-tested
- Configuring security mechanisms, backup strategies, and monitoring
- Set up identity and permission management (e.g. via Azure AD or IAM policies)
Step 4: Documentation and Governance
Especially in heterogeneous multi-cloud and hybrid cloud infrastructures, Infrastructure documentation is crucial. It forms the basis for:
- Efficient troubleshooting and incident response
- Evidence of compliance with audit bodies and for internal audits
- Comprehensible cost analysis and budget control
- Security checks and continuous improvements
Tip: Use professional documentation solutions such as Docusnap to automatically record, visualize and make your cloud environment available centrally. In this way, you always have an overview — no matter how dynamically your infrastructure grows.
A methodical approach makes the difference between cloud chaos and strategic success. With clear goals, a suitable design and consistent documentation, the path to a sustainable IT landscape is possible.
What should you pay attention to when implementing it?
- Safety concept: Identity & Access Management (IAM) and zero trust models are mandatory.
- Monitoring & Logging: Services such as Azure Monitor or CloudWatch help with operational operations.
- Cost monitoring: Cloud costs can quickly get out of control — budgets and alerts are helpful.
- Change management: Changes should be versioned and traceable.
- documentation: Automated, regular documentation is not only helpful — it is absolutely necessary in many cases (e.g. for audits).
Future-proof infrastructure: correctly capture, document, analyze and manage the cloud
Manual documentation approaches quickly reach their limits, especially in hybrid or pure cloud environments. Docusnap offers a solution here that not only saves IT managers time, but also provides security.
Benefits of Docusnap in a cloud context:
- Automated cloud inventory: Collects data from Microsoft 365, Azure AD, and more without agents. → Inventorying
- Transparent authorization analysis: Who has access to what — and why? → Permission analysis
- Visual network documentation: Shows cloud and on-prem structures in clear plans. → Network plans & topologies
- Compliance Reports & Audit Support: For GDPR, ISO 27001, or internal IT audits. → IT compliance reports
With Docusnap, IT managers always have an overview — even in complex cloud landscapes. They identify security gaps early on, avoid duplicate resources and automatically document all relevant changes — comprehensible and verifiable.
Conclusion: Structure creates safety — and efficiency
A structured, well-documented cloud infrastructure is no longer an option, but the basis of sustainable IT. Whether for scaling, compliance with legal requirements or cost optimization: Only those who know their infrastructure can use it efficiently.
With Docusnap, you have a tool at your fingertips that automatically records, analyses and documents your cloud environment — agentless, reliable and always up to date.
Try Docusnap now free of charge for 30 days and see for yourself the efficiency, transparency and security that a well-documented cloud infrastructure can offer. Try it for free.
