Course Outline
Module 1: Introduction to Infrastructure as Code and Terraform for Government
- Concepts and benefits of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) in on-premises and hybrid environments for government agencies
- Overview of Terraform: providers, resources, state management, and lifecycle
- Installation of Terraform, Azure CLI, and other required tools for government use
- Hands-on exercise: writing a simple Terraform configuration and applying it locally
Module 2: HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL) and Configuration Basics
- Syntax, resources, attributes, and expressions in HCL for government configurations
- Variables, outputs, locals, and type constraints in Terraform configurations
- Using the Terraform CLI: initialization, planning, applying, destroying, and formatting commands
- Hands-on lab: building a parameterized configuration for an on-premises resource and an Azure resource
Module 3: Providers, Resources, and Azure Provider Fundamentals
- Understanding providers and provider configuration, with a focus on the AzureRM provider for government use
- Mapping infrastructure components to Terraform resources (networking, compute, storage)
- Managing Azure authentication and service principals for automation in government environments
- Hands-on exercise: provisioning an Azure virtual network and a simple VM using Terraform
Module 4: State Management, Backends, and Collaboration
- Purpose, format, and lifecycle considerations of Terraform state management for government projects
- Utilizing remote backends with Azure Storage Account and implementing state locking strategies
- Workspaces, environments, and collaboration patterns for teams in government settings
- Lab: configuring remote state in Azure Storage and performing multi-user workflows
Module 5: Modularization, Reusability, and Best Practices
- Authoring and consuming Terraform modules for government projects
- Module inputs/outputs, versioning, and registry patterns for government use
- Folder layout, naming conventions, and maintainable repository structures for government repositories
- Hands-on exercise: creating a reusable module for Azure VM + disk + network and testing across environments
Module 6: Managing Azure Virtual Devices and On-Prem Integration
- Managing Azure Virtual Machines, Virtual Desktop components, and device lifecycle via Terraform for government use
- Patterns for hybrid device management: integrating on-premises resources with Azure-managed devices in government environments
- Integrating volumetric or device management systems through data sources and external providers for government workflows
- Lab: deploying an Azure VM fleet to represent operator units and configuring inventory tagging and basic monitoring
Module 7: CI/CD, Automation, and Deployment Pipelines
- Integrating Terraform with CI/CD tools (GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps pipelines) for government projects
- Automating plan and apply processes with secured secrets and service principals in government environments
- Policy as Code basics (Sentinel or Open Policy Agent patterns) and pre-deploy checks for government compliance
- Hands-on exercise: creating a simple GitHub Actions workflow to plan and apply Terraform against a sandbox subscription for government use
Module 8: Security, Secrets, and Operational Practices
- Managing secrets in government environments: Azure Key Vault integration and avoiding sensitive data in state files
- Access control, role-based access control (RBAC), and least privilege for automation accounts in government settings
- Drift detection, state reconciliation, and basic remediation practices for government infrastructure
- Checklist: backup, auditing, and governance for Terraform-managed infrastructure in government agencies
Module 9: Testing, Debugging, and Troubleshooting
- Debugging Terraform configurations and effectively reading plan diffs for government projects
- Unit and integration testing approaches (terraform validate, tflint, kitchen-terraform) in government settings
- Common error patterns and resolution strategies for government use
- Lab: running validation and linting tools and fixing discovered issues in government configurations
Module 10: Capstone Project — Hybrid Deployment Scenario
- Design exercise: planning an on-premises + Azure device deployment using learned patterns for government use
- Implementing core components using modules, remote state, and CI/CD pipeline snippets in a government context
- Presenting the solution, discussing trade-offs, and reviewing runbooks for operations in government settings
Summary and Next Steps
Requirements
- A foundational understanding of networking and virtualization concepts for government operations
- Familiarity with Windows or Linux command-line interfaces
- Basic knowledge of cloud and on-premises infrastructure principles
Audience
- System administrators and platform engineers for government agencies
- DevOps professionals initiating Infrastructure as Code practices
- IT teams overseeing hybrid (on-premises + Azure) infrastructure for government
Testimonials (5)
The trainer - open to questions and well prepared.
Lucian Bucurescu
Course - Terraform : Advanced
I loved the technical aspects of the exercises - it was great seeing Terraform in action and being able to see the creation of the resources in Azure.
Brett Hawson - Reach Plc
Course - Terraform on Microsoft Azure
Expertise of the trainer
Martin
Course - Terraform Intermediate LP
The trainer spoke freely and was extremely friendly and extremely knowledgeble
Farcasescu Roxana-Marcela
Course - Terraform Fundamentals LP
The flexibility of the trainer to adapt the knowledge sharing based on the group feedback or areas of intereset
