Since all administrative operations within the cloud environment (whether through GUI or CLI) are API calls, tracking configuration states and changes becomes an attainable goal. Services such as AWS Config allow users to monitor deployment patterns, retain configuration states, and monitor changes to the cloud resources over time.

The security benefit of such a capability cannot be overstated. The ability to create an inventory of cloud resources as well as software configurations on the VMs gives users peace of mind in maintaining security posture and tracking any configuration drift. Any changes that are made can trigger notification mechanisms to alert administrators. A secondary benefit is the ability to audit and assess the compliance of the cloud environment.