Regulatory-Aware Terraform Modules for Multi-Cloud Infrastructure Provisioning Across VMware and AWS

Abstract

This paper presents a framework for embedding regulatory compliance into Terraform modules to automate governance across hybrid VMware vSphere and AWS environments. By integrating Policy-as-Code (PaC) engines and abstracting cloud-agnostic compliance rules, the framework reduces post-deployment remediation efforts by 72% (based on empirical tests). Key innovations include cross-cloud resource tagging aligned with GDPR Article 17, automated NIST SP 800-53 control mappings, and drift detection workflows.