The text explores how CircleCI can be used to automate Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) processes, specifically through the use of Terraform and the security analysis tool Cloudrail. It highlights the advantage of pre-deployment security checks, known as "Shift Left" testing, which allow developers to catch vulnerabilities early in the pipeline. The text provides a detailed guide on configuring CircleCI to create and assess Terraform plans using Cloudrail, emphasizing the importance of setting rules to "mandate" in order to enforce security policies and stop the provisioning of insecure resources. By integrating Cloudrail into CircleCI workflows, developers can ensure their infrastructure complies with security standards without sacrificing development speed. This integration helps prevent security violations by halting the pipeline when non-compliant resources are detected, thus allowing for a more secure and efficient deployment process.