Spacelift-commissioned Infrastructure Automation Report 2025` highlights a striking finding that only 14% of organizations exhibiting true infrastructure automation leadership have achieved this, despite 45% believing they have. The report identifies key patterns set apart by leaders: implementing developer self-service, integrating security and compliance early, adopting a platform team approach, prioritizing cost optimization, and avoiding siloed automation. By focusing on these patterns, organizations can streamline cloud infrastructure development, increase speed, build governance and control, reduce friction, and maximize ROI. However, blindly implementing these patterns without strategy and oversight may lead to negative consequences. To become a leader in cloud infrastructure automation, organizations must adopt a holistic approach that balances speed and control, prioritizes cost optimization, and avoids siloed automation, while integrating security and compliance early into their workflows.