What is provisioning?

Server provisioning

Server provisioning is the process of setting up physical or virtual hardware; installing and configuring software, such as the operating system and applications; and connecting it to middleware, network, and storage components. Provisioning can encompass all of the operations needed to create a new machine and bring it to the desired state, which is defined according to business requirements.

Cloud provisioning

Cloud provisioning includes creating the underlying infrastructure for an organization’s cloud environment, like installing networking elements, services, and more. Once the basic cloud infrastructure is in place, provisioning involves setting up the resources, services, and applications inside a cloud.

User provisioning

User provisioning is a type of identity management that involves granting permissions to services and applications within a corporate environment—like email, a database, or a network—often based on a user’s job title or area of responsibility. The act of revoking user access is often referred to as deprovisioning.

An example of user provisioning is role based access control (RBAC). Configuring RBAC includes assigning user accounts to a group, defining the group’s role—for example, read-only, editor, or administrator—and then granting these roles access rights to specific resources based on the users’ functional needs.

The user provisioning process is often managed between IT and human resources.

Network provisioning

When referring to IT infrastructure, network provisioning is the setting up of components such as routers, switches, and firewalls; allocating IP addresses; and performing operational health checks and fact gathering. 

For telecommunications companies, the term “network provisioning” refers to providing users with a telecommunications service, such as assigning a phone number, or installing equipment and wiring.

Service provisioning

Service provisioning includes the set up of IT-dependent services for an end user and managing the related data. Examples of service provisioning may include granting an employee access to a software-as-a-service platform, and setting up credentials and system privileges to limit access to certain types of data and activities.