What is Provisioning?

In general, Provisioning means making something available, or “providing”. In information technology jargon, it means putting up an IT infrastructure or otherwise referring to the procedures of making data and resources available to the system and users. Provisioning can refer to a variety of processes, which we are going to look at in this article. The term “provisioning” is seldom confused with “configuration,” although both are steps in the deployment process. Provisioning comes first, then configuration, after something has been provisioned. We can provide a variety of processes, which include:

• Server Provisioning
• User Provisioning
• Network Provisioning
• Device Provisioning
• Internet Access Provisioning

1. Server provisioning: It is the process of giving a server in a network the desired resources it will need to operate, which depends completely on the job that particular server is doing. So it is important to gather information about a server’s intended use before provisioning. As there are many servers categorized according to their uses, Each of them has unique provisioning requirements, and the choice of the server itself will be driven by the intended use. For example, there are file servers, policy servers, mail servers, and application servers, just to name a few. Server provisioning includes processes such as adjusting control panels, installing operating systems and other software, or even replicating the set-up of other servers. Generally, server provisioning is a process that constructs a new machine, bringing it up to speed and defining the system’s desired state.

2. User Provisioning: User provisioning is identity management that monitors authorization and authentication of privileges and rights in a business or information technology infrastructure. This technology is involved in modifying, disabling, creating, and deleting user accounts and profiles. In a business setup, this is important as it automates administrative workforce activities, off-boarding, and on-boarding activities.

3. Network Provisioning: Network provisioning is mainly concerned with setting up a network in an information technology environment so that devices, servers, and authorized users can gain access to it. Network provisioning is becoming more widespread in corporations, and it focuses on limiting access to a system to only specified users. The procedure begins when the network is first set up and users are granted access to specific devices and servers. It is paramount that security and connectivity are given priority in this provisioning so as to safeguard identity and device management.

4. Device Provisioning: This technology is mostly used when you’re deploying your IoT network. In this, a device is configured, secured, customized, and certified, after which a user is allocated these devices. This enables improved device management, flexibility, and device sharing.

5. Internet- access Provisioning: This simply means granting internet access to individuals and devices on a network. There is a lot more as, although it may appear straightforward, it necessitates the installation of firewalls, virus protection, cyber security tools, and editing software, among other things. Furthermore, everything will need to be correctly adjusted, which could take some time. This is especially true for larger networks, which will necessitate a higher level of protection.

How to Automate Provisioning?

This is a design principle that facilitates the implementation of end-to-end automation using analytics, policies, and specifications. which loosely translates to having the ability to deploy information technology services using pre-defined automated procedures without requiring human intervention. 

In traditional information technology infrastructure, provisioning was handled manually, which included configuring hardware to the desired settings and setting up physical servers. A lot has changed, as now the infrastructure is defined by containers, software, and virtualization. You can automate provisioning through infrastructure as code. In this way, one does not need to manually provision and manage servers, storage, and operating systems each time they deploy or develop an application. Developers need only to execute a script to have their infrastructure ready, which eases the majority of provisioning work. It also means you can divide your infrastructure into modular components that can then be combined in different ways through automation. This gives you a template to follow for provisioning through automation tools like the Ansible automation tool.

Importance of Automating Provisioning:

• Assured Compliance through automated provisioning and various other access policies, you can control who’s granted access to which tools and applications, and trace the account activity.
• Easily scalable because change is a constant in any organization, automated provisioning allows you to scale your infrastructure at the pace of your business.
• Optimize transparency across users automated provisioning grants users access to tools and applications based on their roles and permission levels inside the organization.
• It also saves money as automation cuts onboarding and operational costs. It saves IT and human resources departments time, which translates to money saved.
• With “Track and Audit”, you will get an audit trail of how to access roles are being created, who was granted access, and what they received access to.
• This improves the productivity of HR and IT resources during on-boarding and provisioning services as it reduces the labor involved in traditional provisioning.

Provisioning is an important aspect of a business and IT infrastructure because it enables the organization and allocation of resources efficiently for maximum profit and productivity. It is essential to provision your resources accordingly as this will determine the success of your business.