Cloud computing
Provisioning: meaning, types and benefits in 2024
Today’s IT scenario is marked by an enormous range of services and resources that can be configured and accessed in the enterprise context both locally and through the Internet, thanks to the growing catalog of offerings from cloud service providers.
Now more than ever, companies engaged in their digital transformation journey, particularly with regard to cloud adoption, need to become solidly aware of resource provisioning and the possibility of automating with self-service logics the configuration and availability of servers, storage, network and applications, to optimize the time and cost of IT management.
At the same time, organizations need to show increasing awareness of the provisioning aspects of user accounts, to avoid regulatory and security/privacy issues with the data they punctually can access on enterprise systems.
Now more than ever, companies engaged in their digital transformation journey, particularly with regard to cloud adoption, need to become solidly aware of resource provisioning and the possibility of automating with self-service logics the configuration and availability of servers, storage, network and applications, to optimize the time and cost of IT management.
At the same time, organizations need to show increasing awareness of the provisioning aspects of user accounts, to avoid regulatory and security/privacy issues with the data they punctually can access on enterprise systems.
What is provisioning
In computing, provisioning refers to the process of setting up the IT infrastructure to make it available to authorized users so that they can access the resources under their purview.
In communication, the concept of provisioning has gradually spread to the point that it now encompasses virtually all elements of an IT infrastructure, assuming particular relevance in the context of resources available in the cloud, including the fundamental components of computing (CPU, GPU, memory,etc.), storage and networking, as well as the entire application front.
In other words, provisioning is about making an IT resource available to a user or system.
In enterprise-level IT, business users are classified by directory systems that assign them a set of permissions, defined based on policies shared by the organization to ensure their access to hardware and software resources they need to perform their tasks within the line of business to which they belong.
For these reasons, provisioning represents one of the first steps referred to when it comes to defining the operation of enterprise IT.
As we shall see, there are various types of provisioning, which can be defined on the basis of the IT element under consideration, and it is useful, especially as far as users are concerned, to mention the parallel concept of deprovisioning, which intervenes at the moment when it is intended to remove previously assigned access rights If making a resource available constitutes a fundamental aspect of productivity, revoking those rights at the moment when it is no longer needed plays an equally crucial role from the point of view of IT security and asset management.
In communication, the concept of provisioning has gradually spread to the point that it now encompasses virtually all elements of an IT infrastructure, assuming particular relevance in the context of resources available in the cloud, including the fundamental components of computing (CPU, GPU, memory,etc.), storage and networking, as well as the entire application front.
In other words, provisioning is about making an IT resource available to a user or system.
In enterprise-level IT, business users are classified by directory systems that assign them a set of permissions, defined based on policies shared by the organization to ensure their access to hardware and software resources they need to perform their tasks within the line of business to which they belong.
For these reasons, provisioning represents one of the first steps referred to when it comes to defining the operation of enterprise IT.
As we shall see, there are various types of provisioning, which can be defined on the basis of the IT element under consideration, and it is useful, especially as far as users are concerned, to mention the parallel concept of deprovisioning, which intervenes at the moment when it is intended to remove previously assigned access rights If making a resource available constitutes a fundamental aspect of productivity, revoking those rights at the moment when it is no longer needed plays an equally crucial role from the point of view of IT security and asset management.
What is the difference between provisioning and configuration?
To be made available to users and systems, an IT resource must be properly configured.
It is therefore useful to disambiguate the similarity between provisioning and configuration, as they refer to two different moments within the same process.
Specifically, configuration of systems precedes their deployment and can be automated by particular applications to minimize the effort for the IT department.
At the same time, provisioning constitutes the entire process and does not end at the very moment when the resource is made accessible after being configured.
Indeed, it seems essential to consider the management and maintenance of the IT infrastructure made available, to make it secure and efficient in meeting the needs of the business over time.
It is therefore useful to disambiguate the similarity between provisioning and configuration, as they refer to two different moments within the same process.
Specifically, configuration of systems precedes their deployment and can be automated by particular applications to minimize the effort for the IT department.
At the same time, provisioning constitutes the entire process and does not end at the very moment when the resource is made accessible after being configured.
Indeed, it seems essential to consider the management and maintenance of the IT infrastructure made available, to make it secure and efficient in meeting the needs of the business over time.
Main types of provisioning
As mentioned in the definition, there are various types of provisioning based on the IT element that is actually made available to users and systems in an organization.
As an example, provisioning of: servers, storage, networks, applications and users can be summarized.
To traditional on-premises provisioning, provisioning of IT resources in the cloud, secured by cloud service providers, the best-known examples of which are AWS (Amazon Web Services), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, whose ecosystems are worth about two-thirds of the market share in both the United States and Europe, has become particularly popular in recent years.
Other notable names include Oracle Cloud, IBM Cloud and Chinese giants Alibaba Cloud, Huawei Cloud and Tencent Cloud.
As an example, provisioning of: servers, storage, networks, applications and users can be summarized.
To traditional on-premises provisioning, provisioning of IT resources in the cloud, secured by cloud service providers, the best-known examples of which are AWS (Amazon Web Services), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, whose ecosystems are worth about two-thirds of the market share in both the United States and Europe, has become particularly popular in recent years.
Other notable names include Oracle Cloud, IBM Cloud and Chinese giants Alibaba Cloud, Huawei Cloud and Tencent Cloud.
Server provisioning (computing)
Server provisioning is the process of configuring and deploying different types of computing resources, physical or virtual.
Referring to server comes from provisioning machines configured to perform specific functions in enterprise IT: file servers, web servers, application servers, mail servers, and other specialized servers.
In addition to configuring the hardware components, server provisioning involves the installation of the software necessary for their operation: operating systems, applications, and middleware.
As anticipated, deployment does not exhaust the process, as the provisioning team is required to collect information on server utilization and update them so that they meet business requirements on time.
Referring to server comes from provisioning machines configured to perform specific functions in enterprise IT: file servers, web servers, application servers, mail servers, and other specialized servers.
In addition to configuring the hardware components, server provisioning involves the installation of the software necessary for their operation: operating systems, applications, and middleware.
As anticipated, deployment does not exhaust the process, as the provisioning team is required to collect information on server utilization and update them so that they meet business requirements on time.
Storage provisioning
In its modern conception, storage provisioning is carried out through a storage area network (SAN) server, which can guarantee the exchange of files to authorized users and devices.
The storage provisioning process is subject to special planning at the front-end level so that the SAN administrator can predict future storage requirements and dynamically optimize the infrastructure needed for data storage, backup and recovery.
On this topic, it is important to note that there are two types of storage provisioning: thick provisioning and thin provisioning.
In the case of “traditional” thick provisioning, more storage space is made available than initially requested, effectively anticipating future needs.
Such storage space, however, may remain unused for a long time, causing underutilization of storage capacity and actually wasting resources.
More recently, therefore, thin provisioning has been introduced, which, using appropriate virtualization technologies, makes it possible to eliminate storage underutilization problems by allocating space on demand, according to the quantities that are actually needed.
The storage provisioning process is subject to special planning at the front-end level so that the SAN administrator can predict future storage requirements and dynamically optimize the infrastructure needed for data storage, backup and recovery.
On this topic, it is important to note that there are two types of storage provisioning: thick provisioning and thin provisioning.
In the case of “traditional” thick provisioning, more storage space is made available than initially requested, effectively anticipating future needs.
Such storage space, however, may remain unused for a long time, causing underutilization of storage capacity and actually wasting resources.
More recently, therefore, thin provisioning has been introduced, which, using appropriate virtualization technologies, makes it possible to eliminate storage underutilization problems by allocating space on demand, according to the quantities that are actually needed.
Network provisioning
Network provisioning allows the various components of an enterprise network: routers, switches, firewalls, access points, etc., to be configured and made available. The network provisioning process involves many steps, such as assigning IP addresses, accessing devices and authorized users, as well as configuring security systems to protect data and applications
Provisioning applications
Application provisioning involves configuring a service and managing the data with which it interfaces, a relevant aspect especially in cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) models.
This is a process now largely delivered in self-service mode through unified management interfaces.
Application provisioning sensibly limits freedom during the configuration phase, making the process rapid through a set of predetermined options, while not sacrificing the proverbial scalability of this type of cloud service.
This is a process now largely delivered in self-service mode through unified management interfaces.
Application provisioning sensibly limits freedom during the configuration phase, making the process rapid through a set of predetermined options, while not sacrificing the proverbial scalability of this type of cloud service.
Provisioning users
User provisioning is a process of configuring, modifying or deleting active accounts within the IT infrastructure.
Based on the permissions granted, user accounts can access various services, such as e-mail, applications, databases and other IT resources made available by the enterprise, on-premises and in the cloud.
Identity management is a crucial aspect when it comes to user provisioning and involves appropriate authorization and authentication controls.
One popular method is role-based access control, whereby users are granted access rights to specific resources based on his or her active role in the organization and, consequently, his or her specific job requirements.
Based on the permissions granted, user accounts can access various services, such as e-mail, applications, databases and other IT resources made available by the enterprise, on-premises and in the cloud.
Identity management is a crucial aspect when it comes to user provisioning and involves appropriate authorization and authentication controls.
One popular method is role-based access control, whereby users are granted access rights to specific resources based on his or her active role in the organization and, consequently, his or her specific job requirements.
Automating provisioning
Manual provisioning has been the most common method for many years, especially when IT infrastructures were almost exclusively on-premises.
The increasing amount of IT resources that companies must currently refer to now makes it unthinkable to configure every machine, moreover when using cloud services, where everything is managed remotely with self-service interfaces.
Automation of provisioning is now the most efficient and fastest way to configure and make IT infrastructure available using predefined templates and procedures.
This approach limits human intervention to major approvals and generic oversight.
One of the systems to take advantage of automated provisioning is what is known as IaC (Infrastructure as a Code), which allows all the specifications of the infrastructure to be made available to be stored in the configuration file.
In other words, thanks to IaC, provisioning can be done by running a simple script, making this operation repeatable in a totally automatic manner.
Therefore, infrastructure coding makes it possible to automate and make the entire provisioning process faster and more efficient in terms of containing the time and resources required, while providing a high level of control to the IT department to avoid inconsistencies with policies or data privacy and security issues.
The increasing amount of IT resources that companies must currently refer to now makes it unthinkable to configure every machine, moreover when using cloud services, where everything is managed remotely with self-service interfaces.
Automation of provisioning is now the most efficient and fastest way to configure and make IT infrastructure available using predefined templates and procedures.
This approach limits human intervention to major approvals and generic oversight.
One of the systems to take advantage of automated provisioning is what is known as IaC (Infrastructure as a Code), which allows all the specifications of the infrastructure to be made available to be stored in the configuration file.
In other words, thanks to IaC, provisioning can be done by running a simple script, making this operation repeatable in a totally automatic manner.
Therefore, infrastructure coding makes it possible to automate and make the entire provisioning process faster and more efficient in terms of containing the time and resources required, while providing a high level of control to the IT department to avoid inconsistencies with policies or data privacy and security issues.
Benefits of automate provisioning
As mentioned, automate provisioning is a process that saves a significant amount of time while reducing the costs involved in making IT resources available in the enterprise to the context.
In a very succinct way, it is possible to summarize some of the main benefits that organizations today can leverage through proper and informed implementation of automate provisioning in their IT pipelines.
In a very succinct way, it is possible to summarize some of the main benefits that organizations today can leverage through proper and informed implementation of automate provisioning in their IT pipelines.
- Simplify the configuration of IT environments, contextually making them more consistent and scalable over time
- Enable authorized users to access the resources they need in the shortest possible time, minimizing downtime even in phases when a device needs to be restored from scratch.
- Reduce errors typically due to manual processes, and consequently the time spent on troubleshooting and root causes.
- Reduce the possibility of incurring misconfigurations, with the attendant inconveniences of reduced productivity.
- Achieve an overall more secure environment that is less vulnerable to cyber attacks and deadly data breaches conducted by cyber criminals.
- Facilitate control over who has access to resources, with detailed visibility into specific and actually used resources, so that unauthorized or malicious users are prevented from accessing sensitive data and business-critical information.
- Reduce operational effort and costs during provisioning and deprovisioning, especially in terms of human staff engagement, who can allocate their time for activities with higher business value.
What to evaluate in an automated provisioning tool.
The role of Deda Cloud.
Implementing an automated provisioning process has now become an easier process than carrying out similar procedures using traditional manual methodologies.
In fact, leading automate provisioning platforms allow IT resources to be quickly and securely configured and made available in a self-service mode.
While there is no shortage of technological alternatives, it is essential to know in detail all the aspects related to the responsibilities and priorities to be assigned in the context of workflow automation and IT management.
This is an area in which solid expertise in the available systems and proven experience in the field alongside companies engaged in their digital transformation journey cannot be ignored.
Details that make Deda Cloud the ideal partner for planning and operationalizing an automate provisioning strategy and making it efficient over time.
In today’s extraordinarily broad offering environment, only an experienced player such as Deda Cloud can ensure companies a performant level of automation in the allocation and provisioning of IT resources, reducing time and effort in managing cloud assets, ensuring that users use the correct hardware and software resources, with appropriate licenses, all consistent with a role-based authorization model that actually reflects accountability of those accessing the systems available in the enterprise.
With Deda Cloud’s expertise, automated workflows can be quickly set up to enable seamless integration for all company employees, ensuring that assets are delivered in the correct, high-performance manner, providing IT and HR managers with the highest level of visibility into all activities performed by people in the company, as key stakeholders in business success.
In fact, leading automate provisioning platforms allow IT resources to be quickly and securely configured and made available in a self-service mode.
While there is no shortage of technological alternatives, it is essential to know in detail all the aspects related to the responsibilities and priorities to be assigned in the context of workflow automation and IT management.
This is an area in which solid expertise in the available systems and proven experience in the field alongside companies engaged in their digital transformation journey cannot be ignored.
Details that make Deda Cloud the ideal partner for planning and operationalizing an automate provisioning strategy and making it efficient over time.
In today’s extraordinarily broad offering environment, only an experienced player such as Deda Cloud can ensure companies a performant level of automation in the allocation and provisioning of IT resources, reducing time and effort in managing cloud assets, ensuring that users use the correct hardware and software resources, with appropriate licenses, all consistent with a role-based authorization model that actually reflects accountability of those accessing the systems available in the enterprise.
With Deda Cloud’s expertise, automated workflows can be quickly set up to enable seamless integration for all company employees, ensuring that assets are delivered in the correct, high-performance manner, providing IT and HR managers with the highest level of visibility into all activities performed by people in the company, as key stakeholders in business success.
A concrete example of Deda Cloud’s wide variety of provisioning services is the Cloud Store & Share which makes it possible to automate storage services by automatically defining accounts authorized for access, with security standards among the highest of any currently available on the market.
