How to Establish Your Infrastructure Provisioning in IT

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February 13, 2024 Business

You’re probably aware of the importance of your business’s infrastructure. After all, at some point, you’re going to want to go online, even if it’s just to check your email. So, what does your business need in the way of infrastructure?

Navigating infrastructure provisioning in IT can be complicated, especially if you’re not sure what the process entails. To help ensure your IT department has everything your business needs, here’s what you should know about infrastructure provisioning.

What is Infrastructure Provisioning

Does your business rely on technology to collect data, connect with customers, allow for collaboration, and improve communication across the board? If you answer yes to all or any of these items, then you’re reliant on information-technology resources.

When your IT infrastructure is implemented properly, you can easily optimize and support these necessary processes. However, your IT infrastructure isn’t going to grow naturally without some help from you. This is when provisioning comes into play.

In other words, provisioning is a step in your deployment process that goes hand-in-hand with envisioning and managing all of your IT resources. These resources include things like your network, servers, applications, and user levels.

A Look at the Various Levels of IT Provisioning

As you’ve probably figured out, IT provisioning has various levels. Each level is distinct but they also work together to create your IT infrastructure. So what are the various levels?

Network

When you’re discussing network provisioning, it refers to both creating and establishing a network. Why do you need a network? To put it simply, your network is the collection of hardware and software that enables connectivity and communication between devices, apps, users, and the internet.

Without a network, you’re basically back to using a rotary phone and landline to handle most of your daily business tasks. While it’s possible to go extremely old school, it’s not effective and you’ll find it’s impossible to grow your business.

Server

Now that your network is in place, it’s time to think about server provisioning. Your servers are a vital part of your IT infrastructure and will work within your established network. What’s included in server provisioning? Your operating systems, software controls, and assigning specific servers to authorized users. Server provisioning isn’t limited to physical resources, it can also include virtual ones.

For example, if your business is taking advantage of cloud computing you’re using a virtual server. This needs to be considered in your provisioning. Forgetting even a single resource can have disastrous effects on business operations. For example, you may not have access to stored data or even be able to save information—this is a rather extreme example but it gives you an idea of the importance of planning.

Applications

Application provisioning is more than ensuring everyone has the right apps installed on their devices. First, you need to identify the applications and then create and deploy them. In applications provisioning, you’re talking about apps that optimize performance in a specific area.

This may mean an application that improves communication across various platforms or even one that makes it easier for employees to collaborate in real-time. While you can always add applications as you go, it’s still a good idea to have a plan for the ones you know are necessary for your business operation.

User

When it comes to user provisioning, things can get a little complicated; this process refers to who is allowed to access specific data.

The process involves creating, modifying, deleting, and disabling users’ accounts as necessary. In other words, this type of infrastructure provisioning is never finished. Every time someone leaves the company, you’ll need to disable or delete their account. You’ll create a new account as part of an employee’s onboarding process.

User provisioning focuses primarily on an employee’s rights and permissions to use the account and access data. This part of IT infrastructure provisioning is often considered one of the most essential parts of the process. While you may consider the constant updates and changes tedious and time-consuming, it’s also essential for security. After all, the last thing you want is an upset former employee still having access to business data.

On the other hand, you also don’t want a new employee sitting around with nothing to do since you haven’t gotten around to adding their account. Either situation isn’t good for your business.

Don’t Put Off Your Infrastructure IT Provisioning

Procrastinating on addressing your IT infrastructure provisioning can lead to significant operational risks, including inadequate data access and storage issues. While the process of updating and maintaining IT infrastructure can indeed be time-consuming, it’s an essential investment in your business’s operational efficiency and reliability.

Ensuring your IT infrastructure is properly configured and up-to-date not only supports the smooth functioning of business processes but also enhances data security and system performance.