Provisioning (telecommunications)

In telecommunication, provisioning involves the process of preparing and equipping a

network to allow it to provide new services to its users. In National Security/Emergency
Preparedness telecommunications services, "provisioning" equates to "initiation" and includes
altering the state of an existing priority service or capability.[1]
The concept of network provisioning or service mediation, mostly used in
the telecommunication industry, refers to the provisioning of the customer's services to the
network elements. It requires the existence of networking equipment and depends on network
planning and design.
In a modern signal infrastructure employing information technology (IT) at all levels, there is no
possible distinction between telecommunications services and "higher level"
infrastructure. Accordingly, provisioning configures any required systems, provides users with
access to data and technology resources, and refers to all enterprise-level information-resource
management involved.
Organizationally, a CIO typically manages provisioning, necessarily involving human
resources and IT departments cooperating to:

 Give users access to data repositories or grant authorization to systems, network

applications and databases based on a unique user identity.
 Appropriate for their use hardware resources, such as computers, mobile phones and
pagers.
As its core, the provisioning process monitors access rights and privileges to ensure the
security of an enterprise's resources and user privacy. As a secondary responsibility, it
ensures compliance and minimizes the vulnerability of systems to penetration and
abuse.
Once provisioning has taken place, the process of SysOpping ensures the maintenance of
services to the expected standards. Provisioning thus refers only to the setup or startup part of
the service operation, and SysOpping to the ongoing support.

Network provisioning
One type of provisioning. The services which are assigned to the customer in the customer
relationship management (CRM) have to be provisioned on the network element which is
enabling the service and allows the customer to actually use the service. The relation between a
service configured in the CRM and a service on the network elements is not necessarily a one-
to-one relationship; for example, services like Microsoft Media Server (mms://) can be enabled
by more than one network element.
During the provisioning, the service mediation device translates the service and the
corresponding parameters of the service to one or more services/parameters on the network
elements involved. The algorithm used to translate a system service into network services is
called provisioning logic.
Electronic invoice feeds from your carriers can be automatically downloaded directly into the
core of the telecom expense management (TEM) software and it will immediately conduct an
audit of each single line item charge all the way down to the User Support and Operations
Center (USOC) level. The provisioning software will capture each circuit number provided by all
of your carriers and if bills outside of the contracted rate an exception rule will trigger a red flag
and notify the pre-established staff member to review the billing error.

Server provisioning
Server provisioning is a set of actions to prepare a server with appropriate systems, data
and software, and make it ready for network operation. Typical tasks when provisioning a
server are: select a server from a pool of available servers, load the
appropriate software (operating system, device drivers, middleware, and applications),
appropriately customize and configure the system and the software to create or change a boot
image for this server, and then change its parameters, such as IP address, IP Gateway to find
associated network and storage resources (sometimes separated as resource provisioning) to
audit the system. By auditing the system, you ensure OVAL compliance with limit vulnerability,
ensure compliance, or install patches. After these actions, you restart the system and load the
new software. This makes the system ready for operation. Typically an internet service
provider (ISP) or Network Operations Center will perform these tasks to a well-defined set of
parameters, for example, a boot image that the organization has approved and which uses
software it has license to. Many instances of such a boot image create a virtual dedicated host.

User provisioning
User provisioning refers to the creation, maintenance and deactivation of user objects and user
attributes, as they exist in one or more systems, directories or applications, in response to
automated or interactive business processes. User provisioning software may include one or
more of the following processes: change propagation, self-service workflow, consolidated user
administration, delegated user administration, and federated change control. User objects may
represent employees, contractors, vendors, partners, customers or other recipients of a service.
Services may include electronic mail, inclusion in a published user directory, access to
a database, access to a network or mainframe, etc. User provisioning is a type of identity
management software, particularly useful within organizations, where users may be represented
by multiple objects on multiple systems and multiple instances

Self-service provisioning for cloud computing services[edit]

On-demand self-service is described by the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) as an essential characteristic of cloud computing.[6] The self-service nature of
cloud computing lets end users obtain and remove cloud services―including applications, the
infrastructure supporting the applications,[7] and configuration―[8] themselves without requiring
the assistance of an IT staff member.[9] The automatic self-servicing may target different
application goals and constraints (e.g. deadlines and cost),[10][11] as well as handling different
application architectures (e.g., bags-of-tasks and workflows).[12] Cloud users can obtain cloud
services through a cloud service catalog or a self-service portal.[13] Because business users can
obtain and configure cloud services themselves, this means IT staff can be more productive and
gives them more time to manage cloud infrastructures.[14]
One downside of cloud service provisioning is that it is not instantaneous. A cloud virtual
machine (VM) can be acquired at any time by the user, but it may take up to several minutes for
the acquired VM to be ready to use. The VM startup time is dependent on factors, such as
image size, VM type, data center location, and number of VMs.[15] Cloud providers have different
VM startup performance.
Mobile subscriber provisioning
Mobile subscriber provisioning refers to the setting up of new services, such
as GPRS, MMS and Instant Messaging for an existing subscriber of a mobile phone network,
and any gateways to standard Internet chat or mail services. The network operator typically
sends these settings to the subscriber's handset using SMS text services or HTML, and less
commonly WAP, depending on what the mobile operating systems can accept.
A general example of provisioning is with data services. A mobile user who is using his or her
device for voice calling may wish to switch to data services in order to read emails or browse the
Internet. The mobile device's services are "provisioned" and thus the user is able to stay
connected through push emails and other features of smartphone services.
Device management systems can benefit end-users by incorporating plug-and-play data
services, supporting whatever device the end-user is using.[citation needed]. Such a platform can
automatically detect devices in the network, sending them settings for immediate and continued
usability.[citation needed] The process is fully automated, keeping the history of used devices and
sending settings only to subscriber devices which were not previously set. One method of
managing mobile updates is to filter IMEI/IMSI pairs.[citation needed] Some operators report activity of
50 over-the-air settings update files per second.[citation needed]

Mobile content provisioning[edit]

This refers to delivering mobile content, such as mobile internet to a mobile phone, agnostic of
the features of said device. These may include operating system type and versions, Java
version, browser version, screen form factors, audio capabilities, language settings and many
other characteristics. As of April 2006, an estimated 5,000 permutations were relevant. Mobile
content provisioning facilitates a common user experience, though delivered on widely different
handsets.

Internet access provisioning[edit]

When getting a customer online, the client system must be configured. Depending on the
connection technology (e.g., DSL, Cable, Fibre), the client system configuration may include:

 Modem configuration
 Network authentication
 Installing drivers
 Setting up Wireless LAN
 Securing operating system (primarily for Windows)
 Configuring browser provider-specifics
 E-mail provisioning (create mailboxes and aliases)
 E-mail configuration in client systems
 Installing additional support software or add-on packages
There are four approaches to provisioning internet access:

 Hand out manuals: Manuals are a great help for experienced users, but inexperienced
users will need to call the support hotline several times until all internet services are
accessible. Every unintended change in the configuration, by user mistake or due to a
software error, results in additional calls.
 On-site setup by a technician: Sending a technician on-site is the most reliable approach
from the provider’s point of view, as the person ensures that the internet access is working,
before leaving the customer’s premises. This advantage comes at high costs – either for the
provider or the customer, depending on the business model. Furthermore, it is inconvenient
for customers, as they have to wait until they get an installation appointment and because
they need to take a day off from work. For repairing an internet connection on-site or phone
support will be needed again.
 Server-side remote setup: Server-side modem configuration uses a protocol called TR-
069. It is widely established and reliable. At the current stage it can only be used for modem
configuration. Protocol extensions are discussed, but not yet practically implemented,
particularly because most client devices and applications do not support them yet. All other
steps of the provisioning process are left to the user, typically causing lots of rather long
calls to the support hotline.
 Installation CD: Also called a "client-side self-service installation" CD, it can cover the
entire process from modem configuration to setting up client applications, including home
networking devices. The software typically acts autonomously, i.e., it doesn’t need an online
connection and an expensive backend infrastructure. During such an installation process
the software usually also install diagnosis and self-repair applications that support
customers in case of problems, avoiding costly hotline calls. Such client-side applications
also open completely new possibilities for marketing, cross- and upselling. Such solutions
come from highly specialised companies or directly from the provider’s development
department.