Provisioning overview

In Microsoft Provisioning System, provisioning is the implementation of the steps, actions, and operations required to automate Web-based operations, especially the allocation of resources to users. Using provisioning to automate tasks can help reduce your setup time and administrative costs as well as the likelihood of error.

Service provisioning is a common type of provisioning for dynamic Web-based services. It includes all of the steps and actions required to provision the entire service, end-to-end, and deliver it to a user. Service provisioning includes the following specific types of provisioning:

Provisioning requires both a provisioning framework and a method of invoking the functionality of that framework. A robust provisioning system is also customizable and extensible. Microsoft Provisioning System, especially Delegated Administration Console, focuses on providing the business logic and rules that are necessary to implement application provisioning. The components of Microsoft Provisioning System, however, particularly MPF, provide an extensible framework and functionality that you can use as a platform to create almost any provisioning solution.