Provisioning: ready to ship is not ready to use

Provisioning has changed dramatically over the past decade.

The technology has evolved.

The terminology has evolved.

The promises have evolved.

The experience, however, is not always better.

Most organisations measure provisioning success by shipment confirmation. Employees measure it by whether they can start working immediately.

Those two definitions rarely match.

From SCCM to modern deployment

If we rewind ten years, global provisioning was dominated by Configuration Manager.

Heavy infrastructure.

Distribution points.

Driver packages.

Application packaging and testing.

Images maintained and controlled centrally.

It was complex and costly to run.

But when executed properly, the experience could be excellent:

Receive the device.

Boot.

Log on.

Ready.

The effort sat behind the curtain. The employee simply started working.

Then came Apple Automated Device Enrollment, Samsung Knox Mobile Enrollment, Windows Autopilot, and Android zero-touch. Microsoft pushed what was branded as “modern deployment”.

Architecturally, this was a major shift.

The experience, however, changed in different ways depending on the platform.

With Apple ADE, devices are often ready quickly. The enrolment flow is typically predictable and efficient when enforced properly.

With Windows Autopilot – particularly user-driven enrolment – the experience can be very different.

Boot.

Log on.

Prepare.

Wait.

In some cases, wait for hours while applications, policies, and configurations are applied.

Is that more modern? Architecturally, yes.

Is it always better for the employee? Not necessarily.

The difference between self-driven and ready-to-use

User-driven enrolment transfers part of the provisioning burden to the employee.

It reduces infrastructure overhead.

It simplifies image management.

It shifts complexity away from central IT.

But it also introduces uncertainty into the first experience with a new device.

For me, ready to use means this: the employee logs on and starts working within minutes, not hours.

That is why I favour pre-provisioning approaches where it makes sense. They balance cost and experience more effectively.

Organisations often compare infrastructure cost against pre-provisioning effort. Fewer compare it against the cost of employee time.

If an employee waits two hours for a device to configure – multiplied across thousands of joiners or refreshes – the hidden productivity cost can quickly exceed the savings achieved by avoiding pre-provisioning.

Provisioning decisions should not be evaluated only on infrastructure efficiency. They should be evaluated on total organisational cost and employee confidence.

Provisioning is not a technical philosophy. It is a service decision.

Zero-touch is not the goal

There is a tendency to treat zero-touch as the ultimate objective.

But zero-touch is a mechanism, not a measure of success.

For some personas and geographies, full zero-touch is appropriate. For others, pre-provisioning delivers a far better first impression. A hybrid model often makes the most sense.

The goal should never be automation for its own sake.

The goal is confidence on day one.

Enforcement matters

I still see organisations that have not globally enforced Apple ADE or zero-touch capabilities. Devices are enrolled locally, inconsistently, or not at all.

That fragmentation undermines security, governance, and lifecycle control from the start.

The same applies to bring-your-own-device policies. While they may appear flexible, they often introduce security complexity and inconsistent experience. Unmanaged flexibility quickly becomes unmanaged risk.

Provisioning discipline sets the tone for everything that follows.

Provisioning is more than software

Provisioning is not only about operating systems and enrolment.

It is about the entire onboarding experience.

Welcome kit packaging.

Quick-start guides.

Clear instructions.

Even a message from leadership.

Small details shape perception.

If the device is technically compliant but the onboarding experience feels improvised, the organisation has already lost ground.

Asset control begins at shipment

Provisioning should not end when the device leaves the warehouse.

Assets should be registered in the CMDB or ITSM platform at shipment. Updated on delivery with proof of delivery. Ideally confirmed through user validation or automated integrations, such as Intune log-on confirmation.

Without that discipline, asset data drifts from reality on day one. Downstream processes – support, refresh, takeback – inherit that inaccuracy.

Provisioning is the foundation of lifecycle control.

The sustainability dimension

Provisioning also carries an overlooked sustainability impact.

Poorly designed flows create:

• duplicate shipments, where devices and accessories arrive in separate packages instead of a consolidated welcome kit

• unnecessary repackaging between distribution layers

• excess accessories that are never used

• devices replaced due to configuration errors

Consolidated welcome kit packaging and bulk return solutions during managed refresh can significantly reduce packaging waste, transport emissions, and unnecessary handling.

Sustainability does not begin at retirement. It begins at first delivery.

Closing perspective

Many organisations believe provisioning is solved because devices eventually work.

But there is a difference between functioning and confidence.

Provisioning is where trust is built or lost. Because day one shapes how employees perceive IT for the rest of the lifecycle.

If a device is not ready to use on day one, the organisation has already introduced friction that no later optimisation can fully remove.

Provisioning is not about staging devices.

It is about staging trust.