Cloud provisioning involves defining, setting up, and allocating cloud resources — such as compute power, networking, and storage — so they’re ready for use in your organization.
Provisioning used to be slow and error-prone. Not anymore; it’s a streamlined, hands-off process now.
But it doesn’t happen on its own.
You need the right cloud provisioning tools to automate and optimize the process. So, in this guide, we’ll walk you through some of the top platforms to help you automate and optimize your cloud infrastructure provisioning.
Types Of Cloud Provisioning Tools
There are several categories of provisioning, including manual, automated, and self-service provisioning. Additionally, provisioning comes in different forms, such as cloud, network, and server provisioning.
We’ve covered these types, the differences between provisioning, configuration, and deployment, and the various levels of provisioning in IT in our provisioning 101 guide.
That said, most cloud provisioning tools handle more than just one type of provisioning. Broadly, they fall into two main categories:
- Native provisioning tools: These are built into cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. They integrate deeply into the cloud providers ecosystem and platform-specific APIs. They integrate seamlessly with cloud providers’ ecosystems and platform-specific APIs. Plus, they’re often included in your subscription or come at no extra cost.
- Third-party provisioning tools: These come from dedicated vendors such as VMware and Pulumi, offering more flexibility and multi-cloud capabilities. You’ll typically need a separate license beyond your cloud provider’s subscription. And the tools can also be more complex due to their advanced features and broader capabilities.
In either case, the tools deliver a buffet of benefits.
How Cloud Provisioning Tools Simplify Resource Management
Here are the main advantages of using cloud provisioning tools today:
- Rapid deployment: Cloud provisioning tools enable teams to quickly deploy and scale resources, eliminating the delays of manual infrastructure setup.
- Business agility: Easily scale resources up or down in response to changing market conditions and customer demands.
- Pay-as-You-Go pricing: Only pay for the resources you use, reducing upfront costs and minimizing waste.
- Automate security policies: Ensure resources are provisioned with predefined security configurations, reducing vulnerabilities and maintaining compliance.
- Centralize management: Simplify monitoring and enforcing security policies across multiple cloud environments.
- Automate workflows: Create automation for repetitive tasks such as server configuration and deployment, freeing IT teams to focus on strategic priorities.
- Maintain consistency: Ensure uniform configurations across environments, reducing discrepancies between development, testing, and production.
- Support a multi-cloud strategy: Enable management across multiple cloud providers, providing flexibility and avoiding vendor lock-in.
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Let you define infrastructure in code, supporting smooth updates and version control.
- Integrate DevOps: Supports integration with CI/CD pipelines, improving collaboration between dev and operations teams.
- Faster time-to-market: Accelerate application and service delivery, enhancing customer experience and driving revenue.
However, cloud provisioning tools are not made equal.
What Features To Look For In A Provisioning Tool
Whether you’re optimizing infrastructure management or enabling DevOps best practices, watch out for the following capabilities.
Automation and orchestration capabilities
A great tool should automate resource deployment, scaling, and management and coordinate complex tasks across multiple systems.
Multi-cloud support
If you’re using a hybrid or multi-cloud strategy, ensure the tool supports multiple cloud providers. This can help prevent vendor lock-in while seamlessly managing resources across different environments.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
IaC enables you to define and manage infrastructure using code and templates. This ensures consistency across environments, simplifies version control and makes resource provisioning more predictable.
Security and compliance
Look for tools that support your unique security policies and compliance requirements. Features like automated security configurations, policy enforcement, and compliance checks can help you mitigate risks.
Cloud cost optimization
A solid provisioning tool should help you minimize waste, such as by identifying underutilized or idle resources and providing insights into cost efficiency.
DevOps integration
Seamless integration with CI/CD pipelines is essential for automating resource provisioning based on code changes. And this is a solid way to make your development workflows more efficient.
User interface and usability
A user-friendly interface is crucial for ease of use and adoption across your team. Look for tools with intuitive dashboards and self-service portals to ease management. A user-friendly interface can also make adoption easier across teams.
Scalability and performance
Ensure the tool can scale alongside your organization’s growth. Features like rapid provisioning and workload mobility can help you maintain performance even as demand increases.
These are just some of the essential capabilities of a robust cloud provisioning solution. However, keep an open mind. Depending on your organization’s specific needs, you may need additional or fewer functions.
With that in mind, here are more than a dozen of the best cloud provisioning tools you’ll want to look into today.
Top Cloud Provisioning Tools To Consider First
Without turning this post into a book, here’s a concise breakdown of each tool. What it is. Why it matters. And how much it costs. Then, you can quickly find the best fit for your needs.
1. Pulumi Cloud
Pulumi Cloud is the managed version of the open-source infrastructure as code (IaC) platform. It stores your infrastructure state, centralizes secrets management, and provides clear visibility across all your cloud environments. It also supports remote deployments, integrates seamlessly with CI/CD pipelines, and enforces security and compliance policies.
Also, traditional IaC tools rely on domain-specific languages (DSLs) or configuration files. But Pulumi enables you to use general-purpose programming languages, like Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, and C#.
That means you can incorporate standard programming constructs, such as loops and conditionals, directly into your infrastructure code. This can support more dynamic and maintainable configurations.
In addition, you can use Pulumi across cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and Kubernetes.
Pulumi Cloud pricing: Expect a variety of pricing tiers to accommodate your different needs:
2. Terraform
HashiCorp’s Terraform Cloud enables you to define and manage both cloud and on-premises infrastructure using human-readable configuration files. These are written in HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL) or JSON.
By declaring your desired infrastructure state, Terraform automatically provisions and manages resources. And this ensures consistency and minimal manual effort.
Terraform’s multi-cloud support also means you can manage resources across AWS, Azure, GCP, and more. It also follows the Infrastructure as Code (IaC) approach, enabling your team to version, share, and reuse infrastructure configurations just like application code.
Beyond provisioning, Terraform can install software, edit files, and configure machines. For example, it integrates with tools like Packer or Cloud-Init to automatically set up SSH keys and deploy a web server onto a Linux VM created in AWS. Its consistent syntax across providers simplifies infrastructure management, which can reduce the complexity of working with multiple platforms.
Terraform’s extensive provider ecosystem is also a major draw. This enables integration with various services beyond traditional cloud infrastructure.
Terraform pricing: Terraform has an open-source and free-to-use edition, a managed and paid version, and an enterprise edition for advanced security and large teams.
Terraform Cloud provides additional features like collaboration tools, remote state management, and cost estimation. This version offers a free tier with limited features, and paid plans start at $0.00014 per hour per resource for the Standard plan.
3. AWS CloudFormation
AWS CloudFormation enables you to define, provision, and manage AWS infrastructure using YAML or JSON templates. CloudFormation handles dependency management between AWS resources, so you don’t have to manually define the order in which resources should be created.
The AWS-native provisioning tool also manages AWS resources across multiple accounts and regions using a single language. It provides features like change sets for previewing updates and version control for tracking changes.
Another major benefit is stack management. This approach allows you to group and manage related resources as a single unit. It also makes updates, scaling, and infrastructure changes easier to implement. CloudFormation also supports stack drift detection, helping you track unintended changes to your infrastructure and maintain compliance.
CloudFormation pricing: AWS CloudFormation itself is free to use. However, users pay for the AWS resources provisioned through CloudFormation templates. You only incur costs for the actual resources used, such as EC2 instances or S3 buckets, not for the service itself.
4. Azure Resource Manager
Azure Resource Manager (ARM) is Microsoft Azure’s Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool. It is designed to deploy, manage, and organize Azure cloud resources using declarative JSON or Bicep templates.
ARM provides a centralized way to automate and control infrastructure provisioning — a solid way to maintain consistency and efficiency across Azure environments.
Like AWS CloudFormation, ARM is a native provisioning tool. And this translates to deep integration with Azure services. It also supports role-based access control (RBAC), enabling your team to enforce security policies and manage user permissions.
Another key draw of ARM is resource grouping. The function lets you manage related cloud resources as a single unit. This simplifies updates, scaling, and lifecycle management, a way to ease maintaining complex infrastructures.
Also, dependency management is built-in, so resources are deployed in the correct order without manual intervention.
ARM also supports repeatable deployments, making it easy to create identical environments for development, testing, and production.
Pricing model: You pay for the Azure resources provisioned through ARM templates. These resources include virtual machines or storage accounts, not for the ARM service itself.
5. Crossplane for K8s
Crossplane is an open-source project that extends Kubernetes to manage external infrastructure resources, such as databases, networks, and storage, across multiple cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. It uses Kubernetes Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) to represent these resources as native Kubernetes objects, allowing your team to manage them using familiar Kubernetes tools and APIs.
Crossplane pricing: Crossplane is open-source and free to use. However, you may incur costs for the underlying Kubernetes cluster and the cloud resources provisioned through Crossplane.
6. Google Cloud Deployment Manager
Google Cloud Deployment Manager is the native provisioning tool on Google Cloud Platform (GCP). It simplifies defining and deploying resources using templates, supporting services like Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, and Cloud SQL. The service uses YAML-based configuration files and supports scripting languages like Jinja and Python to define resources.
Similarly to Azure’s ARM or AWS’s CloudFormation, GCDM offers repeatable deployments, declarative language support, and template-driven configurations. It also supports composite types for reusing complex setups across deployments.
Google Cloud Deployment Manager pricing: You pay for the GCP resources you provision through the tool, such as Compute Engine instances or Cloud Storage buckets.
7. Okta User Provisioning
Okta is primarily an identity and access management platform that automates user lifecycle management across cloud and on-premises applications. It uses the SCIM protocol to synchronize user account information and manage access privileges, so it’s more related to user provisioning than cloud infrastructure provisioning.
Still, it integrates with multiple systems, including HR apps and Active Directory, to automate user account creation, updates, and deactivation. It also supports automated user provisioning, single sign-on, and multi-factor authentication.
Okta pricing: Pricing varies based on the services and features you use. It offers several plans, including the Single Sign-On (SSO) plan, the Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) plan, and the Lifecycle Management (LCM) plan, which includes provisioning features. The cost typically depends on the number of users and the required features.
8. Spacelift
Spacelift is a continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) platform built for Infrastructure as Code (IaC) management. It provides a unified workflow for integrating with version control systems (VCS) and major cloud providers.
The tool also supports various IaC tools, including Terraform, Pulumi, AWS CloudFormation, OpenTofu, and Kubernetes. This makes it ideal for teams wanting to manage diverse cloud environments within a single platform.
Spacelift’s policy-as-code framework leverages Open Policy Agent (OPA) to enforce custom policies and governance across infrastructure deployments.
It also supports real-time drift detection. This approach continuously monitors infrastructure for deviations between the declared and actual states. When drift is detected, Spacelift provides automated remediation options, helping your team prevent configuration drift from impacting operations.
Spacelift pricing: Spacelift offers custom pricing plans tailored to different organizational needs.
9. OpenTofu
If you prefer an open-source approach to cloud provisioning, OpenTofu is a great option. It lets you define and manage cloud and on-premises resources using human-readable configuration files. You can also version, reuse, and share configurations, ensuring consistency across your environments.
OpenTofu is highly versatile, handling a range of components, from low-level resources like compute, storage, and networking to high-level elements such as DNS entries and SaaS integrations.
It’s designed to be a drop-in replacement for Terraform 1.6, offering a familiar workflow for Terraform users while remaining fully open-source.
OpenTofu also works with all major AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Kubernetes, and databases. This flexibility makes it an excellent choice for teams managing multi-cloud or hybrid infrastructure.
OpenTofu pricing: OpenTofu is completely free and open-source, licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL 2.0).
10. DuploCloud
DuploCloud offers a low-code/no-code approach to automating cloud infrastructure provisioning, making it easier for teams to deploy and manage cloud resources without deep DevOps expertise. It also supports major cloud providers, including AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, and integrates seamlessly with tools like Terraform.
The platform provides compliance guardrails, automated cost estimation, and monitoring/alerting capabilities. Its rules-based engine translates high-level application specifications into low-level infrastructure configurations. This ensures compliance with industry standards like PCI, HIPAA, and GDPR, a solid way to reduce regulatory complexity.
DuploCloud pricing: You’ll need to request a custom quote to determine the exact pricing based on your infrastructure scale and compliance requirements.
What Next: Provision, Configure, And Deploy Your Infrastructure Anywhere With Cost Confidence
Here’s the thing. Provisioning is the beginning.
Once you’ve set up the optimal cloud resources for your workloads, you’ll need to ensure they remain aligned with your evolving requirements and business processes. And as things shift, so will your cloud costs.
So, how do you tell if your rising cloud costs are actually fueling growth — or if you’re simply overspending? And more importantly, how do you cut waste and build cost-efficient solutions from the start?
That’s where CloudZero comes in
With CloudZero, you can:
- Allocate 100% of your cloud costs across all major cloud providers and platforms, including Kubernetes, Snowflake, Datadog, and MongoDB.
- Receive real-time cost visibility with hourly granularity instead of waiting for outdated, once-a-day reports — so you can catch anomalies before they spiral out of control.
- Get unit cost insights like cost per customer, deployment, feature, request, or team to pinpoint exactly what’s driving your cloud spend — and take action before it hurts your bottom line.
- Receive noise-free, context-rich cost anomaly alerts directly in your inbox, enabling you to intervene before overspending happens.
You’ll be in good company, too. Ambitious brands like Coinbase, Shutterstock, and Drift already rely on CloudZero to understand, control, and optimize their cloud spend — whether it’s cost per deployment, feature, or customer.
Seeing CloudZero in action is risk-free. 
and see how CloudZero helps you provision, configure, and deploy your cloud infrastructure with cost confidence.
The Cloud Cost Playbook
The step-by-step guide to cost maturity
