---
name: cis-create-cis-instance
title: Creating a CIS instance
description: 'To create a CIS instance, follow these steps:'
last-updated: 2026-02-06
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cis?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

#  Creating a CIS instance
{: #create-cis-instance}



To create a CIS instance, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the [IBM Cloud console](https://cloud.ibm.com/login){: external} and click **Catalog** in the top navigation bar.
1. Search for **Internet Services** and click the tile from the search results to open the provisioning page. 
1. Review and select a pricing plan. For more information, see [Comparing CIS plans](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cis?topic=cis-cis-plan-comparison&format=markdown).
1. In the Configure your resources section:

   1. Enter a service name to identify your CIS instance.
   1. Choose a resource group to organize your services. The resource group can't be changed after the instance is provisioned.
   1. Optionally, add user or access management tags. 
1. Select the checkbox to confirm that you have read and agree to the licensing terms. 
1. Click **Create** on the Overview page to begin provisioning your instance.

   The No-cost Trial plan is limited to one instance per account.
   {: note} 

1. From the first page of the CIS application, click **Add Domain** and continue to step 2 in the [Getting started](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/cis?topic=cis-getting-started&format=markdown) topic to add and configure your domain.

## Navigating to your CIS instance
{: #navigate-cis-instance}

To open to your CIS instance:

1. Go to **Navigation Menu** icon![Navigation Menu icon](../icons/icon_hamburger.svg) and click **Resource list**, then expand **Security**. 
1. Expand **Security** and click the name of your CIS instance.