Both RUP and ITUP have a well-defined approach to deploying a software application or system.  This includes everything from roll-out and installation to training end users. 

• RUP describes not only the development project, but also what is involved in deploying developed software.  This involves the RUP Deployment Discipline. 
• ITUP describes how a developed solution is installed and rolled out into the infrastructure as a "release".  This is performed by the Release Management and Deployment Management processes, which are essentially the ITIL® Release and Deployment Management process. 

Commonality

Deployment in RUP and ITUP are similar at the highest level of abstraction.  It involves the following aspects: 

• Planning deployment
• Creating deployment communications, training, and other related materials
• Creating the deployment scripts and mechanisms
• Deployment

However, the primary difference is the target of deployment.  In RUP, the target of deployment is to get the developed software or system into the customer's hands, whereas in ITUP, the target of deployment is to roll out software or systems across all required platforms within the IT infrastructure. 

Variability

The primary difference between the RUP Deployment discipline and the ITUP Release Management process is the context in which they both work.  To explain the contextual differences, it is important to understand two different perspectives on development and deployment. 

• Software Vendor Perspective – In this perspective, the software vendor develops custom or shrink-wrapped software and provides that software either directly to a customer or via third-party channels.  Once that software is acquired by the customer, it is typically deployed internally by the customer’s IT organization.  To the software vendor, development means development of the software developed by the vendor, and deployment means deploying the software to the market or to a specific customer’s IT organization. 
• IT Organization Perspective – In this perspective, the IT organization either develops its own software or acquires software from a vendor.  Once that software is deemed acceptable for internal deployment, the IT organization must develop installation and deployment mechanisms and procedures.  The software is then deployed within the organization.  To the IT organization, development typically means either 3rd-party development or internal development, and may also mean development of deployment mechanisms.  Deployment means rolling out the software to the entire company. 

The following figure depicts these two perspectives. 

RUP primarily describes deployment from the vendor perspective, whereas ITUP primarily describes deployment from the IT organization perspective.  This explains a number of other differences found between RUP and ITUP, including the following:

• ITUP strictly adheres to ITIL concepts such as changes and releases, whereas RUP uses terminology and activities that are not specifically related to ITIL.  For instance, the term "release" is used differently between ITUP and RUP. 
• In addition, the activities performed by ITUP and RUP are somewhat different.  ITUP has greater focus on the development of the deployment mechanism.  Here is how RUP and ITUP approach the deployment aspects mentioned in the previous section:
  

Mapping Between RUP and ITUP

Summary

Thus, the RUP Deployment Discipline and the ITUP Release Management Process are somewhat similar at the highest level of abstraction, but they view deployment from two different perspectives.  The target of RUP Deployment is to get completed software or systems into a customer's possession, whereas the target of ITUP Release Management is to roll out that completed software or system within the IT infrastructure.  Because of this, RUP and ITUP overlap to a small degree in the area of deploying software and systems.