Apparatus and methods are provided for remote, automated, and secure network device provisioning over a pre-existing communications network. According to one embodiment, automated establishment of addressability of a network device is supported for a target network environment. A boot time process of a network device in a factory default configuration detects the presence of a storage device containing therein addressability data that allows the network device to communicate and be addressable within the target network environment. After detecting the presence of the storage device, the network device receives the addressability data from the storage device by using a communication protocol associated with the storage device. Finally, addressability of the network device is established to enable it to communicate with and be addressed by other nodes in the target network environment by configuring one or more address parameters of the network device based upon the addressability data.