provisioned

Provisioned is the past participle of provision, meaning that something has been supplied, provided with what is needed, or prepared in advance. The term can apply to goods, services, or resources arranged or made available for a particular purpose. In general use, to provision a campsite is to stock it with supplies; to provision a contract is to include necessary terms or stipulations.

In computing and information technology, provisioning refers to the process of preparing and equipping systems to deliver a service. This includes allocating computing resources, installing software, configuring networks, and establishing access controls. Provisioning may be performed statically, with fixed configurations, or dynamically, using automation to respond to demand. Common forms include resource provisioning, service provisioning, and identity provisioning.

User provisioning covers creating and maintaining user accounts and permissions, and deprovisioning to remove access when appropriate. Device provisioning enlists a device in a management system, applying policies and credentials.

In cloud and enterprise environments, provisioning supports rapid deployment and scalability, enabling new virtual machines, containers, storage volumes, and network configurations to be provisioned on demand. Provisions often include policy settings, security controls, and licenses.

See also deprovisioning and provisioning profile. The term originates from Old French provision and Latin roots meaning a foreseeing or provision for future needs.