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provision

pruh-VIZH-uhn /prəˈvɪʒ.ən/

verbC1GREGMAT

technicalcorporate

To supply, set up, or make resources (such as servers, user accounts, or software environments) available for use.

In IT, provisioning is not just delivering goods; it is the systematic configuration and allocation of digital resources to prepare them for active service.

The story behind the word. From the Latin 'providere', meaning 'to foresee' or 'make preparation beforehand'. It historically referred to gathering food and supplies for a journey, but in modern IT, it means preparing digital environments for users.

Word relationships

allocate: Allocate means to set aside resources for a specific purpose, whereas provision includes both setting aside and fully configuring those resources for immediate use.

decommission: Decommission means to take a system or resource out of active service, while provision brings it into service.

Commonly confused with

provide: Provide is a general term for giving something, whereas provision in IT specifically implies the technical setup and configuration of digital infrastructure.

Word family

provisioning (noun): The process of preparing and equipping a network or system.

Collocations

provision a server
provision user accounts
automatically provision

Example sentences

"The cloud engineer had to provision three new servers for the testing environment before the developers could begin work." Onboarding documentation for new cloud engineers.

Memory hook

Think of a 'pro' who has the 'vision' to set up all the servers before the team even arrives. Prepare and provide resources in advance.

When not to use

Do not use when simply handing someone a physical object, like a laptop; use 'distribute' or 'assign' instead.

Fun facts

In military history, 'provisions' were the food rations given to soldiers. Today, digital 'provisioning' feeds data and access to hungry applications.