Service Provisioning Markup Language
SPML stands for Service Provisioning Markup Language (SPML). SPML is used as a markup language that describes/defines the services that are available to users of an IT system.
SPML Protocol
The Service Provisioning Markup language is the open standard protocol for the integration and interoperation of service provisioning requests. SPML version 1.0 is an OASIS standard, ratified in November 2003.
What is Service Provision?
Service provisioning refers to the "preparation beforehand" of IT systems' materials or supplies required to carry out a specific activity. It goes beyond the initial "contingency" of providing resources, to encompass the entire lifecycle management of these resources. This includes the provisioning of digital services such as user accounts and access privileges on systems, networks and applications, as well as the provisioning of non-digital or "physical" resources such as cell phones and credit cards.
"Provisioning is the automation of all the steps required to manage (setup, amend and revoke) user or system access entitlements or data relative to electronically published services".
(this information was copied from http://www.openspml.org/spml_faq.html)