Business services are activities, processes and solutions that support a company’s core functions of operations, administration and management. They include IT, HR, marketing and consulting, among others. These are typically delivered via a service-oriented architecture. Companies that are not able to provide certain business services in-house often outsource them. Business services are important for businesses because they help increase efficiency and enhance competitiveness.

A key difference between business services and other types of goods or services is that they do not result in the production of a tangible or physical product. This is why they cannot be stored like inventory and are consumed at the same time that they are produced. In addition, business services are intangible and therefore cannot be shipped or stored for future use.

The most common business services are IT, accounting, human resources and marketing. Other examples include procurement, shipping and finance. Companies that outsource their business services are able to focus on their core competencies and leave noncore functions to the service providers. This also enables them to reduce operating costs and save money.

Creating a career in the business services industry can be rewarding and exciting. There are many benefits associated with working in the field, such as a good salary and great job security. However, it is important to be aware of the challenges that come along with this type of career path. The main challenge is the lack of formal training or education required to get started.

To overcome this challenge, aspiring professionals can pursue industry-specific certifications that will improve their skills and marketability. Additionally, they can seek out mentorship opportunities with senior business services professionals to gain knowledge and experience in the field.

A typical business services model includes a number of different technical services, such as device services and IT service monitoring. Device services organize devices based on location or region, while IT services monitor the functionality of those devices. Business services depend on the availability of these device and IT services to function properly. If one of these supporting services experiences an incident with a priority that qualifies as an impact to a business service, the affected business service will be displayed on the status dashboard.

The Office of General Services (OGS) established the Business Services Center to improve efficiencies and cost savings by standardizing and streamlining transactional human resource and financial services that are common across agencies. The center is managed by a dedicated team of employees focused on providing high-quality customer service and delivering exceptional value to New York State.