[OR] Differentiate the Types of Business Services

Understanding Business Services

In the context of operational resilience, it is essential to distinguish between different types of services within an organization.

To meet the requirement of what a business service is, the operational resilience professional must understand what is not a business service when you are performing the mapping process.

Business Services

Business services are the primary functions or activities that directly contribute to the organization's core objectives, revenue generation, or value proposition.

These services are often customer-facing or directly support the delivery of products or services to external clients or customers.

Characteristics of Business Services

Business services are typically visible to external stakeholders, form the core of the organization's operations, and directly impact its bottom line. Examples include sales processes, customer support, product manufacturing, and service delivery.

Internal Services

Internal services are functions or activities that support an organisation's internal operations without directly contributing to its core products or services offered to external clients.

These services are essential for the smooth functioning of the organization but are not directly visible or accessible to external stakeholders.

Characteristics of Internal Services

Internal services include human resources, finance, IT infrastructure, administrative support, and facilities management. While these services are critical for internal efficiency and support, they do not directly interact with external clients or contribute directly to the organization's primary revenue-generating activities.

Underpinning Service

Underpinning services are foundational or supporting services that enable business and internal services to function effectively.

These services are often infrastructure-related and provide the necessary support systems, technology, or resources that underpin the organization's operations.

Characteristics of Underpinning Service

Underpinning services encompass IT infrastructure, network services, security systems, utilities, and other foundational components. They are crucial for the smooth functioning of both business and internal services but are not themselves the primary services delivered to external clients.

Understand What is Business Services

Differentiating between business and non-business services, such as internal and underlying services. These are the three services:

Business services are directly tied to the organisation's core objectives and are customer-facing or directly related to product/service delivery.

Internal services support the organisation's internal operations and efficiency but are not customer-facing or part of the primary revenue generation.

Underpinning services provide the foundational support necessary for business and internal services to function effectively but are not standalone services offered to external stakeholders.

Summing Up ...

Understanding these distinctions is essential in operational resilience planning, as it helps identify critical dependencies, ensure the continuity of core business functions, and address vulnerabilities across various service layers within the organization.

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