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Business Models

Service Bureau

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A service bureau is a company that provides business services to other companies for a fee rather than having those companies build the capability internally. The term has been used extensively to describe technology-based services sold to financial services companies, particularly banks, and outsourced payroll processing is one commonly provisioned service bureau offering. Service bureaus are also a significant part of the 3D printing industry, where they let a customer choose to outsource production rather than buy their own equipment, since many customers lack the scale or expertise to bring such services in-house.

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A service bureau, an outside firm performing data processing or clerical functions for clients who lack the equipment or staff to do it themselves, is an early named form of what the business-model literature now generally calls business process outsourcing.

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