The business services sector has expanded rapidly, exploiting opportunities created by globalization, consolidation, and new technology. It contributes to growth and competitiveness across diverse industries by enhancing operational efficiency and providing specialized expertise and knowledge. It also provides scalability, enabling companies to adjust their level of service to match their needs.

A business service is a non-tangible offering that facilitates outcomes customers want without ownership of specific costs or risks. This definition is based on an intangibility factor and the fact that a service does not produce any tangible products or deliver goods. It is also defined as a supporting activity, which means it requires other activities to support and complement it.

Examples of business services include IT and information services, human resources, financial services, catering, and logistics. They provide a wide range of functions for businesses and organizations to operate efficiently and effectively, including production, procurement, distribution, marketing, and customer support.

The Office of General Services created the Business Services Center (BSC) in 2012 to increase efficiencies and effectiveness for state agencies by centralizing and streamlining transactional human resources and finance transactions that are common across multiple departments. The BSC aims to achieve cost savings and create a more consistent process while improving the quality of services for New Yorkers. The BSC is led by a team of dedicated and skilled professionals. The administrative services team manages onboarding and training for BSC staff, while the data and analytics team ensures the BSC is working towards metric-based performance goals. The customer support team assists agency employees with financial and HR inquiries.