Service provider

{{Short description|Organization that provides services to other organizations}}

A service provider (SP) is an organization that provides services, such as consulting, legal, real estate, communications, storage, and processing services, to other organizations. Although a service provider can be a sub-unit of the organization that it serves, it is usually a third-party or outsourced supplier. Examples include telecommunications service providers (TSPs), application service providers (ASPs), storage service providers (SSPs), and internet service providers (ISPs).{{citation needed|date=February 2013}} A more traditional term is service bureau.

IT professionals sometimes differentiate between service providers by categorizing them as type I, II, or III.{{cite web|title=Glossary of Terms, Definitions and Acronyms|url=http://www.best-management-practice.com/gempdf/ITIL_Glossary_V3_1_24.pdf|work=ITIL - IT Service Management|publisher=Office of Government Commerce|access-date=3 June 2012|author=Stuart Rance and Ashley Hanna|date=30 May 2007}} The three service types are recognized by the IT industry although specifically defined by ITIL and the U.S. Telecommunications Act of 1996.

• Type I: internal service provider
• Type II: shared service provider
• Type III: external service provider

Type III SPs provide IT services to external customers and subsequently can be referred to as external service providers (ESPs){{cite web|title=External Service Provider (ITILv3)|url=http://www.knowledgetransfer.net/dictionary/ITIL/en/External_Service_Provider.htm|work=Knowledge Transfer|publisher=Knowledge Transfer|access-date=3 June 2012|author=Staff|year=2011|archive-date=25 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525024100/http://www.knowledgetransfer.net/dictionary/ITIL/en/External_Service_Provider.htm|url-status=dead}} which range from a full IT organization/service outsource via managed services or MSPs (managed service providers) to limited product feature delivery via ASPs (application service providers).{{cite web|title=IT Policies - Policy on Use of External Services|url=http://answers.uchicago.edu/policies/page.php?id=19367|work=The University of Chicago|publisher=The University of Chicago|access-date=3 June 2012|author=Barry J.|date=23 January 2012}}