Services Science

Services Science – Prof. Dr. R.J. Wieringa

Masters involved: Computer Science, Business Information Technology

Contributing Institutes: CTIT

Services science has emerged from the realization that the economy of physical products is being replaced by an economy of services that can be delivered with these goods. Information technology is the key enabling factor in this. It enables further globalization of commerce and production, but at the same time global connectedness in a service economy introduces new levels of architectural complexity and security risks, that need to be managed.

Nowadays services can be found everywhere and experienced and used anytime, in daily life, professional life, at consumer and business levels, and at technology levels. Traditional examples are transportation services, health services and education services.

Some newer examples are ICT outsourcing services, in which design or programming tasks are outsourced to specialized companies, and helpdesk services, which concentrate large numbers of calls from clients asking for help with products. We observe nowadays a trend to package products in services, so that added value can be offered to potential clients. An example is in contract manufacturing, such as for the automotive industry, where parts and equipment are provided on behalf of an original equipment manufacturer, possibly covering a range of activities such as design, prototyping, assembly, and quality assurance for complete products.

ICT is an enabler for the further growth of the services sector. Most business services and processes are supported by ICT services. The shift from products to services often implies an ICT-enabled provision of e-services. High-speed networks and powerful computer systems have made these processes ubiquitous. From the methodological side, the advent of the Service-Oriented Architecture has facilitated the mapping from business processes to ICT services, with the benefits of effectiveness and flexibility.

Services are essential, important and becoming quite complex as more interrelated services appear and more stakeholders or parties get involved. This means that services have to be approached from scientific, management and engineering points of view. Our Services Science programme has Management Science and Computer Science as cornerstones. It offers two study tracks, one going through a BIT Master and the other going through an INF Master, with each track following the rules of its related Masters programme, but having a clear ‘services science’ signature.