In general, however, a CD service bureau is a company who puts data onto CDs for customers. This data can be computer information of any kind, or audio or video files, or even a combination of these. Some service bureaus do only data conversions to CD, some do certain kinds of data preparation, and some also work as replication or duplication brokers or perform duplication in-house. Most CD service bureaus do at least CD recording, regardless of their other services. Since service bureaus use CD-R systems constantly, they are frequently excellent sources of expert information about them.
Some shops choose to become resellers as well as service providers.
One of our site sponsors, Octave Systems, Inc. , has chosen this business model. This topic is handled in detail below . Consulting Precisely what type of consulting might be available at any particular shop depends on the background and expertise of the people there. Systematic archiving involves maintaining version control, regular backups, and an emphasis on organizing and storing data in a form that can be restored logically and efficiently even after an extended time. Some service bureaus specialize in archiving data for specific types of clients, such as those in the medical, legal or banking fields.