Abstract
Service is increasingly becoming an important and decisive competition factor in the construction of machines and systems. In the past, system producers were solely responsible for the production of machines. However, these days, a complete service packet must also be provided. The customer is able to test the system through the internet before it is started up. The internet also enables the machine producer to later deliver flexible maintenance plans and training programs and support the user during the whole life cycle of the machine. In this paper, a few concrete examples of these new types of services and the requirements for their operation are illustrated. The availability and security also represent essential features of these services and have considerable influence on the customers acceptance of them.