Network services are the foundation of a networked computing environment. Generally network services are installed on one or more servers to provide shared resources to client computers.

 Network services are configured on corporate LAN's to ensure security and user friendly operation. They help the LAN run smoothly and efficiently. Corporate LANs use network services such as DNS (Domain Name System) to give names to IP and MAC addresses (people remember names like "nm.lan" better than they remember numbers like " 210.121.67.18" ), and DHCP to ensure that everyone on the network has a valid IP address.