An intranet is a private internet-like environment for a company’s internal business, while an extranet extends this to allow public access. Extranets can be password or username specific and are useful for customer service, secure partner interaction, and collaborative efforts. They can revolutionize business and should be consulted with a site developer.
A corporate LAN, or local area network, can host a private Internet-like environment called an intranet. The intranet is basically a set of HTML pages relating to the company’s internal business, for employees’ eyes only, and is not available on the Internet. If access to or from the internet is provided, it will be through a firewall gateway which will require a username and password. In this case the intranet becomes an extranet. In short, an extranet is the extension of an intranet to include public access.
An extranet can allow public access to employees, clients, customers or partners. It uses Internet protocols so users can browse with a browser, but it resides on the company’s private server rather than a public Internet server. Access to it from the Internet can be controlled through various architectures that are password or username specific. In other words, areas of the extranet will be available based on your password credentials. This restricts users to pages relevant to the activity they may be engaged in, while keeping other areas private and secure.
A very valuable application for an extranet is customer service. Online patches, updates, downloads, knowledge bases and an interactive Help Desk are just a few examples of ways to serve a customer base using an extranet. Chat boards where customers help each other with company products can also build customer trust and brand loyalty, saving valuable human resources. These boards are also a rich source for potential future products and development support.
Another asset that an extranet can provide is the ability to create secure areas for interaction between an organization and its partners or resellers. Development, dissemination of marketing information and tools, data sharing, research, sales reporting and more are all possible using such an environment.
An extranet can also connect to other extranets through the common language of Internet protocols. This makes it valuable to organizations involved in collaborative efforts and opens the door to more creative opportunities. In the past, geography was a significant barrier to collaboration, but this technology bridges that gap effortlessly and at virtually no cost.
Extranets can revolutionize the way a company does business, improve bottom line, enrich the customer base, and create opportunities that remain out of reach without it. Someone who is interested in learning more about what an extranet can do for your business should consult a site developer.
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