Inrenet+and+extranet


 * Definition:** Intranet is the generic term for a collection of private computer networks within an organization. An intranet uses network technologies as a tool to facilitate communication between people or workgroups to improve the data sharing capability and overall knowledge base of an organization's employees.

Many schools and non-profit groups have deployed them, but an intranet is still seen primarily as a corporate productivity tool. A simple intranet consists of an internal email system and perhaps a message board service. More sophisticated intranets include Web sites and databases containing company news, forms, and personnel information. Besides email and [|groupware] applications, an intranet generally incorporates internal Web sites, documents, and/or databases.

The business value of intranet solutions is generally accepted in larger corporations, but their worth has proven very difficult to quantify in terms of time saved or return on investment.

[|**Intranet Resources**] Learn about building an intranet, content management, knowledge management, and hosting/outsourcing possibilities.


 * Definition:**An extranet is a computer network that allows controlled access from the outside for specific business or educational purposes. Extranets are extensions to, or segments of, private [|intranet] networks that have been built in many corporations for information sharing and ecommerce.

Most extranets use the Internet as the entry point for outsiders, a [|firewall] configuration to limit access, and a secure [|protocol] for authenticating users.

[|**Extranet Resources**] Find out how to build and manage an extranet, see examples of succesful extranets in case studies, and discover the past and future of extranet networks.