Intranet and Extranet: Intranet

An Intranet is a network inside an organization that uses Internet technologies such as web browsers and servers, TCP/IP network protocols, HTML hypermedia document publishing and databases, and so on, to provide an Internet-like environment within the enterprise for information sharing, communications, collaboration, and the support of business processes.

An Intranet is protected by security measures such as passwords, encryption, and firewalls, and thus can be accessed by authorized users through the Internet. A Company’s Intranet can also be accessed through the Intranets of customers, suppliers, and other business partners via extranet links.

What is the intranet used for?

An intranet is a private network accessible only to an organization's staff. Generally a wide range of information and services from the organization's internal IT systems are available that would not be available to the public from the Internet.

In large intranets, website traffic is often similar to public website traffic and can be better understood by using web metrics software to track overall activity. User surveys also improve intranet website effectiveness.

Larger businesses allow users within their intranet to access public internet through firewall servers. They have the ability to screen messages coming and going keeping security intact. When part of an intranet is made accessible to customers and others outside the business, that part becomes part of an extranet. Businesses can send private messages through the public network, using special encryption/decryption and other security safeguards to connect one part of their intranet to another.

The Business Value of Intranets:

Intranet applications support communications and collaboration, business operations and management, web publishing, and Intranet management. These applications can be integrated with existing IS resources and Applications, and extended to customers, suppliers, and business partners.

Communications and Collaboration:

Intranets can significantly improve communications and collaboration within an enterprise. Examples include:

• Using an Intranet browser and workstation to send and receive e-mail, voicemail, paging, and fax to communicate with others within the organization, and externally through the Internet and extranets.

• Using Intranet groupware features to improve team and project collaboration with services such as discussion groups, chat rooms, and audio and videoconferencing.

Web Publishing

The advantages of developing and publishing hyperlinked multimedia documents to hypermedia databases accessible on World Wide Web servers has moved to corporate intranets.

The comparative ease, attractiveness, and lower cost of publishing and accessing multimedia business information internally via intranet web sites have been one of the primary reasons for the explosive growth of the use of intranets in business.

Publishing of various information products such as company’s newsletters, technical drawings, product catalogs in variety of ways including hypermedia, web pages, e-mail and net broadcasting etc.

Business Operations and Management:

Intranets are being used as the platform for developing and deploying critical business applications to support business operations and managerial decision making across the inter-networked enterprise. Examples include:

• Many companies are developing customer applications like order processing, inventory control, sales management, and executive information systems that can be implemented on intranets, extranets, and the Internet.

• Many applications are designed to interface with, and access, existing company databases and legacy systems. The software for such business uses, is then installed on Intranet web servers.

• Employees within a company, or external business partners, can access and run applications using web browsers from anywhere on the network whenever needed.

• Company newsletters, technical drawings, and product catalogs can be published in a variety of ways including hypermedia and web pages, e-mail, net broadcasting, and as part of in-house business applications.

• Intranet software browsers, servers, and search engines can help to easily navigate and locate the business information.

Well, that's all on intranet. We have discussed Extranets in the article: Intranets and Extranets: Extranets. Use the link to check it out.

And, if you have any queries, doubts or suggestions please let me know. Just click on ask questions from the left panel of your screen.

Thank You