Intranet
An Intranet is similar as the Internet. However, Intranets
are usually local networks deployed within a company. It could be said that an
Intranet essentially is a private Internet. Some Intranets are operated by
large, multinational corporations. These Intranets may have many thousands
users.
A corporate Intranet usually contains a portal through which
corporate company information is shared. The Intranet may also contain
industry-specific applications that are used by the employees of the company.
However, the most important Intranet application is normally communication, such
as email and file sharing.
Sometimes, companies decide to make an Intranet available to
certain external partners such as suppliers or large customers. In this case,
the content of the Intranet may be available over a standard Internet
connection. This special version of Intranet is called an Extranet. Access to
the Intranet will require a login name and password in order to prevent
unauthorised persons to access potentially sensitive data.
