Extranet
An extranet is a restricted private network that gives partners, suppliers, and vendors, as well as a select group of approved consumers, access to a portion of the data that is typically available on an organization’s intranet. Like a DMZ, an extranet gives authorized users access to services they need without giving them full access to an organization’s network. A private network organization is called an extranet.
In the past, the phrase was also infrequently used to refer to the sharing of internal networks between two firms over a VPN.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a number of industries began referring to centralized repositories of shared data (and supporting applications) as “extranets.” These repositories were made available via the internet to authorized members of specific work groups, such as geographically dispersed, multi-company project teams. There are certain programs that are provided as software as a service (SaaS).
An extranet’s benefit
Use Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) to transfer massive amounts of data.
Provide product catalogs to trade partners only.
Work together with other businesses on cooperative development projects.
Create and implement training programs together with other businesses
Give a group of businesses access to the provision of services offered by one firm; an example of this would be an online banking application that one company manages on behalf of its connected institutions.
One drawback of the extranet
Extranets that are hosted internally as opposed to by an application service provider may be costly to set up and maintain inside a company (including the expenses of hardware, software, and staff training).
Extranet security may be an issue if sensitive or proprietary data is hosted there.
Problems with the Extranet
In addition to benefits, there are several drawbacks to using the extranet. The following topics are covered:
Taking care of
Who will host the extranet pages and where they will be hosted. Two options exist in this context:
Use your own server to host it.
Use an Internet service provider (ISP) to host it in the same manner as websites.
However, hosting extranet sites on your own server calls for an expensive, high-bandwidth internet connection.
Safety
If you host extranet sites on your own server, you will need to add more firewall protection, which will increase the complexity of the security mechanism and add to the workload.
Getting to the Problems
Without an internet connection, information cannot be accessible. Nonetheless, an internet connection is not necessary to access information via the intranet.
Reduced Communication
It lessens in-person interactions in the workplace, which leads to a breakdown in communication between suppliers, business partners, and consumers.