Difference Between Intranet and Extranet: What to Choose and Why?
Today, about half of the world uses the internet for daily needs. People from small companies to large enterprises use the internet to stay connected, and intranet and extranet are used to give secured connectivity to these online communities.
Intranet:
An intranet is a tool for sharing information within a single organization and is owned by that entity. It can be used to improve the day-to-day operations of your company. Intranets facilitate anything from simple chats to information and file sharing, as well as corporate news feeds, calendars, and collaborative forums.
It is a sort of Internet that is only used for private purposes. Because the intranet is a private network, anyone without a valid login and password is unable to access it. In comparison to the internet, the intranet has a smaller number of connected devices. The intranet is incredibly secure, with only a few visitors.
Extranet:
Extranets are either owned by a single organization or a group of organizations. It is a platform for sharing information between internal and external members that is managed on a contractual basis between organizations. It’s built to facilitate the sharing of information and files, as well as quick communication and fluid collaboration with external partners. Clients, vendors, franchisees, and suppliers all could stay connected. Extranets are commonly used by businesses to improve efficiencies and provide value to customer and supplier relationships.
The extranet, like the intranet, is a private network that can only be accessed by individuals who have a valid username and password. The extranet is used to verify status, access data, send messages, and place orders, among other things.
Difference Between Intranet and Extranet:
Consider an intranet to be a private network for employees that uses common internet technology but is isolated from the rest of the internet. An extranet is similar to an intranet in that it is an extension of it. It’s still secure, but in this case, it’s a custom-built platform that’s only accessible to certain external groups of people who want to collaborate. Intranets and extranets will both enhance productivity, streamline procedures, and improve communication. An intranet, on the other hand, focuses on the internal, whilst an extranet focuses on the external.
There are a few differences between intranets and extranets in terms of privacy and security. In an intranet setup, passwords and data encryption are employed to suit the needs of internal groups and firm data protection. Extranets often use additional security layers to protect external access to confidential data and tools like Firewalls to keep specific data off the public network. As an additional layer of protection, identity authentication, as well as access and permission management can be implemented. These two internal systems, however, are fundamentally different, and each requires a different strategy.
Benefits of Intranet:
Intranets assist your business by enhancing employee engagement, collaboration, and productivity. An intranet that is well-designed makes it easier for workers to perform their jobs and streamlines the process of moving between different sites and applications that most people use on a daily basis. Instead, all of the necessary information for workers to accomplish their tasks is centralized and up to date in one easy-to-access location. The intranet might be hosted on-site, in the cloud, or on off-site servers.
The intranet serves as a one-stop solution for all company information. Employees can readily discover information using a self-service method. The intranet is the organization’s one source of truth, whether it’s a product specification, marketing plan, or SOPs. After Covid-19, remote working has become the new normal, and the intranet gives limitless options for collaboration. Teams can use online forums and project spaces to brainstorm, share ideas, solve problems, and collaborate. For real-time editing and safe document storage, embed Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 apps.
Benefits of Extranet:
Many of the intranet benefits can be extended to your partners or other external organizations via extranets while retaining security and control over who has access to what. Consider the following scenario: Your partners want to work together on a project, but they require access to sensitive client information that you keep secure. For people outside the organization, an extranet can take advantage of the collaboration benefits of an intranet while keeping any sensitive information private within the organization.
Extranet software allows you to securely transmit massive amounts of data with external parties. Furthermore, exchanges occur in real-time. Extranets streamline procedures and improve the customer experience, whether it’s inventory management, customer orders, or knowledge sharing.
Extranets are available to you 24/7. Data, tools, and information are available to clients and customers at all times. Extranets assist in bridging the gaps created by time zones, work schedules, and geographic locations. As a result, customers will have a better experience and be more satisfied. An extranet can also be used to track down and resolve problems with a company’s products and services.
Integrating Intranet and Extranet:
When analyzing and determining the differences between an intranet and an extranet for your firm, consider integrating the two for a more secure environment, with the intranet handling internal security and the extranet handling external security.
Modern intranet solutions provide a secure cloud platform by allowing team members to collaborate with 3rd party tool integrations to make everything accessible from a single location under a secured network. Cloud-based intranet like SharePoint intranet portal development is the next-generation solution for companies to maintain mobility in the workplace. By enabling both internal and external users access to documents and information within company-controlled borders, using extranet in addition to intranet improves enterprise security.