Intranets and Extranets

Intranets (mini private internets)

An intranet is a private network that is only accessible to limited group of users, for instance the Employees of company or members of a scout group.

They are used for :

• Sharing hardware resources ( such as printers, scanners, etc)
• Allowing users to access their files from multiple locations.
• File sharing within the company.
• Company wide file backup

Advantages of Intranets

• Files can be shared within a company that you don’t outsiders to see ( employee records, new product information)
• Intranet sites ( websites only available inside an intranet) often run faster than external sites.
• Expensive hardware like printers can be shared, so you don’t need a printer for each user.
• Technically difficult tasks such as automated backups can be performed by one person, who backs up everyone’s files.