Internet Technology

UNIT 13 INTRANET, EXTRANET AND

INTERNET
Structure

13.0 Objectives
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Intranet
13.2.1 Advantages of Intranet
13.2.2 Library Applications of Intranet
13.3 Extranet
13.3.1 Advantages of Extranet
13.3.2 Library Applications of Extranet
13.4 The Internet, Intranet and Extranet
13.5 Summary
13.6 Answers to Self Check Exercises
13.7 Keywords
13.8 References and Further Reading

13.0 OBJECTIVES
After studying the unit, you will be able to:
l understand differences among Internet, Intranet and Extranet;
l develop an effective communication system within an organisation using
provisions of Intranet; and
l know the advantages of setting up Extranets in business organisations and libraries.

13.1 INTRODUCTION
The Internet can be defined as a Network of computers using standard protocols
for sharing of data. It binds computers running on different platforms into a Web so
as to access information by using a Standard Client Programme, such as Web
Browsers like Internet Explorer and Netscape. The use of accessing information
through Web Browsers has become so popular over the last few years that an
increasing number of Web-Based software programmes are being developed
throughout the world. Almost all the software producers such as Microsoft, SUN
etc. are now designing their Services, which could be easily accessed through Web
Browsers. The popularity of Web Browsers has also given birth to the development
of Intranets and Extranets. The Intranets and Extranets use Internet protocols and
technology for sharing the data from one computer to another. The users also need
not understand different commands for accessing different databases as almost all
of them could be accessed through a Web Browser or other Client Software
Programmes.
262
 Internet, Intranet and Extranet
13.2 INTRANET
An “intranet” can be defined as an “internal internet”— a network of an office,
company, university or college or even a large library that runs on IP protocols An
intranet is a private network that is contained within an enterprise. It may consist of
many interlinked Local Area Networks and also use leased lines in the Wide Area
Network. Typically, an intranet includes connections through one or more gateway
computers to the outside Internet. The main purpose of an intranet is to share
information within the organization and computing resources among employees. An
intranet can also be used to facilitate working in groups and for teleconferences.
The Intranet is a Web-based architecture used for managing internal information.
Another definition can be given as: Intranet is an organisation’s internal information
system that uses Internet tools, protocols, and technology. An Intranet could be
something as simple as a single HTML document made accessible on a Local Area
Network with no access to the Internet at large; or it could be as complex as one or
more dedicated Web servers with thousands of HTML documents linking together
a worldwide network of corporate offices; or it could be anything in between.
An intranet differs from a conventional LAN in two ways: it links more than one kind
of networking technology using the Internet protocols, TCP/IP; and it uses a firewall
to keep the larger Internet out of your internal information resources. This means
Intranets take the same features that make a World Wide Web useful - minus
geographic and time barriers, integrating multiple information services into a single
interface, interactive multimedia application, etc. - and bring them into the office.
Typically, larger organisations allow users within their intranet to access the public
Internet through firewall servers that have the ability to screen messages in both
directions so that company security is maintained. When part of an intranet is made
accessible to its staff (working in branch offices), customers, partners, suppliers, or
others outside the organisation, that part becomes part of an extranet. A firewall is a
computer or several computers that sit between your network and the greater Internet.
Using filtering and specialized routing, as well as rules you decide upon, firewalls
keep out people who don't have permission to access your resources internally.
You, on the other hand, can access all the resources of the general Internet.
As intranet uses TCP/IP, HTTP, and other Internet protocols, it looks like a private
version of the Internet. With tunneling, companies can send private messages through
the public network, using the public network with special encryption/decryption and
other security safeguards to connect one part of their intranet to another. In some
ways, the word "intranet" is a portmanteau word, which logically combines the
concepts in "internal internet between business sites." Going deeper, we see that an
intranet uses not only the protocols for transport but the tools for collaboration,
information dissemination, and resource sharing that the Internet offers. Internal
Web servers, FTP archives, newsgroups, and other resources become the way
your employees get their work done.

13.2.1 Advantages of Intranet

An increasing number of organisations throughout the world are now using almost
all the facilities/ provisions of Internet technology for internal communication. Access
to internal document collections, document management system, chat, file transferring,
e-messaging and video-conferencing are the popular usage of Intranet. Almost all
263
Internet Technology the internal information of an organisation such as newsletters, telephone directories,
calendars, policy manuals, current personnel lists, etc. are being made available
through Intranets. The Interanets are becoming quite popular due to the following
reasons:
i) The interface is easy to use; it also encompasses access to multimedia formats
such as text, video, sound and graphical images.
ii) A single interface to all formats of information using the Internet open standard
removes the requirement for an organisation's network to provide several
dedicated interfaces traditionally needed to interrogate proprietary systems such
as databanks, bibliographic information retrieval systems and management
information systems. Also, the user only needs to be familiar with one interface.
iii) Compared to the cost of employing proprietary information systems, or group
ware, intranets are very inexpensive to set up. In addition, proprietary packages
also use in-house protocols, which often result in a dependency on the software
distributor, and update and utilities may only be acquired from the original vendor.
iv) They provide improved access in a number of respects:
a) documents may be shared across all major networking platforms.
b) information is accessible regardless of the user's location
c) a workstation configured for use on an intranet is also ready for Internet
use if the necessary gateways are incorporated into the network.
d) access and use of groups using the intranet may be monitored, making it
possible to assess the value of services and resources offered on the intranet
e) user authentication systems can be incorporated into browsers, so that
access to information can be controlled.
v) They allow for maintenance of current documents, by offering access to electronic
documents that will always be the latest version. The eliminates significant
reprography, and time spent trying to locate lost paper-based documents.

13.2.2 Library Applications of Intranet

As Intranets become ubiquitous in the corporate world, there is no reason that these
same concepts can’t be applied to libraries' internal information system. Nonprofit
library systems that are “single” library systems or multiple library systems confined
to relatively small geographic areas a city, country, or college campus - may not
realize the same benefits that national and international corporations realize, but
there are still benefits to be gained.
Intranet in libraries can be used to link staff to copies of departmental handbooks,
personnel manuals, copies of the library's mission statement, goals and objectives,
annual reports, staff white pages, etc. The Intranet also can serve as a bulletin
board where the library staff posts interesting news stories, job announcements,
monthly reports, and training schedules. With applications like RealAudio, messages
can be heard, not just read.
Libraries can also use the facility of Intranet for informing its readers within a parent
264 organisation about the new arrival of publications and its CAS and SDI services can
be rendered through it. The users can also access information about the availability Internet, Intranet and Extranet

of any publication in the library and its status (whether issued or not, if issued then
to whom) through Intranet. A copy each of the reference queries earlier met by the
library staff can also be kept on the Intranet servers so as to be accessed by the
library users. An Academic Library can keep various forms such as, membership
form, reservation request form, etc. on the Intranet so as to provide improved services
to its users.
Almost all the Standard Libraries software programmes are now providing Web
based access to its users. These include access to library catalogues, list of additions,
Circulation Information, status of issues of Periodicals, Documentation List, etc.

13.3 EXTRANET
An Extranet, or extended Intranet, can be defined as a private network of linking
branch offices or several cooperating organizations located outside the walls of any
organisation. An Extranet service uses existing Intranet interactive infrastructure,
including standard servers, e-mail clients and Web browsers. This makes Extranet
far more economical than the creation and maintenance of a proprietary network. It
enables trading partners, suppliers and customers with common interests to form a
tight business relationship and a strong communication bond.
The Extranet can be defined as “a network that links business partners to one another
over the Internet by tying together their corporate intranets”. Extranets may be used
to allow inventory database searches, for example, or to transmit information on the
status of an order. They are being used by businesses of all types such as banks,
airlines, railways, large corporate offices having several branches etc.
An Extranet is a private network that uses the Internet protocol and the public
telecommunication system to securely share part of an organisation's information or
operations with its branches (located within the same city or outside), partners,
users, customers, suppliers or contacts. An extranet can be viewed as part of an
organisation's intranet that is extended to users outside the organisation.
An extranet requires security and privacy. These require firewall server management,
the issuance and use of digital certificates or similar means of user authentication,
encryption of messages, and the use of virtual private networks (VPN) that tunnel
through the public network.
Let us take an example from the business sector. A new attitude within businesses
about how to communicate - within the business, among employees and managers,
as well as between the business and its external constituents: partners, customers,
and vendors. There's almost a rush toward this now. It seems to me that companies
are becoming extremely aware of how important this type of communication is, both
in growing the top line of the business by increasing revenue and sales, and in improving
the bottom line by reducing costs, either within the business or between the business
and its partners or distributors. As businesses continue to use open Internet
technologies to improve communication with customers and partners, they can gain
many competitive advantages along the way - in product development, cost savings,
marketing, distribution, and leveraging their partnerships. And, perhaps, most
important of all, they can strengthen their business relationships.
265
Internet Technology Netscape, Oracle, and Sun Microsystems have announced an alliance to ensure
that their extranet products can work together by standardizing on JavaScript and
the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA). Microsoft supports
the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) and is working with American Express
and other companies on an Open Buying on the Internet (OBI) standard. The Lotus
Corporation is promoting its groupware product, Notes, as well suited for extranet
use.

13.3.1 Advantages of Extranet

An organization can use provisions of the Intranet to create systems with an idea to
build them for improving employee productivity, sharing data, or updating human
resources information, for example. Then they would build other applications for
use outside the organization - either products for their customers or products to let
the company communicate better with their vendors. So in addition to internal
company networks, or intranets, that are behind the firewall, companies are building
external networks called "extranets" that reach out to people who may physically
work outside the firewall but who are an important part of the business strategy,
product-delivery system, or customer-support apparatus. The organisations can
use an extranet to:
l Exchange large volumes of multimedia data using Electronic Data Interchange
(EDI)
l Share office information, library, circulars, etc., at all the locations. Collaborate
with other organisations on joint development efforts
l Jointly develop and use training programmes with other organisations
l Provide or access services provided by one organisation to a group of other
organisations.
l Share news of common interest exclusively with partner organisations.
An extranet is not the only method of connecting an organization to distant locations
of the same organization but also to similar organisations, their employees, researchers,
etc. to other businesses.
Ubiquity of Access. Suppose an organization has to rely on contractors and
subcontractors to supply you with widget parts. One advantage of the Internet is
that it is becoming increasingly acceptable to any existing contractor or subcontractor.
You don’t need to make sure your operating system is the same, or that you’re using
the same type of database. You don’t even need to be using the same Web browser.
“An extranet is an effective way for organizations to communicate without having to
agree to buy all similar systems so the cost of enabling goes way down”.
Open Standards. Another advantage of an extranet is the Internet’s open standards.
Regardless of what equipment different companies own, it’s unlikely they buy their
equipment from the same vendor. The extranet eliminates many compatibility
problems.
Less Time and Money. Lastly, and most importantly, an extranet can save a
corporation money and time. Extranet is certainly not a miracle situation to handle
complex problems of remote office. The Intranet and Extranets are being popularly
used for communication application like Audio and Video Conferencing, netmeetings,
netshows, collaborative Multimedia computing, etc the details of which have been
266 discussed in an earlier chapter. There are, however, a few issue needs to be overcome.
System Vulnerability. Its biggest drawback, at least for now, concerns security, a Internet, Intranet and Extranet

major issue for the Internet and intranets, as well. A system that runs over the Internet
is more vulnerable than a proprietary one, and no one has yet come up with a
foolproof, end-to-end security plan. Also, the type of information transmitted over
extranets-financial data, specs for new products—makes the network an appealing
target for hackers.
Insufficient Support. Another concern with extranets, which also holds true for
intranets, is that of quality of service. “Right now, it’s not sufficient to support mission-
critical applications,” “That needs to be improved, although some applications such
as E-mail.” are working satisfactorily.
Technical and cost advantages are, of course, very important. But the real significance
of Extranet is that it is the first non-proprietary technical tool that can support rapid
evolution of electronic commerce. On a perhaps more fundamental level, the Extranet
is also likely to redefine the business evolution of a conventional corporation into
“the knowledge factory”. It will radically change the way private and public sector
organizations would conduct their business in the new Internet-driven global economy.

13.3.2 Library Applications of Extranet

Extranets can help libraries to improve their customer relations, user services, and
save time and resources. Let us consider a University Library having its campuses at
different locations or in another city or various colleges of the university located in
different cities. In order to provide library services to its faculty, students and
researchers at all the distant locations the library can develop extranets. This will
help the users of the Library to access speedy information at much less cost. This
will also improve services being given to the readers located at distant locations. A
well-developed Extranet can give them a feeling of being part of the main campus
even though they are sitting miles away from the main campus. In relation to its
content and marketing potential, the term “third wave” also refers to the maturity
process in the development of Web technology. Extranet is conceptualized as the
key technology enabler for the development of the third wave large-scale electronic
commerce sites. Moreover, this new concept is also at the heart of the re-engineering
effort required to advance a traditional corporation into the state of the “knowledge
factory”. Its usage in the field of library and information services is likely to grow
tremendously over the next 3-5 years.

13.4 THE INTERNET, INTRANET AND EXTRANET

Internet refers to outward-facing systems, with little or no connection to any other
internal systems. Internet sites have rapidly evolved from inter-organisation e-
commerce systems to become a general-purpose broadcast medium for sharing
data, e-commerce, corporate marketing material, etc. This refers to the global system
involving organisations of all categories, types, and size.
Intranet refers to inward-facing or staff-facing systems. Intranets have some similarities
to Internet-based Web sites, starting out as departmental or corporate e-mail systems
and evolving into a broadcast medium for managing internal information, including
Web-based documents as well as access to existing systems and data repositories.
An intranet has two fundamental functions: provide secure, customized access to
relevant, up-to-date information found in transaction systems; and let users act on
267
Internet Technology that information by managing how it flows through process systems. These
applications are used within and across workgroups to manage product development,
human resources, sales force automation and other internal business processes.

Extranet, then, refers to the marriage of these two otherwise separate systems into
a single, seamless system - a market-facing system. For example, in an extranet, a
customer service system faces both inward towards the customer service personnel
and management as well as outward towards the customers themselves, who enjoy
a similar level of interactivity and security as an internal participant. As the extranet
itself evolves, it extends not only data but actual transactions to the Internet to conduct
electronic commerce. Similarly, it lends itself to internal global organizational
integration by sharing internal and external data with processes that span all existing
systems.
As depicted above, the evolution of the Internet and intranet systems leads to a
natural integration point, the extranet, the new nexus of the relationship between a
company and its customers and partners. The difference among the three can be
summarised as below:

Internet Interanet Extranet

Access public private semi-private
members of a group of closely related
Users everyone specific firm firms
shared in closely trusted
Information fragmented proprietary held circles

Self Check Exercise

1) What are the primary uses of Internet?
2) Distinguish between Intranets and Extranets.
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................
268
 Internet, Intranet and Extranet
13.5 SUMMARY
The Internet is a vast network of computers spanning the entire world. Thousands
and thousands of computer networks are linked together through the Internet.
Presently millions of computers are connected to the Internet and this number is
growing at a mind boggling pace. On the other hand, Intranet is like an “internal
internet”— a private network contained within an enterprise. It may consist of many
interlinked LANs and may also use leased lines in WAN. An Intranet may be
connected to the Internet through one or more gateways. Extranet, basically, can be
termed as an extended Intranet. It can link business partners over a wide area, using
the Internet by tying together their corporate Intranets. The evolution of the Internet
and Intranet has led to their integration, resulting in Extranet.

13.6 ANSWERS TO SELF CHECK EXERCISES

1) Internet the so-called information highway, is highly used for e-mail, news groups,
web browsing, sharing information and transferring files. Rising at a rapid rate
is the use of electronic commerce on the Internet.
2) Intranets are basically “baby” Internets. They use the same network facilities
that the Internet does, but access is restricted to a limited sphere. An extranet
is a network that connects a number of intranets into a truly mini-Internet. Access
is extended to all the intranets connected through the extranet, but again, not to
the Internet. Extranets require a constant Internet connection and a hypertext
transfer protocol (http) server.

13.7 KEYWORDS
Decryption : A process of decoding data that has been encrypted into
a secret format. Decryption requires a secret key or pass
word.
Encryption : The translation of data into a secret code. It is the most
effective way to achieve data security.
News Group : An on-line discussion group on the Internet
Web Browser : A software application used to locate and display web
pages.

13.8 REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

Cronin, Blaise and Mckin, Geoffrey. The Internet in World Information Report;
1997-98, Paris, UNESCO, 1997; pp 240.
Chandrika Shetty and Mahaveera Jain. Use Intranet with Caution, LAN magazine,
November 1999, pp 25-27.
Field, Judy. Extranets: A New Tool For Your Future, Computers in Libraries, Oct.98,
Vol.18 Issues 9, p19-22.
269
Internet Technology Jyotimayi B.N, How to set up a successful Intranet, LAN magazine, April 1999, pp
33-34
Gopi Garge and H. Krishnamurthy, Internet as a business tools, BIZNET, December
1996, pp 8-11.
Michael Millikins, Internet or Intranet ? Debunking the Dilemma, LAN magazine,
November 1999, pp 21-24.
Marcus J Ranum, Internet Firewalls Frequently Asked Questins, downloaded from
http:/www.clarke.net/pub/mir
Sharma, Aashish; Yurcik, William , The Gyandoot Digital Library Intranet. Bulletin
of the American Society for Information Science , Apr/May2001, Vol. 27 Issue 4,
Pp23-27.
Sharmila Shankar and Md. Atiq, E, E-business, Counting on Extranets, it magazine,
pp 38-42.

270