Extranets Discussed
Extranets is a technology word that’s been thrown around countless times over the last few years. It’s a word that has about as many different definitions as there are snow flakes falling in Montana in the dead of winter.
Although this article is not about what an extranet is, exactly, it’s important that we agree on a workable definition before moving into the meat of the article. For simplicity’s sake, we are going to call an extranet a semi-secure external network of networks that uses Internet technologies as the protocols for communication.
By definition, one of the greatest benefits of an extranet is that it allows certain individuals to gain access to information that you don’t want the public to be able to view. An extranet, in this example, will use the network of the Internet and its communication infrastructure and protocols, but will have an enhanced security level so that only specified individuals can access the information.
With the definition out of the way, let’s move onto what’s important… a highly useful way to utilize this technology. One of the best uses for an extranet is for enhanced customer support.