Intranet vs Extranet- Difference Between Intranet and Extranet

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An intranet is a private network accessible only to an organization’s employees for internal communication and collaboration. On the other hand, an extranet is a controlled private network that allows access to authorized external users, such as partners, suppliers, or clients. In this blog, we will discuss the differences between the two, i.e. intranet vs extranet.

The comparison of Intranet vs Extranet will be incomplete without giving a view on what Intranet and Extranet terms mean and their positioning in organizational IT setup –

What is Intranet?

An Intranet is a private network, operated by a large company and protected from the global internet. Authenticated users of the organization can access the database system, directory and can distribute documents and workflow.

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Employees can make interactive communication in the shape of chatting, audio and videoconferencing.

Unlike the internet that is maintained by the autonomous network providers, the intranet is managed and maintained by the internal department of an organisation.

Related- Intranet vs Internet

What is Extranet?

An Extranet is basically a private network designed specifically to allow Business partners and vendors to communicate with you and your employees in a closed virtual space.

Extranets serve a key role when communication is required between various organizations or vendor companies. An extranet is accessible to some people from outside the company, or possibly shared by more than one organization.

This network system is basically used for business to business (B2B) purposes. Large volumes of data can be exchanged between parties via extranets, for example, and they can also be used to create collaboration.

Extranets are also used to help monitor and fix any potential bugs or issues that can occur with a company’s products or services — almost like built-in quality control.