extranet

extranet

A Web site for customers rather than the general public. It can provide access to research, current inventories and internal databases, virtually any information that is private and not published for everyone. An extranet uses the public Internet as its transmission system, but requires passwords to gain entrance. Access to the site may be free or require payment for some or all of the services offered. See EDI.

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(World-Wide Web)

extranet - The extension of a company's intranet out onto the Internet, e.g. to allow selected customers, suppliers and mobile workers to access the company's private data and applications via the World-Wide Web. This is in contrast to, and usually in addition to, the company's public website which is accessible to everyone. The difference can be somewhat blurred but generally an extranet implies real-time access through a firewall of some kind. Such facilities require very careful attention to security but are becoming an increasingly important means of delivering services and communicating efficiently.