An Internet site provides you with a web presence for the general public. An
intranet site uses Internet technology to provide your employees with
access to
internal information. An Extranet provides you with an Internet site
accessible to a
select group of people.
In an Extranet site, existing customers and partners are given
password-protected
access to information pertinent to them. Partners and customers can
access this
information while the general public cannot. Extranets can use
encryption and
password technologies to secure access to your site. For
business-to-business
transactions, Extranets can enable secure electronic commerce. An
Extranet can
automate information-sharing by providing access to specific information
and
regulated access to internal databases. Within an Extranet site, you can
create a
location for disseminating non-disclosure information. You can
simultaneously host
many Extranet services, each focused on the needs of one particular
constituency.
For example, existing customers who have purchased from different
product lines
may have access to an Extranet service focused on their needs. Business
partners
may have access to a partner's Extranet site that has information on
pricing, sales
promotions, or other personalized services. Investors may have access to
an
Extranet site with financial information or discounts specifically for
them. Each
Extranet site may share access to your company's eCommerce application.
You
can specify different products or provide discounts based on Extranet or
user
passwords.
A company that manufactures pharmaceuticals may have a web site that
consumers
can visit to learn more about some popular off-the-shelf products. The
site may
include recent tests, use practices, recommendations, and side-effect
warnings. The
company can also create an Extranet site for its sales staff. Sales reps
need to
know the unpublished location of this site and have a password to
access the
information. Once on the Extranet site, sales reps can place orders,
track their
customers' ordering trends, find out information about sales incentives,
and obtain
competitive information. Doctors may be given access to a different
Extranet site.
On the doctors' Extranet site, the company may run discussion groups for
doctors
who have used the product, provide clinical trial results, and run
specials for buying
online.
