Intranets and extranets

Making information readily available to employees, customers or partners

An intranet is an online community that at the very least empowers employees with the information needed to do their jobs better.  An extranet is an intranet that  empowers your customers or partners.

An intranet or extranet makes information readily available and consistent. If implemented well it can also be a tool to help your team to communicate better with each other, the management and your customers.

Understanding the difference between an intranet and your other IT systems

  • Intranets are implemented to solve a general company need - knowledge sharing, online collaboration etc, rather than a specific business goal such as ERP and CRM, or as a preventative measure such as anti-virus tools
  • Investment - mostly in the form of time and manpower - extends beyond initial development and lasts for the life of the system. Intranets are only as good as the people who use them.
  • The core benefits of an intranet come in the form of improved productivity and self-sufficiency, a higher level of collaboration and communication, and easing the process of information gathering and publishing.

Additional intranet/extranet benefits:

  • Replacing hard copies
  • Reducing information search
  • Reducing duplication of effort
  • Promoting self-sufficiency
  • Keeping knowledge within a company
Related Content
back to top