If you ask one person "what is an intranet?" and another "what is an extranet?", you might get exactly the same answer. An extranet is really just an intranet that allows selected outside people in. You decide who can provide and access information. Extranets can connect your organization to your clients, customers, and partners. All within a private, secure network. You can develop and maintain extranet software on your own computers, or leverage extranet technology hosted by an extranet ASP.

Intranets and extranets are becoming standard business communication tools. Soon, intranets and extranets will be as common as telephones and e-mail. Why? Because intranets and extranets help organizations communicate faster in a more organized way, resulting in lower costs and a competitive edge. And unlike traditional software, intranets and extranets work on the web.