An intranet is an internal information system that works much the same way as the Internet. With one very important difference -- only the people in your organization can access or post information. Because an intranet requires private identifications and passwords, it's closed to the rest of the world. Often, intranets are used to share calendars, documents and to provide a forum for discussion and commentary. You can install and maintain intranet software on your own computers, or use an ASP intranet, a hosted intranet solution.

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.