Most large companies use the web not only to advertise themselves and their products or services to the world, but also to manage resources and communicate internally:
- Intranets, in the context of the World Wide Web, are websites that are only accessible to people within a certain organisation, and are used to administrate that organisation, enable effective internal communication, and centralise important information. Intranets are protected from people outside the organisation using a number of technologies, which may include password-protection, Security Sockets Layer (SSL) connections, or data tunneling.
- Extranets are simply portions of an organisation’s intranet that have been made accessible in some form to outside parties, such as suppliers, partners, or customers. As with an intranet, extranets utilise any number of security measures, such as encryption and digital certificates, to ensure that only authorised users are admitted.
Using modern scalable Content Management Systems, built on a variety of technologies including ColdFusion, it’s possible to provide smaller companies and organisations with the efficiency-enhancing benefits of an intranet or extranet.
The features and benefits of intranets / extranets include:
- Centralisation of data: Removes the need to maintain many sets of records on important aspects of organisation and business. Users can log in from any location with a net connection and a web browser, accessing and working with the same information as everyone else.
- Document management: Files (such as Word documents, PDFs and images) can be uploaded to an intranet and easily managed, enabling file sharing and pooling of key documents such as schedules, templates, forms and logos.
- Contacts directory: Maintain a single directory of information on people within your organisation or company, accessible anywhere.
- Communication tools: The interactivity of the web can be utilised in online discussion forums and messaging systems, creating a common arena for communication and collaboration.