INTRANET

An intranet is a private network contained within an enterprise that is used to securely share company
information and computing resources among employees. An intranet can also be used for working in
groups and teleconferences.

Intranets encourage communication within an organization. They let employees easily access important
information, links, applications, forms and databases of company records. A database that includes all
the usernames of employees who have access rights to the network is often used to maintain intranet
security.

An intranet can be defined as a private network used by an organization. Its primary purpose is to help
employees securely communicate with each other, to store information, and to help collaborate. Modern
intranets use social intranet features that allow employees to create profiles and to submit, like,
comment, and share posts.

LAN vs Intranet

My current understanding is that a LAN is a 2 or more computers connected within a local geographical
location.

I always thought intranet was the webpages accessed on a LAN network but that appears to be called
intraweb.

A LAN is a set of computers that all have a NIC that's connected with the same subnet mask (e.g.
255.255.255.0), and which are on the same network (e.g. 192.168.0.X). One way this is easily done
is connecting a number of computers to the same switch/switch stack, or the switch part (the LAN
ports) of a home router.

When this happens, each computer on the LAN can send broadcast traffic to all other computers on
the LAN, and talk to any other computer when the IP address is known, if the computer itself is not
blocking traffic from the LAN.

I always thought intranet was the webpages accessed on a LAN network but that appears to be called
intraweb.
Well, in a LAN you can have servers (in addition to standard PCs/laptops) that offer services to
PCs/laptops on the LAN and LAN only. A web server could be one of those services, and there may
be other things like a file server, Lync or chat server, etc. Intranet would technically be the entire
collection of servers meant to be accessed by computer on the LAN (but not available from the
general Internet) - and intraweb could be the web server only from the intranet.

Intranet, Extranet and Internet

An intranet works on a private network of computers. Only authorized people and systems can access it.
They also must connect to the intranet via the required LAN or VPN. An intranet typically can host a
specific number of users.
An extranet is an Intranet that grants access to those outside of an organization to certain information
and applications. Third parties such as customers, vendors and partners are given access to certain parts
of the organization’s intranet.

The Internet works on a public network that anyone can access. There are no limits on who can access
the internet, other than users must have access to a computing device that’s connected to the internet.
The public internet can have unlimited users at any one time, but it is more vulnerable to attackers than
an intranet.

Uses of Intranet

Central repository.

Intranets become the main repository where important information and company data are stored.

Collaboration.

These internal networks provide a way to share information that makes it easier for employees to work
together.

Personalization.

Intranets provide personalized content to employees based on their role within the company.

Communication.

They make employee directories, company news and organization charts readily available, improving
internal corporate communications.

Easy access to information.

Intranets provide easy access to information about company policies, benefits and updates.

Social elements.

Social media features let employees create an account, post content and status alerts and browse a
newsfeed.

Project management.

To-do lists, employee directories, status updates and other resources aid users in project management.

HOW INTRANETS WORK

A secure and reliable intranet requires a web server that manages requests for data hosted on the
server. The web server finds requested files and delivers them to the appropriate user. A content
management system should also be set up to control the creation, publication and management of
intranet content.

An intranet may also consist of many interlinked local area networks (LANs), as well as leased lines
connecting to wide area network resources. The intranet’s web server uses TCP/IP, HTTP and other
internet protocols. Typically, an intranet includes connections through one or more gateway computers
to the outside Internet and external resources.
To access their company intranet, employees must have a special network password and be connected
to the company LAN. Remote employees access the intranet through a virtual private network (VPN) or
another secure connection. The VPN lets users not actually connected to the required LAN sign into the
intranet and access all the same information and functions that would be available had they been
connected to the LAN.

Firewall software is essential to the security of an organization’s intranet. It stands between the outside
internet and the private intranet. The firewall will track all incoming and outgoing data packets to
confirm they do not contain unauthorized or suspicious requests. Firewalls also ensure malware and
other malicious attacks do not penetrate the intranet.

When a segment of an intranet is made accessible to customers, partners, suppliers or others outside
the company, that segment becomes part of an extranet. A firewall is especially important to secure
intranet networks that include extranet extensions.

The intranet generally looks like a private version of the internet. With tunneling, companies can send
private messages through the public network. They use special encryption and decryption and other
security safeguards to connect one part of their intranet to another.

Hosted software applications also provide intranets. Instead of a company having its own private server,
it buys intranet software that performs the same functions as traditional intranets. Some modern
intranets operate similarly to social media applications that connect to an array of corporate
applications. These applications are also called employee experience platforms.