Intranet

Intranets are private, secure Web-based networks that connect groups of people such as employees and business partners to vital corporate information, and allow for secure communication and collaboration among these groups.

An intranet is like your company's own private network. Yet, as most intranets give access to external sites and individuals to this private network, they can operate as extranets as well[1], because they both are a private network that uses Internet technology and the public communication system to securely share part of a business's information or operations with suppliers, vendors, partners, customers, or other businesses[2]. Any information that you or your staff has access to can be put on the intranet for example Training manuals, Staff handbooks, Internal databases, Annual reports, Financial./business details, Software downloads and patches, ISO 9000 documentation[3].

They are like wireless network, you cannot see them but they are there. Just like the internet, intranets’ hacking is possible and viruses can damage intranets. They have been around almost as long as the internet and are a form of a more secure network for companies.

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[1] http://www.wachovia.com/small_biz/page/0,,447_972_1696_1970_1972,00.html

[2] http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci212089,00.html

[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_9001