Intranets: market research reports

An intranet is a secure private network used by businesses to share information internally. Though they are most often used in a corporate setting, intranets are also used by universities and other organizations. These sites are not accessible by the general public and require authentication through the use of a virtual private network commonly referred to as a VPN. This remote access provides seamless network integration for employees who may telecommute or travel.

Some enterprises may use an intranet to provide tools and applications which enhance employee productivity.

Some examples of these are project or customer relationship management programs. Intranets can also be an interface for a document repository. Targeted content can also include more basic information such as a directory or company calendar.

Intranets provide many benefits to businesses, such as web publishing and workforce productivity. These gateways to the internet can be customized for users and used to promote corporate culture. Users are able to interface and communicate with one another very efficiently and collaborate by sharing documents and information.

Potential advantages to a corporate intranet strategy include reduction in accounting, training and marketing costs. Once an intranet is initially set up, it is easy to use and inexpensive and is scalable to accommodate a changing organization.

An intranet portal may also have an extranet as a counterpart. In contrast to an enterprise intranet, an extranet provides information that may be accessed by a group outside of the organization, such as clients, vendors or other approved users. This is similar to an intranet in that authentication is still required. Also, an extranet can be customized for the intended audience.