Extranet

n. internal communications network in an organization that also connects to agents outside of the organization (suppliers, clients, etc.) through the use of Internet protocols

An extranet is a private network that uses Internet protocols, network connectivity, and possibly the public telecommunication system to securely share part of an organization's information or operations with suppliers, vendors, partners, customers or other businesses. An extranet can be viewed as part of a company's Intranet that is extended to users outside the company (e.g.: normally over the Internet). It has also been described as a "state of mind" in which the Internet is perceived as a way to do business with a preapproved set of other companies  business-to-business (B2B), in isolation from all other Internet users. In contrast,  business-to-consumer (B2C) involves known server(s) of one or more companies, communicating with previously unknown consumer users.
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n. extranet, internal communications network in an organization that also connects to agents outside of the organization (suppliers, clients, etc.) through the use of Internet protocols (Computers)

n. extranet, internal communications network in an organization that also connects to agents outside of the organization, through the use of Internet protocols (Computers)

<World-Wide Web> The extension of a company's intranet out onto the Internet, e.g. to allow selected customers, suppliers and mobile workers to access the company's private data and applications via the World-Wide Web. This is in contrast to, and usually in addition to, the company's public web site which is accessible to everyone. The difference can be somewhat blurred but generally an extranet implies real-time access through a firewall of some kind.
Such facilities require very careful attention to security but are becoming an increasingly important means of delivering services and communicating efficiently.
[Did Marc Andreessen invent the term in September 1996?]
(1997-12-17)