Should I consider an Extranet site?
I want to communicate with my vendors and customers
An
Extranet is a private site accessible only to the company hosting it and that
company's designated business partners. An Extranet is a place where companies
can rope off portions of their websites and provide important customers with
a secure place to find things like account balances and customized catalogs
with account-specific pricing. It provides a cross between the openness of the
Internet and the security and privacy of an Intranet. It can also be a less
secure location for general information that is obtained by the customer because
they know the specific website address or URL.
This is an article by David S. Linthicum which was published in Computer Shopper on April 10, 2000
This is an article by Jim Sterne which appeared in INC on November 15, 1999.
The technology to create the simplest of Extranets is simple: Place the specialized content you want the other party to see in a unique directory, and then give the other party the specific URL address. For more secure Extranets, instruct the web server that access is permitted only after entry of a valid user ID and password.
Think instead of creating web pages that only specified customers or clients can see. The page is private in the same sense that an unlisted telephone number is private. An organization therefore can exploit the advantages of the Internet (ease of access, availability, low cost), and realize controlled, reliable and secure communications critical for a business-to-business environment. All your company has to do is create private pages on your existing website that people can view and/or download. You then send the clients URLs of the pages; they can then click and capture the files without worrying about viruses, gateways, or e-mail inbox limitations.
Of course, much information needs better security. For that kind of information, an unpublished address isn't good enough. It calls for both private pages and passwords. Creating a password-protected page can be done quite easily and inexpensively. Password-protection routines are found on most upper end hosting sites. (The company hosting your site may have to handle the server-side software, but several exit that allow the website owner the ability to assign and manage the passwords it provides to customers and clients.)
Related links
http://javascript.internet.com/passwords/
This is a list of JavaScript password protection programs that are free. Being free does not mean executing each program is simple, but you can see different types of password protection schemes.
http://www.microsoft.com/TechNet/FrontPg/TechNote/fpsecure.asp
This is a Microsoft FrontPage site that takes you through the ways MS FrontPage uses password protection.
"How to Use Password Protection"
PasswordProtection.com can be used to protect portions of your web site. You are asked to define valid username and password combinations. Additionally, you must supply the HTML you would like displayed after a successful login. Once the technology is in place, your employees can exploit password-protected pages. It is possible to create and maintain private Web pages for each customer. When a customer calls and asks about a product, you can add the requested information to that customer's page. Or you can create a new page for things like customized pricing quotes, specials, or specifics on products.
Before you and your business partners begin secure Extranet relations, you must establish the rules of the relationship. What changes — technological and procedural — must both parties make to engage electronically? What services will bind you most closely together? What information are you willing to surrender? Building customer-specific pages or protected areas works well for companies that serve only a small number of clients.
http://www.sba.udayton.edu/Hall/mis365/chapter9/sld001.htm
This is a brief educational slide show by the University of Dayton that gives an overview of Extranets, Intranets, and the Internet.
This site provides "exemplary examples" of Extranets.
Back to e-Business Resource Guide homepage
Find a word in the glossary
Contact an SBTDC counselor
Return to the SBTDC homepage