Implementing and Supporting Extranets

Abstract

Abstract Extranets have been around as long as the first rudimentary LAN-to-LAN networks began connecting two different business entities together to form WANs. In its basic form, an extranet is the interconnection of two previous separate LANs or WANs with origins from different business entities. This term emerged to differentiate previous definitions of external “Internet” connection and a company's internal “intranet.” Exhibit 1 depicts an extranet with a Venn diagram, where the intersection of two (or more) nets formed the extranet. The network in this intersection was previously part of the intranet and now has been made accessible to external parties.