An intranet is a private network contained within an enterprise that is used to securely share company information and computing resources among employees. An intranet can also be used for working in groups and teleconferences.
Intranets encourage communication within an organization. They let employees easily access important information, links, applications, forms and databases of company records. A database that includes all the usernames of employees who have access rights to the network is often used to maintain intranet security.
Organizations use intranets in a variety of ways depending on their needs. These include the following:
A secure and reliable intranet requires a web server that manages requests for data hosted on the server. The web server finds requested files and delivers them to the appropriate user. A content management system should also be set up to control the creation, publication and management of intranet content.
An intranet may also consist of many interlinked local area networks (LANs), as well as leased lines connecting to wide area network resources. The intranet's web server uses TCP/IP, HTTP and other internet protocols. Typically, an intranet includes connections through one or more gateway computers to the outside internet and external resources.
To access their company intranet, employees must have a special network password and be connected to the company LAN. Remote employees access the intranet through a virtual private network (VPN) or another secure connection. The VPN lets users not actually connected to the required LAN sign into the intranet and access all the same information and functions that would be available had they been connected to the LAN.
Firewall software is essential to the security of an organization's intranet. It stands between the outside internet and the private intranet. The firewall will track all incoming and outgoing data packets to confirm they do not contain unauthorized or suspicious requests. Firewalls also ensure malware and other malicious attacks do not penetrate the intranet.
When a segment of an intranet is made accessible to customers, partners, suppliers or others outside the company, that segment becomes part of an extranet. A firewall is especially important to secure intranet networks that include extranet extensions.
The intranet generally looks like a private version of the internet. With tunneling, companies can send private messages through the public network. They use special encryption and decryption and other security safeguards to connect one part of their intranet to another.
Hosted software applications also provide intranets. Instead of a company having its own private server, it buys intranet software that performs the same functions as traditional intranets. Some modern intranets operate similarly to social media applications that connect to an array of corporate applications. These applications are also called employee experience platforms.
Some potential benefits of using an intranet include the following:
There are also challenges when implementing an intranet, including these:
The internet, intranets and extranets are different types of networks with some similarities and overlapping aspects.
The internet works on a public network that anyone can access. There are no limits on who can access the internet, other than users must have access to a computing device that's connected to the internet. The public internet can have unlimited users at any one time, but it is more vulnerable to attackers than an intranet.
An intranet works on a private network of computers. Only authorized people and systems can access it. They also must connect to the intranet via the required LAN or VPN. An intranet typically can host a specific number of users.
An extranet is an intranet that grants access to those outside of an organization to certain information and applications. Third parties such as customers, vendors and partners are given access to certain parts of the organization's intranet.
Intranets were developed around the same time as the internet and evolved alongside it. Some best practices for an intranet strategy in the modern Digital workplace include the following:
Multichannel approach. A modern intranet should incorporate other team collaboration tools inside the main intranet application. It should centralize disparate applications, which may include collaboration and communication tools, tools for virtual conferences and line-of-business applications.
Optimize for remote work. Many older intranet platforms were not optimized for mobile or remote workers. Intranet applications should be easy to access without the use of a corporate desktop or laptop PC. Intranets should let remote workers access resources without having to be online constantly.
Modern user experience. To ensure user participation, intranet platforms should be engaging. They often resemble consumer applications that put a focus on ease-of-use and the user experience. A smart homepage that users can customize is a plus.
Regular engagement. Regularly posting fresh content boosts user engagement and fosters a sense of community. Intranets can be used to create smaller groups within a company based on employee interest. They can also be used to enable peer-to-peer acknowledgment of jobs well done. Making the corporate intranet a place where employees are encouraged to communicate with one another strengthens company culture and provides insight into employee needs.
Intranet platforms are available from large vendors and smaller startups. They include the following:
The intranet is being rethought as companies look more broadly at their employee experience strategies. Employee experience applications are replacing many functions of intranets. These applications take into account the distributed nature of work, the need to enable greater flexibility and the various enterprise applications and resources that must be centralized.
Learn about seven types of employee experience applications that provide the tools organizations need to collaborate.
17 Sep 2021