Extranet

A cross between the Internet and an intranet. An extranet is a section of an organization’s network that has been sectioned off so that it acts as an intranet for the private network but also serves information to a limited number of specific outsiders. Often access into an extranet from the Internet requires a VPN connection. Extranets are often used in B2B applications, between customers and suppliers. An intranet that is restricted to an organization and certain outsiders, such as customers and suppliers. Extension to the intranet allowing selected outside users access to portions of an organization’s intranet.