A buzzword that refers to an
intranet that is partially accessible to authorized outsiders. Whereas an intranet resides behind a
firewall and is accessible only to people who are members of the same company or organization, an extranet provides various levels of accessibility to outsiders. You can access an extranet only if you have a valid
username and
password, and your
identity determines which parts of the extranet you can view.
Extranets are becoming a very popular means for business partners to exchange information.