Vibrant MCSE BOOT Camp Notes :

Where the Internet Ends and the Intranet Begins

An intranet is a self-contained, internal network linking multiple users by means of Internet technology. In effect, intranets put a fence around the Internet's limitless territory, establishing controlled-access sectors within which users can communicate freely and interact. Built and managed by companies or organizations (called sponsors), these networks reside on the World Wide Web, enabling cross-platform communications among authorized users in real time.

Intranets as such are not a new idea. In fact, some of the most commonly used Internet applications-such as bulletin boards (BBSs) and commercial access services such as America OnLine (AOL)-are, in effect, large-scale intranets. That is, they link designated groups of users whose access to a given Internet site is determined by password or other user-recognition mechanisms. For example, each AOL subscriber has an individual account for which a password is established to control access. The password system enables users to pick and choose Internet features that interest them, to contract for services on an individual basis, and to engage in a number of Web-based transactions. On the other side of the equation, the system allows commercial service providers to track subscribers' usage and maintain account and billing information.

In contrast to these broad commercial services, the intranets discussed in this book are designed by and for specific user groups. They are smaller, more customized, and more sophisticated in terms of their features than the broader services. In addition, given their usage as an internal communications medium, intranets-not surprisingly-tend to have more elaborate security mechanisms built into their designs.

The basic difference between general-access subscriber services and an organization's own intranet lies in the structure and intended usage. Although the concept is essentially the same, the difference in one sense is that of mass versus class. Broad-based consumer-oriented services tend to offer all things to all people for all reasons, while organization-specific intranets focus on a finite group of people requiring a defined range of capabilities to achieve specific goals.

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