- 2070 Bhadra · 5+5 marks
Intranet, Internet, Extranet comparison and resources
Short answer
Intranet is private for employees; extranet shares with partners via VPN; Internet is open to all. Benefits: secure sharing, B2B collaboration, global reach. Designing a medium intranet needs a router/firewall, L3 core and access switches, servers, IP plan (e.g., 10.10.1.0/26 for servers, /24 for floors), and trained administrators.
Compare Intranet, Internet and Extranet with their benefits and drawbacks. Discuss the necessary resources required to design medium size intranet system.
Comparison of Intranet, Internet and Extranet
An intranet is a private network of one organisation. An extranet is an intranet extended to selected outsiders (suppliers, partners, customers) over the Internet, normally via VPN or authenticated web access. The Internet is the open public network.
| Basis | Intranet | Extranet | Internet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Users | Employees | Employees + trusted partners | Everyone |
| Access | Internal, private | Controlled, authenticated | Open |
| Ownership | One organisation | One organisation shared with partners | None |
| Security | High | Medium-high (VPN, login) | Low |
| Content | Internal data and applications | Shared business data, orders, catalogues | Any |
| Example | University staff portal | Supplier ordering portal | World Wide Web |
| Benefits | Drawbacks | |
|---|---|---|
| Intranet | Secure internal sharing, productivity, low cost, central control | Limited reach, setup and maintenance cost |
| Extranet | Faster B2B transactions, partner collaboration, less paperwork | Higher security risk, access management, depends on Internet |
| Internet | Global reach, information, e-commerce | Threats, privacy loss, no control, unreliable content |
Resources required to design a medium-size intranet
Assumptions: one organisation with about 200 users on two floors, one server room, Internet through one ISP link, private addressing.
Internet
|
[Router/Firewall]---[DMZ: web,mail]
|
[Core Switch L3]--[Servers: DNS, DHCP, file,
| DB, intranet web]
| |
[Access SW] [Access SW]---[Wi-Fi APs]
floor 1 floor 2
IP plan (10.10.0.0/16 subset)
| Network | Subnet | Hosts |
|---|---|---|
| Servers | 10.10.1.0/26 | 62 |
| Floor 1 users | 10.10.10.0/24 | 254 |
| Floor 2 users | 10.10.20.0/24 | 254 |
| Wi-Fi guests | 10.10.30.0/24 | 254 |
| DMZ | 10.10.40.0/28 | 14 |
Bill of quantities
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Router with firewall / UTM | 1 |
| L3 core switch, 24 port | 1 |
| Access switch, 48 port PoE | 4 |
| Wireless access points | 6 |
| Servers (web/app, DB, file, DNS+DHCP, mail) | 4-5 |
| Rack, UPS, cooling | 1 set |
| Cat6 cabling, patch panels | 220 points |
| Internet leased line (e.g. 100 Mbps) | 1 |
| Client PCs | 200 |
Software: server OS (Linux/Windows Server), web server (Apache/IIS), database, directory service (LDAP/Active Directory), DNS/DHCP, mail, antivirus, backup, VPN.
Human and other resources: network administrator, system administrator, web developer, security policy, user training, backup and disaster recovery plan, budget.
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)
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