Paula Darch 31 October 2016 3 min read

Intranet, Extranet, Portal - What is the Difference?

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What are intranets, extranets and portals and how can implementing one help your organisation? This blog briefly outlines the difference between the 3 solutions. To find out more about, book a demo with one of our intranet experts.

Intranets are generally created first, followed by extranets and portals if they are required. Which option you choose will depend on your organisation’s specific needs.

An Intranet is a private internally focused business network. They are usually created for the following reasons:

  • To increase productivity
  • Reduce paperwork
  • Create time and cost savings for business and employees
  • Enable staff to do their jobs more productively
  • Improve efficiency across the organisation
  • Increase information sharing and collaboration

An Extranet allows those outside the immediate organisation controlled access to the intranet. This is done via a secure firewall using a password and username.

A common way of using an extranet is to enable remote workers intranet access. Staff can access the same information as office based colleagues irrespective of their geographical location.

A Intranet Portal acts as a window that allows you to interact with enterprise systems and applications. Apart from giving you intranet and extranet access, portals connect you to external processes such as HR.

This blog just briefly explains what an intranet, extranet and portal are but to find out more download our free guide to managing your intranet OR book a demo, with one of our intranet experts who can guide you through how SORCE can help your organisation. 

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Paula Darch

Paula is our marketing whizz and is passionate about intranet engagement and getting the most out of your intranet software.