LEARNING UNIT 6: INTRANET AND EXTRANET E-COMMERCE LEARNING UNIT 6: INTRANET AND EXTRANET

OUTCOMES DISCUSS AND UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIP AMONG THE INTERNET, INTRANET AND EXTRANET

INTERNET VS WEB: According to your manual p. 39: The Internet is a series of interconnected networks that include local area, regional and national backbone networks. Networks in the Internet use the same telecommunication protocol and provide electronic mail, remote login and file transfer services Also see the definition from webopedia.com: The Internet is a massive network of networks, a networking infrastructure. It connects millions of computers together globally, forming a network in which any computer can communicate with any other computer as long as they are both connected to the Internet. Information that travels over the Internet does so via a variety of languages known as protocols.

According to your manual p According to your manual p. 39: The World Wide Web is a network of servers that uses hypertext links to find and access files. Many websites also support video and sound. “Internet” focuses on physical and technical networks/infrastructure, while the Web focuses on the set of content accessible on that physical and technical infrastructure Also see the definition from webopedia.com The World Wide Web, or simply Web, is a way of accessing information over the medium of the Internet. It is an information- sharing model that is built on top of the Internet. The Web uses the HTTP protocol, only one of the languages spoken over the Internet, to transmit data. Web services, which use HTTP to allow applications to communicate in order to exchange business logic, use the Web to share information. The Web also utilizes browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Chrome or Firefox, to access Web documents called Web pages that are linked to each other via hyperlinks. Web documents also contain graphics, sounds, text and video.

COMMON USES OF THE INTERNET: E-mail: The sending of electronic text messages between parties. Internet e-mail may travel and be stored unencrypted on many other machines and networks out of both the sender’s and recipient’s control E-mail attachments have greatly increased the usefulness of e-mail

The World Wide Web: Millions of people have easy, instant access to a vast and diverse amount of online information Decentralisation of information and data Web logs/blogs can be used by e.g Microsoft to find out what the public’s interest in their work is Remote Access: The Internet allows computer users to connect to other computers and information stores (with or without security/authentication/encryption technology) A business person can have access to all his/her normal files and data, including e-mail and other applications, while away from the office Remote access extends the secure perimeter of a corporate network into its employees’ homes

Remote access

Collaboration: Low-cost, nearly instantaneous sharing of ideas, knowledge and skills through software such as Linux, Mozilla, OpenOffice.org Internet “chats” allow colleagues to stay in touch in a convenient way when working on their computers Messages can be send more quickly and conveniently through e-mail Extensions to these systems may allow files to be exchanged, “whiteboard” drawings to be shared (e.g scribblar) as well as voice and video contact between team members Version control systems

Collaboration

File sharing: A computer file can be e-mailed to customers, colleagues and friends as an attachment Uploading onto a website or FTP server make downloading easy “shared location” can be used for instant use by colleagues “mirror” servers or peer-to-peer networks can be used for bulk downloads through user authentication Credit card payments are acceptable All forms of office documents, publications, software products, music, photography, video, etc. can be transmitted

File sharing

Streaming media: According to webopedia: Streaming is a technique for transferring data so that it can be processed as a steady and continuous stream. With streaming, the client browser can start displaying the data before the entire file has been transmitted. (Youtube) Many radio and TV broadcasters provide Internet “feeds” of their live audio and video streams Allow time-shift viewing or listening Most internet-connected devices can be used to access on-line media Podcasting is where audio material is first downloaded in full and then may be played back on a computer or shifted to a digital audio player to be listened to on the move (Vodcasting is the downloading of video clips) Webcams are an even lower-budget extension of streaming media

Streaming media

Voice Telephony (VoIP) - SKYPE Voice over IP (Internet Protocol) 2-way voice extension to some of the Instant Messaging systems The Internet carries the actual voice traffic Free or cost less than normal telephone calls Inexpensive VoIP modems are available that eliminate the need for a PC Most VoIP providers offer unlimited national calling but the direction in VoIP is clearly toward global coverage with unlimited minutes for a low monthly fee. VoIP has become increasingly popular within the gaming world as a form of communication (Ventrilo, Teamspeak)

VoIP

EXTRANETS Def: a secure website that enables your business to primarily communicate with selected business partners, suppliers (B2B) and customers (B2C). Provide safe business-to-business activities (a private Internet over the Internet) Advantages : Improve productivity by automating processes Project information can be viewed at any time – cuts down on meeting times Information can be updated, edited, changed instantly Can improve relationships with customers Exchange large volumes of data using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI Collaboration with other companies on joint training and development efforts Disadvantages: Can be expensive to implement and maintain Security I s a concern (sensitive and valuable information) Reduce personal contact (lack of connections and loyalty)

Extranet

INTRANETS: Def: a private internal business network that enables employees to share information, knowledge, idea collaboration and improve communication (inside the organisation). Improve information flow and keep costs down in an organisation (a private version of the Internet) Advantages: Increase workforce productivity (increase employees’ ability to perform their jobs faster, more accurate and with confidence) Save time Powerful tool for communication (horizontal and vertical) Web publishing allows corporate knowledge to be maintained and easily accessed. Intranets can be used as a platform for developing and deploying applications to support business operations and decisions Cost effective Enhance collaboration Built for one audience (user-specific) Promote common corporate culture Immediate updates

Disadvantages: Publication of information must be controlled to ensure it is correct and appropriate Security issues Careful planning and structuring is important (avoid information overload) Management concerns (fear of loss of control)

Intranet