Intranet - simply explained

Every child knows what the Internet is, but very few people know the intranet. In this practical tip, we explain what the intranet is all about.

Intranet: what is it actually?

• The intranet is a closed network. Large companies or institutions such as universities and authorities generally use their own intranet.
• An intranet works similarly to the internet. However, the intranet works independently of the Internet and is only accessible to authorized persons. As a rule, only the employees have access to the internal network.

Functions and advantages simply explained

Websites run on so-called servers, which transmit the required information between the visitor and the website. A company uses its own server to set up an intranet that is isolated from the Internet. Everything that happens in the company remains on its own server and does not have to be transported over the Internet by external servers.

• An intranet is particularly advantageous for the quick and easy exchange of data within a company. All communication is also often handled via the intranet.
• For large companies in particular, however, the aspect of security is crucial. Information from the company is only exchanged internally via the intranet and can only be called up internally. Foreign servers that are vulnerable to attack from anywhere on the Internet pose a potential security risk.
• Since a company can control its own network well via the intranet, this also affects the employees. Many companies restrict or log employee access to the Internet via the intranet. This prevents, for example, employees from bidding on eBay auctions during working hours.

Further information on the intranet

• Due to the technical development, modern intranets no longer run over an exclusively local network, but over the Internet. However, the intranet then works like a VPN network and is therefore still isolated from the outside world.
• The advantages and disadvantages of the intranet are most clearly illustrated by the example of North Korea. The population in North Korea does not have unlimited access to the Internet, but only access to an intranet. Only the few services permitted by the government are available on this intranet.