Organizations apply different types of technology to connect their own employees and to connect to other organizations:

• Intranets -  private network within an organization that resembles the Internet.
  • Uses browsers, web sites and web pages
  • Typically provide e-mail, mailing lists, newsgroups, and FTP services.
  • Services are accessible only to those within the organization.
      
• Extranets -  private network that connects more than one organization.
  • May allow other organizations limited access to their network.
  • Purpose is to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
      
• Firewalls -  a security system designed to protect an organization's network against external threats.
  • Consists of hardware and software that control access to a company's intranet or other internal networks.
  • Includes a special computer called proxy server.
  • All communications between the company's internal networks and the outside world must pass through this special computer.
  • The proxy server decides whether to allow a particular message or file to pass through.

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