OVERVIEW OF THE INTERNET

Definition of Network

The Internet is a worldwide collection of networks that links millions of businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, and individuals.

  INTERNET  

A worldwide collection of networks that connects millions of businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, and individuals.

· ADVANTAGES

-> Software Downloads:

- You can freely download software like utilities, games, music, videos, movies, etc from the Internet.

-> Online Services: 

- Perform all your transactions online. 

- Can book tickets for a movie, transfer funds, pay utility bills. 

- Make a hotel or flight reservation right from your home.

-> E-mail:

- People can sent messages. It is delivered instantly to people anywhere in the world, unlike traditional mail that takes a lot of time.

-> Information resources:

- Can find any information on almost any kind of subject that you are looking for by using search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.

· DISADVANTAGES

-> Virus threat:

- Computers attached to Internet are more prone to virus attacks and they can end up into crashing your whole hard disk.

-> Social Disconnect:

- People now only meet on social networks. 

- More and more people are getting engaged with virtual world and drifting apart from their friends and family. 

-> Dangers involved when children using the Internet :

When children talk to others online, they do not realize they could actually be talking to a harmful person. Plus, there are thousands of pornographic sites on the Internet that can be easily found.

-> Theft of Personal information:

Your personal information such as your name, address, credit card, bank details and other information can be accessed by an irresponsible people for their own benefit.

  INTRANET  

An intranet ( intra means within) is an internal network that uses internet technologies.

· ADVANTAGES

->  Commercial or confidential data is kept secure within the organization 

-> Email remain private and may alson be encrypted 

-> High bandwidth. No connectionlimits unlike the internet

-> Reliable. The company will have dedicated IT personnel to keep things running smoothly.

· DISADVANTAGES

-> High financial cost incurred by the company when initially implementing the intranet

-> Connections between an intranet and the Internet potentially compromises security, bye allowing virus infections or system hacking. 

-> Staff needs training to ensure workers know how to use the system effectively.

-> Information overload is another diasadvantages because it reduces productivity.

  EXTERNET  

An extranet is the portion of a company’s network that allows customers or suppliers of a company to access parts of an enterprise’s intranet. 

· ADVANTAGES

- Exchange large volumes of data using electronic data interchange (EDI)

- Share product catalogs exclusively with trade partners

- Collaborate with other companies on joint development efforts

- Jointly develop and use training programs with other companies

· DISADVANTAGES

- Extranets can be expensive to implement and maintain within an organization (e.g., hardware, software, employee training costs), if hosted internally rather than by an application service provider.

- Security of extranets can be a concern when hosting valuable or proprietary information.