The Emerging Businessnet^TM: Where the Intranet and the Extranet Converge

by Nina Burns, Creative Networks

As organizations become increasingly dependent on instant communications and information exchange between companies and their constituencies, seamless communication and information flow is essential. For the business world, the Internet is not the answer. The Internet is emerging as a vast, universal communication and information infrastructure with rich content, ubiquitous access and egalitarian principles. Its evolution will be governed by the Common (note the capital C) need. But it will not aim for the more rigorous and specific needs of business-to-business transactions.

It is too costly and inefficient to maintain today's two parallel infrastructures: a secure intranet for internal company business and a trusted extranet for external business with customers, business partners, suppliers and others with common interests. The intranet and extranet will converge to create a unified Businessnet^TM that:

• supports common protocols and standards,

• delivers a single platform for process automation and electronic commerce within and between companies,

• implements multi-level security and privacy capabilities for appropriate authentication, encryption, auditing and access controls,

• creates the flexibility to transition infrastructure, access and applications rapidly and independently,

• enables rapid deployment cycles,

• facilitates rapid change.

To make this transition, companies will have to develop a layered infrastructure that unifies information and communication systems which, in the past, have been disparate, proprietary and closed. Creating this layered architecture begins with the convergence of technology at each layer as the protocols and standards are defined. Unification has already begun with the convergence and common utilization of the following:

• desktop-to-network infrastructure based on TCP/IP today,

• common network services such as database, messaging, directory, security and network management that will serve a variety of applications,

• information and communications systems such as document management and electronic messaging,

• information repositories such as message stores and corporate databases,

• applications such as e-mail, Web services and process automation,

• legacy, client/server and Web systems.

Innovative IS/IT organizations are beginning to understand this vital convergence and make strategic decisions with the needs of the Businessnet^TM and the intranet in mind. This means looking beyond traditional boundaries when making IS/IT decisions.

For instance, it may not be enough to look at e-mail requirements alone when making an e-mail decision. In today's climate, assessing e-mail requirements means more than just understanding business communications and daily correspondence between individuals within the company and beyond the corporate walls. It also means assessing interdependencies such as:

• how e-mail supports critical business systems such as sales force automation, marketing support, systems, supply chain management, etc.,

• how e-mail services such as directory services support and/or interoperate with Human Resources and other information repositories,

• how store and forward services support workflow processes such as travel vouchers, timecards, purchase order processing, advance shipment notices, etc.

What Does This Mean For Your Organization?
Decisions based on the needs of the corporate intranet are tactical. Decisions based on the needs of the emerging Businessnet^TM are strategic. The former will leave you with a two-step, more costly transition to standards and the new business model, but may solve today's immediate needs more quickly. Decisions based on the needs of the emerging Businessnet^TM will provide a solid foundation for the future and a one-step transition, but can require more up-front planning and organizational finesse.