Internet
Internet is a global network that connects billions of computers across the world with each other and to the World Wide Web. It uses standard internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to connect billions of computer users worldwide. It is set up by using cables such as optical fibers and other wireless and networking technologies. At present, internet is the fastest mean of sending or exchanging information and data between computers across the world.
It is believed that the internet was developed by “Defense Advanced Projects Agency” (DARPA) department of the United States. And, it was first connected in 1969.
Why is the Internet Called a Network?
Internet is called a network as it creates a network by connecting computers and servers across the world using routers, switches and telephone lines, and other communication devices and channels. So, it can be considered a global network of physical cables such as copper telephone wires, fiber optic cables, tv cables, etc. Furthermore, even wireless connections like 3G, 4G, or Wi-Fi make use of these cables to access the Internet.
Intranet
Intranet is the system in which multiple PCs are connected to each other. PCs in intranet are not available to the world outside the intranet. Usually each organization has its own Intranet network and members/employees of that organization can access the computers in their intranet.
Each computer in Intranet is also identified by an IP Address which is unique among the computers in that Intranet.
Similarities between Internet and Intranet
- Intranet uses the internet protocols such as TCP/IP and FTP.
- Intranet sites are accessible via the web browser in a similar way as websites in the internet. However, only members of Intranet network can access intranet hosted sites.
- In Intranet, own instant messengers can be used as similar to yahoo messenger/gtalk over the internet.
Differences between Internet and Intranet
- Internet is general to PCs all over the world whereas Intranet is specific to few PCs.
- Internet provides a wider and better access to websites to a large population, whereas Intranet is restricted.
- Internet is not as safe as Intranet. Intranet can be safely privatized as per the need.
Extranet
Extranet is a part of an organization’s intranet. It is a communication network that is based on internet protocols (TCP/IP). It provides controlled access to firm’s intranet to its trading partners, customers, and other businesses.
Some of the benefits of extranet:
- It acts as a single interface between the company and its trading partners.
- It automates the firm’s processes like automatically places an order with suppliers when inventory drops.
- It improves customer service by providing customers a platform to resolve their queries and complaints.
- It enables the firm to share information with trading partners without engaging in paper-based publishing processes.
- It streamlines business processes that are repetitive in nature, such as ordering from a vendor on a regular basis.
How is Extranet Established?
It is set up in the form of a Virtual Private Network as it is prone to security threats due to the use of the internet to connect outsiders to an organization’s intranet. VPN can assure you a safe network in a public network such as the internet. The transmission control protocol (TCP) and internet protocol (IP) are used for the data transfer.
VPN assures secure transactions based on Internet Protocol Security Architecture (IPSEC) protocol as it provides an extra security layer to TCP/IP protocol, which is used for data transfer in the extranet. In this layer, the IP packet is encapsulated to form a new IP packet, as shown below:
Furthermore, to provide more security to Intranet, the following two measures are also taken by an organization:
- Firewall: It prevents unauthorized users from accessing the extranet.
- Passwords: It also prevents unauthorized users, including the company’s employees from accessing the data stored on its server.
Limitations of Extranet:
- Hosting: If you host extranet pages on your own server, it requires a high bandwidth internet connection, which is may be very expensive.
- Security: You need extra firewall security if you host it on your own server. It increases the workload and makes security mechanism very complex.
- Dependency: It is dependent on the internet as outsiders cannot access information without using the internet.
- Less Interaction: It reduces the face to face interaction between customers, business partners, vendors, etc., which results in poor relationship building.
Difference between Intranet and Extranet:
| Intranet | Extranet |
|---|---|
| It is a private network, which cannot be accessed externally. | It may not be called a private network, as it can be assessed externally. It provides limited access to authorized outside-users such as vendors, partners, etc. |
| It connects the employees of the company. | It connects the company’s employees with partners. |
| It is an independent network, not a part or extension of any other network. | It is an additional part of company’s Intranet. |
| Communication takes place only within the organization that owns the network. | External users such as suppliers, customers, and partners are allowed to be a part of intranet to get information, updates, about the organization. |
Website
Website is a collection of related web pages that may contain text, images, audio, and video, etc. The first page of a website is called a home page. Each website has a specific internet address (URL) that you need to enter in your browser to access a website.
The first website was introduced on 6 August 1991. It was developed by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN. As of January 2018, there were around 1.7 billion websites on the internet.
What is the need for a website?
A popular website is another name of success in modern times as today we are living in a digital world where people are spending most of their spare time on internet browsing news, images, videos, and more. A website is the first thing that appears on the screen of your laptop when you search for a product or service, or any other information online. So, it is very important to have a website whether you are a businessman, organization, online store, etc. Let us understand how a website can help you grow your business!
The benefits of having a website are as follows:
1. Cost-effective: The marketing of products and services through a website is less costly than print advertising, TV, and radio advertising. It also allows you to make changes related to your products and services such as you can edit products’ specifications, features, discount offers, etc.
2. Broder demographic reach: A website can help your business reach people with diverse backgrounds throughout the world.
3. Business credibility: Having a website that is user-friendly and professional looking for your business makes people consider your business more credible than others who don’t have a website to represent their businesses online.
4. 24/7 availability: You can keep your products available for sale around the clock through a website. Customers can buy anytime, and thus you can earn more profits than a traditional storefront.
5. Consumer convenience: It improves the shopping experience of your customers; they can buy your products from the comfort of their home.
6. Build customer rapport: Online presence helps you build and maintain a rapport among your customers. You can also introduce special offers or discounts for your loyal customers.
7. Improves productivity: It saves your time as you don’t need to explain your products or services to each customer separately, as all the information is already available on the website.
8. Educate your customers: You can educate people about the benefits of your products and can show them how they are betters than the competitors’ products.
9. Change location: You can move your business to another location without affecting your sales as customers still can find you through your website.
10. Grow manpower: You can post job openings for vacant positions and allow applicants to check job descriptions and apply online.
11: Personalized email address: It allows you to set up personalized email addresses for employees, companies, partners, etc. You can receive mails on these mail ids and reply accordingly. Furthermore, you can share offers, happy hours, updates, and can get feedback through email.
12. Improve customer service: It allows you to improve customer services such as you can share phone numbers to contact you, and display other relevant information such as order status, delivery status, refund or replacement procedure, etc.
Types of Websites:
A website can be of two types based on the type of webpages:
- Static Website
- Dynamic Website
Static website
A static website, as the name suggests, is a website in which pages do not change or remain the same. It is the basic type of website that is easy to create, maintain, and host. You don’t need web programming and database design to create a static website. Its webpages are coded in HTML. The codes are fixed for each page, so the information contained in the page does not change, and it looks like a printed page. However, changes can be made by changing the codes if required.
You can think of it as a brochure for a business that has the same information for every user. So, all users see the same information irrespective of their location, interests, etc., when they open a particular page of a static website.
In the case of a static website, the content or webpage is taken directly form the file stored in the server without requiring any interpreter (application software) to interact with a database to fetch data from the database. So, database and server-site scripting are not required in static websites.
Benefits of a Static Website:
- It takes less time to create a static website.
- It is less costly to develop this website.
- The webpages are delivered at high speed by the servers.
- Hosting through dedicated servers is available at a low price.
- It is more secure than dynamic sites as it does not rely on CMS plugins and server-side scripting.
Dynamic website
A dynamic website is a collection of dynamic web pages whose content changes dynamically. It accesses content from a database or Content Management System (CMS). Therefore, when you alter or update the content of the database, the content of the website is also altered or updated.
A dynamic website uses client-side scripting or server-side scripting, or both to generate the dynamic content. For example, when a browser sends a request to the server, the server contacts the application server with further interacts with the database server to fetch the content, which is customized as per the user’s requests and requirements. For example, a Facebook page may appear different to different users as per their friends’ list, interests, location, etc.
Benefits of a Dynamic Website:
- It is very quick and easy to make changes in a dynamic website as it is integrated with high-end programming.
- The webpages are easier to maintain despite of being full of information and graphics.
- E-commerce sites are dynamic as they need to be impressive and have easy navigation from one page to other pages.
- It makes your site look professional.
- The users can get customized information as per their interests, needs, and profile, etc. For example, facebook.com, flipkart.com, etc.
Difference between Static Website and Dynamic Website:
| Static Website | Dynamic Website |
|---|---|
| As the name suggests, Its webpages do not change in terms of design, content, etc. The information or content remains the same. | As the name suggests, the webpages keep changing as per users’ requirements such as Facebook profile pages and an E-commerce site. So, the content does not remain the same. |
| It mainly uses HTML and CSS and does not require server-side scripting, application server, and database. | It requires server-side scripting, application server, and database to create and send dynamic webpages to the client. |
| It has a limited number of pages. | It may contain thousands of pages in the database. |
| Its hosting cost is low, as HTML files need less space on the server. | Its hosting cost is higher as dynamic pages need more space on the server. |
| It requires low maintenance. | It requires high maintenance. |
| It loads quickly as it involves the use of mark-up languages to create a webpage. | It takes more time to load due to the more processing time. |
| It lacks the Content management feature. | It makes use of the Content Management Feature. |
| The content of the webpage cannot be changed during runtime. | The webpage content can be changed during runtime. |
| It does not require interaction with a database. | Interaction with the database occurs. |
| It is more secure or fewer chances of it getting hacked as it doesn’t use plugins. | It is less secure and may get hacked easily as it uses many plugins and content sources. |
| It is more reliable, e.g., whenever the server is down, it is redirected to other nearby nodes. | It is less reliable, as it may go down for hours if the server breaks down. |
Types of Websites based on their purpose, target audience, etc.
1. Blog: It is a type of website that provides information or in which posts are added regularly in reverse chronological order, latest post or entries on top of the main page, and old ones towards the bottom. A blog is usually owned by a single person or a small group of people.
The content in a blog is written in an informal or conversational style and can be focused on one subject or a wide range of related subjects. Furthermore, the posts are organized into categories if required, e.g., posts that provide similar information can be kept in a separate category.
The content of a blog is generally referred to as a blog post, and it generally appears as posts on a streaming page. The information is regularly updated in a blog, e.g., articles, photos, and videos are added on a daily basis to keep readers engaged and increase the traffic to the blog. It also allows readers to leave a comment about the posts.
2. E-commerce: These types of websites are like online shops where people can buy products through online payment from the comfort of their home, office, etc. Anyone who wants to sell products online can create an E-commerce site instead of investing in setting up a traditional brick-and-mortar shop.
3. Informational: These websites are created to provide free online information to users, e.g., tutorials, news, general knowledge-based sites. Today, you don’t need to visit libraries to read a book, newspaper, novel, etc. owing to the presence of lots of informational sites.
4. Online Community: These sites offer a platform to interact and share ideas with others through internet. You can find people with similar interests and backgrounds and interact with them to fulfil your objectives that may include promoting a product or service, taking feedback about your products, or asking questions related to a survey.
5. Social Media: These sites are created to provide users a platform where they can build their personal profiles with a lot of features such as creating a friend list, sending and accepting friend requests, sending messages, creating and joining groups, and share information with others users, comment on others’ post, pictures, videos, etc.
6. Brochure: It is the simplest type of website which comprises few pages. It is used by small businesses to have a simple online presence or to provide an overview of their business. Such websites are generally static where the content does not change, i.e., the same information is displayed to all users.
7. Non-profit: The sites are created to raise money for social causes such as to provide free medical treatment to poor, free basic education to children, free food to children to prevent malnutrition, etc.