Difference between internet and intranet

Difference between internet and intranet

The internet and intranet are two terms that are closely related. Most people who use the internet and intranet daily cannot tell the difference between the two, and end up using the two terms interchangeably. Though there are similarities between the internet and intranet in the way they function and the internet communication protocol they use, they are of different sizes, have different user levels, and serve different purposes.

What is internet?

It is a global network that interconnects millions of computers and other devices. It has no limitation, and anyone with an internet-enabled device, such as a tablet, laptop, mobile phone, or desktop computer can access the internet. Any time you use a mobile app that requires an internet connection or visit a website using your laptop, you are accessing the internet.

The internet has no control from any central server but uses a web of networked devices such as servers, firewalls, routers, and computers, which continuously communicate across wireless signals and data lines. It is these network of devices that allows users across the world to communicate.

The internet uses an internet protocol known as TCP/IP for communication protocol. This protocol uses an IP address to identify each device connected to the network uniquely. Since it is hard for users to remember IP addresses in the form of numbers, a DNS –Domain name servers – assign names to IP addresses, making them user-friendly and easy to remember.

What is an intranet?

It is a privately owned internal network, usually by private firms. The intranet is used by companies, institutions, and organizations to provide workers with shared resources. Local Area Network (LAN) is an excellent example of an intranet network. Typically, the intranet is not accessible through the internet, because computers and other devices connect to an internal, private network.

While many intranet networks are locally set up, without any means of accessing the global internet, others have an internet-connected router, which allows them to route data to the internet.

In an intranet network, local servers that connect to the local network are used to host files and other resources. Computers and other devices within the organization connect to a network that enables them to access both the intranet and the internet.

Intranet provides workers with tools that enable them to be more productive, collaborative, and promote more engagement. Such tools include work-related knowledge bases, software, work calendars, and other resources.

Intranet, just like the internet, uses standard internet protocols such as TCP/IP. Although the intranet allows the sharing of resources via a web browser, only approved network devices connect to the intranet to view the internal web pages.

Differences between internet and intranet

Now that you have a clear picture of what the internet and intranet are, let us look at the differences between the two. Even though both networks use the same standard communication protocol, which is usually TCP/IP, and allows for sharing of information and sharing of resources, there are many differences. They include:

• The internet is a public network that is open for access by anyone. On the other hand, the intranet is a private network, and not everyone can access it. Only authorized users are allowed to connect to the intranet network.
• Internet connects different networks of computers and other devices simultaneously across the globe, while intranet connects a network of computers and other devices within an organization.
• The internet has multiple users across the globe and avails unlimited information, data, and resources to its users, while intranet limits the number of its users within the organization, and only provides limited information and resources to its users.
• Due to its unlimited access, the internet doesn’t guarantee safety to its users. Unscrupulous people take advantage of this to manipulate naïve users. On the other hand, the intranet ensures safety to its users because only authorized people within the organization can access the network using login details.
• Due to the unlimited number of people who can access the internet, it has more traffic. In contrast, the intranet has less traffic because only authorized personnel within a private firm can access it.
• Information on the internet can be accessed and viewed by everyone, while the information in the intranet network is limited to users within the organization.

In conclusion, both the internet and intranet use the same TCP/IP communication protocol to share network resources. In the TCP/IP technology, each device in the network is uniquely identified using an IP address. However, they are different when it comes to the size of the network, and the user access levels they allow. Intranet restricts user access, and only authorized members within the organization access it using login details to securely share the organization’s operational software, data, and information within the organization. The internet has no restrictions, and everyone around the globe can access all the network resources in it, which tends to make it less secure.