Objectives of knowledge management

Content management system (CMS)
features are built into intranet and extranet 
systems to achieve this (see Chapter 12). For example, Microsoft Sharepoint Server is com-
monly used for intranet management (http://sharepoint.microsoft.com).
The management challenges of implementing and maintaining an intranet (see 
Intranet 
Journal
, 2009) are similar to those of an extranet. In the next section, we examine five key 
management issues of extranets.
Extranet applications
Although an extranet may sound complex, from a user point of view it is straightforward. 
If you have bought a book or CD online and have been issued with a username and pass-
word to access your account, then you have used an extranet. This is a consumer extranet. 
Extranets are also used to provide online services which are restricted to business custom-
ers. If you visit the Ifazone (www.ifazone.com) extranet of financial services company 
Standard Life, which is designed for the independent financial advisers who sell its prod-
ucts, you will see that the website has only three initial options – log-in, register and demon-
strations. The Ifazone extranet is vital to Standard Life since 90 per cent of business is now 
introduced through this source. This usage of the term ‘extranet’, referring to electronic 
business-to-business communications, is most typical (see, for example, Vlosky 
et al
., 2000).