What is an extranet?

• A. The encapsulation of data to keep information secure and private during transportation over the internet
• B. Software designed to keep threats and unintended visitors from accessing a private network
• C. A secure network that is provided to designated users to provide a secure, virtual connection to a company's intranet
• D. A private network that is only accessible to company personnel and approved outside users such as vendors and customers

Answer: (D)

An extranet is a private network that extends access beyond internal staff to designated external partners, such as vendors and customers, so they can securely reach specific internal resources. It uses Internet protocols and secure access controls to allow these approved outsiders to interact with parts of the company’s intranet while keeping the rest of the network protected.

This isn’t simply about protecting data in transit (encryption), nor about a security tool that blocks threats (like a firewall), nor about a VPN that creates a secure connection to the intranet. It’s about granting controlled, authenticated access to select internal resources for external collaborators.