anet and sets technical standards for it. Having a single-password, single-sign-on procedure for a uniform intranet saves time on calls from users who forgot their passwords. Extranets-Saving Money on Customer Service Extranets use a web interface for secure access by customers, business partners, and temporary employees. Organizations typically limit access to applications more SO than intranets because they are used with outside individuals and organizations. Individual vendors or partners have access only to specific applications. Access to extranets is generally password-protected or password-plus-token. A token is a small device about the size of a large house key that generates random numbers at predefined intervals. Users key in the number displayed on their token plus their password to access applications. Online banking is an example of an extranet service that saves staffing costs. Customers transfer money between accounts, pay bills, and gain instant, graphical interfaces to the status of their accounts. This is highly advantageous to banks because it saves money on financial transactions as well as staffing costs. Moreover, banks' extranets are a way to solicit business. They offer customers services such as loans, home mortgages, and other financial instruments. Banks and other organizations also offer customers online bank statements and electronic bills through their extranets. These electronic services save mailing expenses and printing costs. The following is a quote from an employee on the benefits of their extranet, which is used for business to business transactions: In my company, each of the customers is given a special identification number and www.TechnicalPDF.com access to a specific application. The customer can use his identification number and log bugs and issues that he sees in our product. The customer can specify the importance of the bug and keep track of the progress made on its resolution. Because of security concerns, many extranets are located at web hosting sites. The hosting 