d or simple maintenance and implementation might have intranets do little to enhance employee productivity. Extranets Extranets use a web interface for partial, secure access by customers, business partners, and temporary employees. They limit access to applications more SO than intranets because they are used with outside individuals and organizations. Individual vendors or partners have access to only specific applications. Access to extranets is generally password protected or password-plus-token. A token is a small device (about the size Summary 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. 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 and they can use their sites as an opportunity to offer customers services such as loans, home mortgages, and other financial instruments. Banks and other orga- nizations also offer customers online bank statements and electronic bills through their extranets. These electronic services save mailing expenses and printing costs. Because of security concerns, many extranets are located at web hosting sites. The hosting company's customer has his own computer at the hosting company. High- speed T3 or Carrier Gigabit Ethernet speed lines connect the hosting company to the Internet backbone. Companies often remotely upload or download information to their host-located computer via T1/T3 lines, or Carrier Gigabit Ethernet. Online learning is an example of an extranet service. It provides web-like access to educational mate- rial for school staffs and students. In addition to supplying extranet software, online- learning companies offer to host the application at their own site. SUMMARY The Internet is more widely available than ever before in an in