Bringing Architects and Their Partners Together: The Power of a Secure Extranet

An extranet is a private network within which document sharing can take place by specific groups of users outside the organization through a network administrator. An organization may allow authorized customers and partner’s access to the system after verifying the usernames and passwords. The extranet: Enhanced document sharing and collaboration Architectural firms have increasingly been using extranet to send and receive documents in a secure environment. All the relevant information about a particular project can be made available to all the individuals who are part of the project, be it the clients or other partners in the venture. Construction companies can access the CAD drawings and plans immediately, without much waiting. It also enhances the relationship with the clients who can receive the relevant documents and send their approvals accordingly. Outsourcing Extranet Services Some firms have not shown interest in implementation of the extranet because of the complexity involved and the high cost of installation and maintenance. It requires purchase of equipment, the necessary hardware and software for its implementation and training to maintain the system. However, there are hosting companies to whom the implementation and maintenance of the extranet can be outsourced. These hosting companies, also called application service providers (ASPs) not only provide the technical support, they also provide all the security measures required to keep the data secure. An architectural firm need not worry about the purchase and installation of any hardware or software installation or setup. The hosting company also provides maintenance and training to the staff. The firm just requires paying a fee to the application service provider for all the services it renders. Advantages of an extranet Extranets allows all the team members working on the project, be it the employees, vendors, suppliers or clients to share the design plans, documents and hence collaborate online. This aids in a better customer service and prevents unnecessary lengthening of project schedules. A lot of money is invested in any architectural venture and all the delays lead to substantial amount of money going down the drain. An extranet gives a platform to the workers to perform multi- site collaborations. Since all the data exchanges take place in real time, there are chances of less rework. With the usage of extranets increasing, special software packages have been developed specifically for the architectural firms. They support project management, e-mail management, accounting and scheduling. An extranet not only enhances the process of decision-making but also improves the relationship among clients and partners.

Extranets for Litigators

Over the past few years, the use of extranets and intranets by law firms to share critical documents with co-workers, clients and co-counsel has been firmly established.

One area in which an extranet is particularly useful is in litigation, where a large number of parties require a massive number of documents over a fixed period of time.

Keeping things organized
An extranet provides a single location dedicated to the individual case. Access to documents can be defined by the need of the user. For example, documents relating to clients are very different than those required by co-counsel. An extranet allows everything to reside in one place, but access can be defined by individual needs. It also automates alerts – so that users know the instant a new document has been posted, and can find it quickly in a dedicated folder.

Many extranets go beyond the simple sharing of documents. Many include tools such as a comment function, calendars, project trackers, and approval functions. These tools can be used to report on the all activities and on the progress of the case.

Providing a permanent record
All actions taken within the extranet are recorded, and most extranets provide powerful search tools that allow users to quickly see who did what, and when they did it. All actions are name and date stamped, providing a complete record of activity in what is often a fast moving environment where documentation is difficult to manage.

Easy to setup and use
Extranets that are offered by application service providers can be created and used in a matter of days. It’s a simple matter of subscribing to a service that provides all the technology and training. Many are so intuitive that they require no training at all – they’re as easy to use as email.

A secure environment
Managing legal documents requires the highest level of security. Extranets require an id and password for access, and many provide encryption of all transmissions.

And when the case is over . . .
It is fast and easy to close the extranet and download all of the information. Often, litigators will create an extranet for each case they handle, and simply close it at the conclusion of the case.

Extranets: Better than email for group collaboration

Companies increasingly prefer using an extranet over email to communicate with their team members, clients, and suppliers for document sharing because it ideally suits the groups engaged in collaboration; whereas, email is best-suited for one-to-one communication only. Generally email programs are ineffective to prioritize messages and attachments. In an email, everything arrives in the same place and in the same order in which it was sent. Whereas, with an extranet, all project related documents are automatically captured in a folder dedicated to the particular project.

For instance, if a company intends to send a power point presentation to a specific group engaged in a particular task through email, it has to break the presentations into small parts with each section attached to a separate email. The sections do not arrive at the same time, which could create confusions for everyone involved. However, with an extranet all these presentations can be sent at the same time, all intact, automatically filled into a single project folder with all the other related materials.

Moreover, extranets generate automatic email alerts, informing the recipients that the presentations are available; they also provide a comment function that allows each user to share their point-of-view.

Extranets can handle large files

Additionally, an extranet can handle any size of document for document sharing purposes. With e-mail, however, there is a risk of large attachments not passing through the company firewall. An extranet assures that important documents get to the right place, ready for instant response, and puts related documents and messages together. Thus, the budget, schedule, strategic plan, power point presentation, notes, and comments - all appear on the same page. There is no sorting required through a long list of unrelated emails.

Although an email is electronic and instantaneous, it is not a project management tool and does not offer many collaboration functions, whereas an extranet supports the concepts of an organization, workflow, and security. Therefore, extranets can effectively organize a company’s marketing, external and internal communications.

A secure environment

In addition, many extranets are secured with 128-bit SSL encryption. Email, on the other hand, can be accessed by anyone and does not protect the confidentiality of a company’s information.