Extranet Access eliminates end-user frustrations of busy signals, crackly phone lines, and faulty modems. Users enjoy ubiquitous access due to global service providers. Moreover, IT management burdens are eased. For example, when an executive editing a presentation in the middle of the night cannot get online, the executive calls MCI or Sprint to solve the problem-rather than paging the sleeping IT manager for help.

IT departments will be freed from building and supporting traditional remote access equipment by adding Extranet Access to Internet service plans. Extranet Access affords the following key management advantages to IT administrators:

Scaling up is no longer an issue. When the call center manager announces that the 500-person division is being moved from the corporate offices to their homes, the IT manager simply orders up another block of accounts from the service provider-no additional modems need to be added to the corporate infrastructure.

Network managers will not be inundated by technology churn. Switching out old modems, struggling with new and sometimes incompatible technologies, and being locked out of the latest high-speed technology will be a thing of the past. In the Extranet Access model, the carriers-not the IT manager-are responsible for staying on track with technology advances.

 IT managers do not have to manage multiple points of presence. In an effort to combat long-distance charges, IT managers often drop remote access gear around the country to take advantage of free local calls. This results in a distributed management nightmare. With an extranet, local connectivity is already available globally through telcos and ISPs.

 Users get personalized service. There is growing demand for the network to meet the business requirements of its users. The CEO, sales manager, and external suppliers all need access to the extranet, but the specifics of that access differ based on the relationship between the corporation and the individual. The extranet can be built to respond dynamically to the user.

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