Basic Business Management. Lesson 10. Starting with Email and the Internet

9. Manage your emails efficiently.
Make use of a proper email client to help you track all emails in one place and be able to attend to
them in a timely manner.
10. Respond in a timely fashion.
It is impossible to be available the instant an email arrives. Depending on the nature of the e-mail
and the sender, responding to them within 24 to 48 hours Is an acceptable time period.
9. Getting started with the Internet.
The Internet is the world's largest Wide Area Network (WAN). It connects millions of computers all over
the world through a system of smaller networks. The World Wide Web (WWW) is a system of
connected servers on the Internet that hold all the data to be shared among Internet users, such as text
documents called Web pages.
A Web Site is a group of related Web pages grouped together, that resides on a web server and is
accessible through a unique address called the Uniform Resource Locator (URL). An example of a
URL is www.abcStores.co.za. Web pages are each written in a language called Hyper Text Mark-up
Language (HTML).
To access the Internet, one must connect to an Internet Service Provider (ISP). They will charge you a
monthly rate based on the amount of data you will be using, and they will provide you with a modem to
do so. A modem is a hardware devise needed to connect through your ISP onto the Internet.
Intranet vs. Extranet
An Intranet and extranet are network variations of the Internet. Most companies these days have their
own network setup, usually within the confinements of a building. This is referred to as a LAN - Local
Area Network. These networks have the same functionality as the Internet, e-mail send among coworkers,
sending each other files etc., but just on a smaller scale. This kind of LAN that uses Internet
technology is referred to as an Intranet.
The intranet has a server on which all the information resides. This server is placed behind a firewall -
a protective layer against intruders such as hackers and viruses. A password and username is required
to access the server for security reasons. Access to the Internet is also restricted to certain users within
the company.
An extranet is created when a company links with another company's network through the Internet.
The two companies' networks function together like one bigger network and this is referred to as an
extranet. An example of an extranet is; where a manufacturing company links up with Its supplier's
network, to streamline the ordering and inventory management process. Strict security features must
be implemented to protect each others networks from unauthorised access, but still allow connection
between the two to do business - this is referred to as e-business, which supports e-commerce over
the Internet.