Extranets must be quick and easy to deploy and maintain. Extranet deployment and maintenance should conserve manpower resources wherever possible. An example is reducing programming requirements by extending intranet applications directly to the extranet. Offloading CGI applications from the Web server eliminates competition for resources between the Web applications and Web server operation. Once the application workload is offloaded from the Web server, more concurrent browser users and Web sites can be hosted, with less waiting and more predictable response times.
Applications remain available for all users, whether internal or external.
The need for scheduled downtime is reduced or eliminated since periodic maintenance of CGI applications can take place without bringing the Web server or application down. Increases scalability of CGI Web applications Customers can easily add additional application servers to increase processing capability for CGI applications. And, since the applications are no longer on the Web server, any errors in CGI application code will not affect your critical Web server availability. Authenticated access between the Web server and the application server secures the CGI applications and their databases. Now Web servers can securely operate remotely from applications and data.