What is a modern Member Platform (Extranet)? What is it used for?
- Symantra
- May 15
- 3 min read
A modern Extranet is a strategic digital space to create business value
Traditional Extranet are too often dump boxes, where nobody likes to log in, unless forced to.
Best-in-class organisations have an Extranet that is fully distinct and separate from their intranet and internal document sharing systems.
As digital transformation is accelerating, B2B organisations and Trade associations are investing much more in their Extranet.
To learn, to collaborate, and share exclusive content.
Having a NextGen Extranet is about strengthening your brand reputation, increasing your professionalism, and generating new business revenues. In the age of AI, it is an absolute must-have to stay future-proof.
10 Must Have Features for Your Association’s Member Platform
A practical checklist for associations, federations, and B2B networks
1. Secure Member Login and Role-Based Access
✔ Single sign on
✔ Clear roles and permissions
✔ Easy onboarding and automatic deactivation
✔ Strong authentication and data protection
2. Fully Branded and Personalised Member Experience
✔ Custom design aligned with your brand
✔ Personalised dashboards and content feeds
✔ Segmentation based on profiles and interests
3. Integrated CRM and Centralised Member Database
✔ One source of truth for all member data
✔ Real time data sync across all tools
✔ Clean, structured, secure profiles
4. Advanced Content Management and Exclusive Libraries
✔ Easy publishing of content, videos, and resources
✔ Secure document libraries by group, by persona
✔ Search, filters, and version control
5. Collaboration Tools for Working Groups and Committees
✔ Dedicated spaces for groups and projects
✔ Shared agendas, files, and tasks
✔ Designed for external collaboration
6. Event, Meeting and Webinar Integration
✔ Registration, payments, and attendance tracking
✔ Private materials for participants
✔ Automatic CRM updates
7. AI Powered Search and Personalisation
✔ Smart content recommendations
✔ Instant search across all modules
✔ AI assisted summaries and suggestions in all EU languages
8. B2B Matchmaking
✔ AI powered partner and stakeholder matching
✔ Personalised opportunities based on profiles and needs
✔ Tools for meetings, introductions, and follow up
✔ Drives collaboration and business value
9. Strong Security, Compliance and Hosting
✔ GDPR compliance with EU based hosting
✔ Encryption and robust access controls
✔ Regular security testing and monitoring
✔ Standards based protection aligned with ISO27001
10. Custom BI Dashboards
✔ Real time engagement data
✔ Group/Persona performance insights
✔ Complex metrics on demand
and much more...
Types of Extranet
An extranet can come with different flavours depending on the external services and resources that are required to be shared with trusted third party users:
Modern Member Area - Member Community Platform
AI-powered B2B Match-making Platform & Knowledge Hub
...
In all cases, a modern Extranet Platform should be a secure digital platform, where selected third-parties can perform collaborative work in real-time, exchange data, learn, and discover exclusive content, services or tools.
Extranet/Member Platform is a key strategic asset for B2B organisations. It is the core from which member relationships are managed and new revenues can be generated.
The right partner to launch your modern Extranet
Symantra's Member Platform and CRM are Number 1 in Europe.
We are the Market Leader for the digital transformation of Business Associations and non-profits across Europe.
Symantra's platform is customized to the specific needs of associations, deeply integrated, resulting in productivity gains for your staff and much better experience for your members.
Intranet vs. Extranet
Intranet and Extranet are too often confused in the vast world of the digital workspace and interactive collaboration tools.
Though Intranet and Extranet can have some similar features, they have key differences in terms of applications, use cases, technologies, and features.
They also need different technical expertise.
While Intranet is often a standard tool inside organisations, Modern Extranet Platforms need to mobilize much more advanced skills in Technology, Data, Security, and UI/UX Design.
In today's context, Extranet has become one of the most strategic places to do business with external partners, members, third-party stakeholders or customers.
Extranet is used for external and internal communications.
Definition of an Extranet
An Extranet is a secure, private digital space where trusted external users (such as members, partners or category stakeholders) can log in to access exclusive content, collaborate, learn and engage.
Unlike a basic website or intranet, it is built for external engagement and business value, not just internal document sharing
Definition of an Intranet
An Intranet is a private digital space for employees within an organisation. Intranets usually centralize documents, events, information, and directory in a unified platform. They can be accessed only by the staff having the same professional email (eg: john.doe@xyzcorp.com, jane.johnson@xyzcorp.com). Intranet is an internal communication channel.
