Not too long ago, most—if not all—business operations were conducted on premises, behind the safety of a firewall, and on devices managed by the company. Though it may not have seemed like it back then, those were simpler times. Today, it’s common for modern enterprises to work with a variety of users from outside the network. These users are known broadly as the extended enterprise. Although a robust extended enterprise can be critical in empowering organizations to scale their operations, it also poses myriad risks and challenges. The extended enterprise and its challenges Members of the extended enterprise might include users such as distributors, resellers, contractors, temp workers, and partners. As such, they either operate outside your network—coming in from unknown devices and locations—or they operate inside your network temporarily. To do their jobs effectively, these users require selective and sometimes time-limited access to some of your sensitive information. However.