How a global recruitment agency achieved 100% growth in online users

Joining forces to tackle technology challenges

Although the company was ready to take one step further on its digital journey and attract more users with the most customer-friendly features, it first needed to unify how its multiple branches worked and facilitated recruitment processes online.

With that in mind, application standardisation became a priority, and the organisation started to plan resource migration to the cloud and build foundations for an aligned and protected user platform.

Although their IT teams were experienced, some aspects of the cloud environment proved more challenging and complex than expected. It quickly became evident that engaging a group of experts specialised in the field of identity management would improve the overall workflow, so they partnered with SoftwareOne.

Stepping up efforts in identity and access management

As there was already a footprint of cloud infrastructure, SoftwareOne took it from there and focused on standardising the platform with Microsoft solutions.

Our goal was to integrate multiple applications used by thousands of users into one Microsoft Entra External ID (formerly Azure AD B2C) environment.

The solution brings together several applications into one single multi-access identity platform, making it easy for customers, associates, and candidates to access various services with one click and manage their passwords and profiles from there, and finally achieve a more friendly user experience.

As users tend to access multiple applications offered by the company, SoftwareOne introduced a single point of authentication (single sign-on). This service enables users to log in with one set of credentials only and switch between applications safely and smoothly. As a result, it reduces password fatigue, enhances the overall experience, and mitigates risks by employing the latest security features.

SoftwareOne also made it easier for users to log in to the client’s website or app with their social media accounts, such as LinkedIn or Google. This saves time and effort for the user and improves their experience. It also increases the likelihood that they will continue to use the service.

Additionally, using social media for login can improve the site or app’s security. Social media companies often have robust security measures and allowing users to log in with their social media accounts can help to protect the client’s site or application.

What’s important is that the across-the-board unification not only brought benefits for users but also for the business, including:

• Scaling

Thanks to Microsoft services, the platform stability is maintained no matter how extensive the application databases are and how many users access the platform.

• Customisation

The company can keep its branding consistent across all applications on desktop or mobile and integrate custom solutions into user flow, such as tailored emails.

The platform also saves the admin team time since accounts can be maintained by the users themselves, e.g., through the self-service password reset or profile update.

• Automation via DevOps

It was crucial to keep a seamless deployment between multiple environments, so integrating Microsoft Entra External ID with DevOps was the way to go.

It automated the process and reduced the likelihood of human error that might otherwise have been committed in manual environment provisioning.

• Plan in place for 3rd party user migration

A vast amount of user data was previously spread across different identity providers, which undermined proper management efforts. With Microsoft Entra External ID in place, it is possible to effectively migrate all information to the cloud, so it can be managed and protected in one place. For this purpose, SoftwareOne developed a set of APIs to support the upcoming migration with seamless and bulk migrations scenarios.

For that purpose, we developed a set of APIs to support the upcoming migration with seamless and bulk migrations scenarios.

• Unified identity platform

It serves as a user base for multiple applications. Since all the data is kept there, developers can take advantage of it when looking for better ways to improve the end-user experience.

• Function apps and custom APIs

The additional features allow developers to access the applications in a secure way, where they can manage users, migrate batches of accounts, and gather statistics about user behaviour for further improvements.

• New application onboarding and rollouts

New applications are immediately integrated with Microsoft Entra External ID in a structured manner, and therefore the same access policies are followed everywhere.

In addition to standardising the environments and implementing a complete and centralised authentication platform, SoftwareOne’s dedicated team constantly monitors the solution and keeps the system stable and secure.

Thanks to SoftwareOne’s Managed Services, the company may focus on growing its business and securing its position as the industry leader since the technological aspects are taken care of at all times.

Adopting a common approach

Before the company could take full advantage of the solution, it had to address a couple of roadblocks on the way.

To some extent, they stemmed from different views, approaches, and ways of working on the project by internal and external teams, so standardisation was needed to ensure everyone was on the same page. In addition, Identity and Access Management (IAM) required specialist skills and resources, hence the need for external support.

SoftwareOne helped the client to create a communication plan for a smooth implementation of the change, providing a clear view of the processes for the various vendors and providers. SoftwareOne also held technical workshops to ensure that all dev teams understood how the solution works and what functionality it provides. They could also learn about the latest security standards and practices to better improve the IAM processes for their customers.

Additionally, SoftwareOne holds regular status meetings to keep them up to date with the latest enhancements and releases.