How Bethel University Solved Its CMS Challenges With Secure Share
Simplified collaboration and secure access in Confluence via Secure Share
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The Challenge
Bethel University faced two critical challenges in its content management system. First, there was a significant increase in licensing costs associated with migrating to Atlassian Cloud, where all users would require paid licenses. Along with that, they required secure content sharing while keeping administrative management simple.
Key requirements
Bethel’s key requirements included reducing Confluence external collaboration costs by minimizing paid licenses for read-only users. They wanted to eliminate password management complexity and enforce secure access control through IDP group-based authorization for department-specific content (HR, Finance, etc.).
Solutions We Provided to Bethel University
Our solution centered on implementing miniOrange's Secure Share app for Bethel University’s Confluence. The app provided two key solutions for the university’s challenges:
- Confluence guest access: by allowing external users to collaborate securely without licenses.
- SSO enforcement on shared links: so users never need to remember additional passwords, as they can authenticate through their existing corporate identity provider.
- IDP group-based authorization for page and space links: to validate groups in real time, ensuring that department members can only access content authorized for their team.
The Secure Share for Confluence External Users acts as a gatekeeper, enforcing permissions before any content is accessed.
Secure Share for Confluence External Users: How it works
The implementation workflow is as follows:
- Content administrators create links of Confluence pages or spaces to be shared.
- Links are secured with SSO authentication, where users enter their IDP credentials.
- User access is validated through IDP groups before granting entry.
- External users can subscribe to updates, ensuring real-time collaboration.
Key Benefits
The implementation delivered several strategic advantages:
- Cost Optimization: Reduced Atlassian Cloud licensing costs while enabling efficient external sharing for unlicensed users.
- Collaboration Security: Strict departmental access controls were maintained, with SSO enforcement adding extra layers of security. Sensitive content was further protected through identity provider (IDP) group validation.
- Administrative Efficiency: Shared links were centrally managed, with the ability to instantly deactivate them when needed. Additionally, automatic link deletion was implemented based on expiry periods to ensure timely cleanup.
- Enhanced User Experience: Users benefited from seamless authentication using their existing corporate credentials. External users could subscribe to shared Confluence Pages or Spaces for real-time updates, and had the ability to add comments and attachments without needing full licenses.
This solution effectively addressed Bethel University's challenges by providing secure access to department-specific content while significantly reducing licensing costs. The implementation maintained administrative simplicity while ensuring sensitive information remained protected within designated groups.
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