Airtel Africa Unlocks Seamless SSO for Atlassian
Airtel Africa, a leading telecommunications provider connecting millions of customers across Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and other regions, needed a reliable way to streamline authentication for its teams working on Atlassian tools. When a missing parameter in their Identity Provider (IdP) SAML response disrupted Single Sign-On (SSO) in their proxy environment, Airtel turned to miniOrange to deliver a secure, tailored solution, restoring smooth access and enhancing operational efficiency.
Business Challenge: Fixing Broken SSO in a Complex Environment
Airtel Africa required an SSO solution that would work reliably across Jira, Confluence, and Bitbucket while operating behind a proxy.
The Key Issues:
- Incomplete SAML Response: The missing IDP_ID parameter from the IdP response caused authentication failures.
- Proxy-Specific Constraints: The unique network setup complicated the SSO implementation.
- Operational Disruption: Users faced delays accessing critical Atlassian tools, impacting productivity.
miniOrange Solution: Custom-Built SAML SSO Integration
miniOrange conducted a deep-dive analysis of Airtel Africa’s infrastructure to deliver a bespoke SAML SSO solution.
Key Features Implemented
- Customized Plugin: Modified the miniOrange SAML SSO plugin to dynamically fetch IDP_ID from the URL, resolving the missing parameter issue.
- Seamless Proxy Compatibility: Tailored the implementation to function flawlessly within Airtel Africa’s proxy environment.
- Post-Implementation Optimization: Enhanced audit log management and streamlined certificate renewal processes, improving long-term reliability.
How It Works
- SAML Response Handling: The customized plugin retrieves the IDP_ID from the URL and validates the SAML response.
- Authentication: Users are authenticated via their Identity Provider and granted access to Jira, Confluence, and Bitbucket.
- Ongoing Reliability: Optimized audit logs and automated certificate renewals keep the system secure and maintain uptime.
Business Impact & Results
Airtel Africa achieved immediate and measurable improvements:
- Seamless Access Restored: Users regained smooth, secure login to Jira, Confluence, and Bitbucket.
- Productivity Boosted: Eliminated login delays, enabling teams to focus on collaboration and project delivery.
- Strengthened Security: Better audit visibility and simplified certificate management improved Airtel’s security posture.
- Future-Ready Solution: The custom plugin now supports Airtel’s evolving infrastructure needs without repeated manual intervention.
About the Client
Airtel Africa is a leading telecommunications provider delivering mobile voice, data, and digital services across 14 African countries. By bridging connectivity gaps, Airtel plays a critical role in driving digital adoption and economic development across the continent.