Telstra Unifies SSO for Internal & Atlassian Apps with miniOrange
Telstra, Australia’s largest telecommunications provider, sought a unified Single Sign-On (SSO) solution that would streamline user access across both internal applications and Atlassian tools, without compromising its existing permission structure managed via Atlassian Crowd. With miniOrange’s Crowd SAML SSO and Crowd SSO Connectors, Telstra achieved centralized authentication from an external IdP while maintaining full control over user access rights across the Atlassian Suite.
Telstra Business Challenge
The absence of native support for external IdPs within Crowd made it difficult to enforce centralized authentication while preserving granular permission structures.
Bridging Internal Authentication with Crowd-Based Access Control
Telstra operates a complex infrastructure that includes multiple internal tools alongside several Atlassian applications (Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket, Bamboo, and Fisheye). All users were stored in a centralized Identity Provider (IdP), while user access permissions for Atlassian tools were managed via Atlassian Crowd and its group-based directory services.
Key requirements included:
- Enabling users to authenticate using credentials from their centralized IdP
- Maintaining Crowd as the source of truth for user permissions across Atlassian applications
- Providing seamless SSO across all internal and Atlassian applications
- Ensuring centralized session and identity management without disrupting existing access controls
Atlassian did not offer a native solution that could bridge authentication from an external IdP while preserving Crowd’s internal role and group management. That’s when Telstra approached miniOrange.
How miniOrange Helped Solve Telstra Challenge
miniOrange delivered a setup that enabled authentication from an external IdP while retaining Crowd as the authority on user access.
Crowd-Centric SSO with Full Stack Integration
miniOrange delivered a two-part solution:
SAML SSO for Crowd: The SAML SSO for Crowd enabled the Crowd Server to act as a SAML Service Provider, accepting authentication requests and assertions from any standards-compliant Identity Provider.
Crowd SSO Connectors:miniOrange’s SSO Connector for Crowd integrated Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket, Bamboo, and other Atlassian tools with Crowd to extend the SAML session across the full application stack.
This architecture enabled users to:
- Log in once using their credentials from the centralized IdP (e.g., Azure AD, Okta, Ping, etc.)
- Be automatically signed into Crowd and all connected Atlassian applications
- Maintain access permissions strictly governed by Crowd user directories and groups, not the IdP
The Crowd server became the centralized SAML gateway—handling user authentication, session lifecycle management, and permission enforcement—all without requiring additional credentials or duplicative admin configuration.
Success Outcome: Unified SSO Without Disrupting Access Control
miniOrange’s solution empowered Telstra to:
- Seamlessly unify authentication across internal and Atlassian apps using one login credential.
- Preserve existing permission logic within Crowd, eliminating the need to replicate roles in the IdP.
- Deliver secure and scalable SSO functionality that supported all major Identity Providers (e.g., Azure AD, Okta, ADFS, Google Workspace, OneLogin, Ping Identity, and more).
- Simplify user onboarding and reduce login friction across teams and tools
This implementation made miniOrange the first provider in the market to deliver a full-featured SSO solution for Crowd with connector support for the complete Atlassian ecosystem.
Results & Business Impact
The implementation of miniOrange SSO resulted in several measurable and qualitative improvements:
- Streamlined Access: Users signed in once to access Crowd and all connected Atlassian applications.
- Preserved Role Management: Crowd remained the single source of truth for user groups and permissions.
- Enhanced Security: Centralized SAML authentication and session control reduced credential sprawl.
- SSO Across Entire Stack: Enabled unified access to both internal tools and Atlassian software via one identity flow.
About Telstra
Telstra is Australia’s leading telecommunications and technology company, with a broad suite of services across voice, data, internet, and enterprise technology. Serving millions of customers across the country, Telstra continues to lead digital innovation by investing in scalable, secure, and intelligent technology solutions.