Secure and user-friendly login for 10,000 offshore workers
Offshore Norway needed a more simple and secure login solution for shared systems for oil and gas companies on the Norwegian continental shelf. With the help of Cegal and Microsoft Entra ID, the industry organization has gained a cost-effective, secure, and more user-friendly login solution for important shared services.
- The login portal will handle approximately 10,000 users from about 3,000 companies. Of course, it's essential that user identity and IT security are taken care of, that you only get access to the information you need, and that it's easy to on- and off-board users, says Egil Andre Knutsen, Head of Digitization at Offshore Norway.
-The fact that so many users are from many different companies makes it extra complicated. Creating a login solution that handles different companies and people has been challenging. On top of that there are different roles and the services are used across the companies, Knutsen continues.
Offshore Norway is an employer and interest organization for companies operating on the Norwegian continental shelf with more than a hundred companies as members. In addition, Offshore Norway manages shared services on behalf of the community for all companies operating on the shelf. The services are delivered through the Collabor8 portal. The organization does not have an IT department but uses subcontractors to build and maintain digital solutions.
We will contribute to collaboration and standardization for players on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Egil Andre Knutsen, Head of Digitization at Offshore Norway.
Egil Andre Knutsen, Head of Digitization at Offshore Norway.
As part of this, we have established Collabor8. The oil and gas industry has a lot of reporting requirements. Together with the industry and subcontractors, we contribute to joint value creation by simplifying and standardizing reporting. In addition, secure sharing of information and data is another important area, says Knutsen.
Collaboration on production and management means that you are obliged to share necessary information with partners and authorities. At the same time, this information must not be accessible to unauthorized persons.
Replaces BankID and Buypass with Microsoft Entra ID
Seven years ago, Offshore Norway used a customized login solution where BankID and Buypass secured the user identities. Over the years, however, this proprietary solution called "Hello" became expensive to operate and difficult and costly to develop further.
- Compared to modern solutions, the old solution became cumbersome and no longer met users' expectations. As a result, it was difficult to get all the companies to use the solution, and we spent a lot of time on help and system support, says Knutsen.
How important are user-friendly services for members and companies on the Norwegian continental shelf?
- The success of the collaboration services we oversee and the value they deliver depends on their utilization. Our members don't want to invest much time in learning how to use the systems. That's why they need to be intuitive and easy to use. With Entra ID, we saw that the usage of our services increased as a direct consequence of making it easier to log in, says Knutsen.
The new login portal is a cloud solution developed by Cegal based on Microsoft Entra ID. Entra ID is a cloud-based identity and access management service that provides simple and secure login (single sign-on) to internal and external applications and services. These include Microsoft 365, services in the Azure portal, and thousands of other SaaS applications. Entra ID replaces the well-known Microsoft AD (Active Directory) solution. In 2024, Microsoft changed the name of AD to Entra ID.
- We saw that Entra ID had become much better in recent years and through a trial project we found that the cloud solution suited our purpose, says Knutsen.
Cegal has solid expertise in the offshore industry
In 2018, Offshore Norway entered into an operating agreement with Cegal. Knutsen says it was important to use Cegal as a partner for the new login solution.
- Cegal knows us well and knows Collabor8. Cegal has great expertise in creating solutions that suit our needs. Throughout our partnership with Cegal, we have continuously evolved and gained valuable insights. The most important thing is that we have had a partner who has been solution-oriented and who doesn't blame other suppliers when something doesn't work, says Knutsen.
He says that the migration project itself has been a great experience. "We got a team with good expertise and a high degree of ownership of the solution. It was important to implement a new solution and conduct thorough testing before the existing agreement with the old system expired. Unexpected challenges may arise along the journey that requires innovative solutions. The important thing is how it is handled, and here Cegal has taken responsibility and found good solutions. Throughout the project, there were surprisingly few problems. I think those who were married before we started are still married, says Knutsen.
Frode Utvik, senior managing consultant at Cegal, explains that the solution is based on standard Microsoft technology. He also highlights the high security of Entra ID as an important advantage. "We have run several penetration tests on the new login portal without finding any serious weaknesses".
Going forward, Offshore Norway aims to make both login and the surrounding on- and offboarding processes even simpler and more efficient. Empowering companies with more self-service options, allowing them to take charge and accomplish more on their terms.
Collabor8's digital strategy consists of five points:
● Manage and continuously improve existing industry collaborations and initiate new ones
● Facilitate data-driven processes and decisions
● Ensure adoption of services and systems across the industry
● Develop solutions with clear business value for users
● Ensure governance and compliance and cyber security
