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PostNL Secure Logistics IAM Solution - Case Study
Collaboration for all users, including mobile
To host its many applications, PostNL uses around 40 clouds, all of which are accessed by its employees each day. This meant that PostNL needed an Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution that would not only be secure and fully compliant, but also highly flexible.
Most IAM solutions on the market were unable to meet their high standards. Many of them simply lack cloud functionality altogether, particularly for mobile users who need to collaborate with partner organisations. Single Sign-on access to cloud applications was inadequate, considering the complexity of the PostNL cloud. Thales provided exactly the solution that PostNL needed: comprehensive IAM functionality built specifically for an enterprise context in the form of our Identity and Access Management-as-a-Service (IDaaS).
8 Million +
Customers
52,500
Employees
100 +
Applications
Standard service with many out-of-the-box features
PostNL was interested in our IDaaS initially because it is cloud-based and we store our data in Europe. On top of that, they soon discovered that our standard service could provide them with all the features they need right out of the box, without the hassle or expense of a heavy, custom-built tool. The Thales OneWelcome Identity Platform was implemented and ready to use within just three months.
With IDaaS from Thales, PostNL says they now have everything they need, even down to the level of multi-factor authentication (MFA). In addition, our IDaaS meets PostNL’s requirements for worldwide support and open standards such as SAML, SCIM, OAuth and OpenID Connect. The flexibility and open structure of our IDaaS allows PostNL to grant access to cloud applications and user groups, and can easily be expanded as the company’s IT landscape continues to grow and evolve in the future.
A fully compliant European supplier
In addition to providing all the functionalities PostNL requires, we also met the company’s strict compliance standards. After extensive research, supported by Gartner, PostNL concluded that our IDaaS is the only European supplier that meets its standards, which are specified in EU regulations.
Even though PostNL’s cloud-based strategy means that its data is stored off-premises, the company still requires data residency in Europe and preferably in the Netherlands. With the Thales OneWelcome Identity Platform, PostNL can be sure that its employees’ sensitive identity data remains in the Netherlands and our Disaster Recovery facility in Germany. Thanks to our IDaaS, PostNL also quickly achieved compliance with ISO-27001 (management of identity data for information security, including identity management).
TCO benefits
PostNL’s low TCO is partly a result of its multi-vendor cloud strategy based on SAP, Salesforce, AWS and Microsoft Azure. The Thales OneWelcome Identity Platform now serves as the glue holding the company’s cloud architecture together with seamless access.
The combination of variable costs (lower personnel count, lower cost) and the ability to quickly grant new staff access to applications, offers an important TCO benefit. Plus, our IDaaS is not only less labour intensive, it also saves on costs and compliance audits.
Privacy and security, without compromise
Thanks to Thales, PostNL employees now have convenient access to all their work-related applications—without compromising on privacy and security. Since initially launching our IDaaS solution, PostNL has transitioned to a Bring-Your-Own-Device system, in which Thales secures the process, while employees use their own devices. There are currently plans to transition to mobile-only employee logins: In the future, even office doors will be opened using Thales’ mobile app.
For PostNL, our IDaaS is the flexible, scalable and cost-effective solution that seamlessly meets the company’s needs for flexible IT facilities with variable costs. Alongside household names like Microsoft, SAP and Salesforce, Thales is now one of PostNL’s strategic IT vendors.
A national institution
PostNL is a publicly listed company that provides universal postal delivery service in the Netherlands, equivalent to national carriers like Royal Mail in the UK or Deutsche Post in Germany. Through its daily mail service, orange letterboxes and over 8,000 post offices around the country, it is an everyday part of life for millions of Dutch citizens. It also offers international parcel and mail delivery service in neighbouring countries.
As the postal service continues to evolve and become increasingly digital in the age of e-commerce logistics, PostNL has recently switched to a 100% cloudbased strategy for its employees. Each day, the company’s 52.500+ employees access over 100 fully cloudbased applications that they need to do their jobs. To ensure smooth, secure login access, PostNL partnered with Thales to realize one single sign-on to access 100+ applications.
© Thales - March 2024