Objective: adapt processes to the company's rapid growth
The TOCHNO Group's main problem was the lack of digital infrastructure. The company had no single sign-on technology, but it had many online services for contractors and employees. Each one required a separate login and password. Users often forgot them and had to recover them through technical support.
Dmitry Gvozdanny, head of digitalization projects at the TOCHNO Group, came to us to:
During pre-project analysis, we found another problem: the lack of a single entry point to the services. Users had to keep many links to online platforms, and a separate login and password for each link. This was inconvenient and reduced work efficiency. So we defined two main objectives:
- simplify access for existing users;
- create a unified process for onboarding new contractors.
- Implement SSO so users wouldn't have to juggle passwords for different services and wouldn't lose access to them.
- Create a user portal so clients and contractors know where to find the services they need, ask questions, and report on their work.
Before: company → user interaction
The TOCHNO Group uses many online services. Some are already running, while others are being implemented. The company's tools include:
These tools operated separately as independent services. Data was not synchronized between them — there wasn't even a shared page listing all the services. And connecting to some of them could take months.
The company has two types of users: internal — employees — and external — contractors. Only internal users had accounts. They were connected to Bitrix and AD, after which they waited a long time for the security team to grant them access to other services. It was a complex, multi-stage process that took from three weeks to two months.
External users had no access at all. Information was exchanged on paper. Then it was digitized and reports were built manually — slow and inefficient.
- the VK HR Tek paperless HR document management system;
- the "ETP TOCHNO" electronic tender platform;
- the SAREX digitalization services;
- the Basis virtualization platform;
- the Active Directory access management system, and much more.
Technology choice: how we decided to deliver the projects
For the SSO implementation, we chose standard components.
For the user portal, we first considered using boxed builders like Pimcore. But we dropped the idea because of excessive functionality and high infrastructure requirements.
We decided to build the user portal from scratch and create a fully custom solution. For the backend we chose PHP and the Symfony framework, and for the frontend — Vue.js.
- The Identity Provider is Keycloak, an open-source solution with no license fees. It supports the main protocols, is highly customizable, and includes many ready-made modules for connecting various services to SSO. It was the best fit for the client's requirements.
- Identity Management system — at the client's request, we temporarily kept their AD. Going forward, we plan to implement a full-fledged IDM.
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Project progress: what we faced and how we solved the problems
The main challenge of the project was the tight deadlines combined with a complete absence of digital processes. The TOCHNO Group chose KT.Team because it was confident we would deliver. The company's head of digitalization projects had worked with us before on another project and was satisfied with the result.
"I recently received the 'Person of the Year' award in design and digitalization from the professional community and the Ministry of Construction of CIS. All because our project with the service catalog and SAREX gave a push to change the industry as a whole. No one had practiced this approach before us. We didn't even apply for the award — the Ministry of Construction noticed us on its own.
I believe this is the achievement of the whole team — and KT.Team first and foremost. Thanks to their well-rounded expertise, the project moved much faster than it would have with specialists from just one field. I had no doubts when I turned to KT.Team, because I knew for sure: they would do an outstanding job, listen to us, and take on any project — with a predictable result."
— Dmitry Gvozdanny
The team quickly learned a stack that was new to them, designed the architecture, and began implementation. For the first time, we had to build a system from scratch.
Several obstacles came up along the way:
Despite the difficulties, the team did not delay the work. Two months later, we launched the MVP of the SSO project:
In parallel with aligning the SSO structure, we built the service catalog in three weeks — the first stage of creating the user portal. Even this addition alone already made the client's work easier.
- The business stakeholder — the department responsible for the project — changed unexpectedly. We had to adapt to a new perspective. But we managed: we built up communication and continued the work.
- Stakeholders disagreed on how the process should look. Different people proposed many options and views on the problem, and they often contradicted each other. We discussed the details, organized the requirements, and managed to combine them into a single process that was optimal for users.
- deployed the infrastructure for product development;
- aligned the SSO structure;
- deployed and configured the Keycloak IdP;
- launched authentication through the Active Directory master system;
- connected and configured SSO access for the MTS-Link service.
Results: how the client company's processes changed
It's too early to talk about dramatic improvements. We are still finishing the full version of the user portal. But we already know what results it will help achieve:
After launching the user portal, we plan to define key metrics and work on improving them.
- the client gains a digital channel for communicating with contractors;
- the contractor gets a clear procedure for becoming an accredited partner of the TOCHNO Group;
- employees and contractors get faster, more convenient access to systems;
- the load on technical support will drop: fewer people will turn to it because of forgotten passwords.
Outcome: conclusions and takeaways
For KT.Team, the project proved to be valuable experience: we had never implemented SSO from scratch before. We had built user portals before, but this was our first time creating a contractor portal for a developer's service ecosystem. Previously we mostly refined and extended existing products. But this case showed that the team is ready to take on more complex tasks too.
In the future, this solution could become the basis for a boxed product offered to other developers facing similar problems. That way more companies could systematize their processes — quickly and conveniently.
