A portal for everyone

Due to legal requirements, certain users are only allowed to access selected information. The single sign-on feature ensures easy switching between applications, while a demilitarized zone (DMZ) protects against hackers. Extensive changes to authentication in the CMS and the new PHP framework FLOW prevent confidential information from leaking from the intranet to the internet. The fact that Deutsche Post’s franchise partners are satisfied with the portal is evident from the results of a satisfaction survey conducted via the portal at the end of the project: Three times as many employees as in previous years participated in the survey, and the portal itself received a score of 8.1 out of a possible 10.

Implement a TYPO3-based platform

With approximately 26,000 branches and over 7,000 sales outlets for letter and package stamps, Deutsche Post operates one of Germany’s largest retail networks. The branches, most of which are integrated into retail stores, are operated exclusively by partner companies. To support these partners, a new platform based on TYPO3 was to be introduced, as the old partner portal had reached its technical limits.

The Challenge

Connect the Partner Portal to SAP

Deutsche Post set high standards for the partner portal: It was to include numerous components, including an e-learning section, a section for practice tests, and a multi-tiered information section. The new portal’s comprehensive features were designed to enable employees to serve and inform their customers much more effectively. In addition, the portal was to be integrated with SAP and the branch IT system, support an access rights system, and offer a single sign-on feature. To protect Deutsche Post’s intranet and branch IT systems from unauthorized access via the Internet, there was also to be no direct connection to the Internet.

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The Solution: An Agile Approach

punkt.de relied on agile processes when developing the partner portal for Deutsche Post: Instead of creating a comprehensive requirements document with all specifications at the outset of the project, the TYPO3 experts implemented small subcomponents in 14-day cycles. This allowed them to deliver initial results after just two weeks. And the quality of the code was impressive: The error rate was only 0.5 percent—compared to the industry standard of three percent. This high quality enabled a fully automated deployment process: New code was tested automatically, allowing developers to fix any errors before releasing new elements.

The information section of the new portal now also offers employees at partner stores a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and a search function that allows them to find text, PDF documents, and files more quickly and conveniently. And the permissions system ensures that specific user groups have access only to information that has been approved for them. Since the partner portal is accessible both via an authorized Internet connection and through the branch IT system,punkt.dehas implemented a single sign-on feature: This means users only need to log in to the portal once and can then switch between systems without further authentication—for example, to reorder stamps via an external tool. A demilitarized zone, which separates the intranet and the internet via a firewall, provides the necessary protection against hackers. This allows users to access the Internet while keeping the intranet and branch IT systems protected. In addition, extensive changes to the authentication mechanisms in the CMS and the PHP framework FLOW prevent confidential editorial content from leaking from the intranet to the Internet.