sandsconsulting.no

What It Is

Sands Consulting is a consulting service based in Lillehammer, Norway. The website primarily showcases Andrew Sands’ capabilities in enterprise architecture and development. Its cybersecurity-related work is mainly focused on Federated Security, Single Sign On, and machine-to-machine authentication, targeting projects that need to connect existing enterprise systems to identity providers, implement unified login, and support identity federation.

Core Capabilities and Security Scope

In terms of security coverage, this is not a firewall, EDR, or vulnerability management platform. It is more of an identity and access management consulting and integration service. The site explicitly mentions using protocols such as WS-Federation, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect to federate existing systems with established identity providers. It can also help connect existing applications to identity sources such as IdPorten, Feide, Google, and Facebook for SSO. Its portfolio also references migration from WIF to OWIN, as well as machine-to-machine authentication based on WS-Trust and ADFS, suggesting stronger experience in enterprise identity protocols, the Microsoft ecosystem, and application security integration.

Deployment, Integration, and Management

There is no standardized deployment model described. A reasonable assessment is that this is delivered as project-based consulting, development, and modernization work rather than an out-of-the-box SaaS product. Integration is its clearest selling point: it can connect existing systems, identity providers, and service providers, and can also assist with building web portals, mobile applications, and CMS solutions. However, the website does not disclose runtime capabilities such as an admin console, log auditing, alerts, monitoring, or access governance. Enterprises looking for a complete IAM platform, identity governance, or a closed-loop security operations capability should verify these points further.

Pricing, Compliance, and Support

Pricing model, fee range, payment methods, SLA, and support channels are not disclosed. The site only provides an email address and contact entry point. Compliance certifications, security credentials, and detailed customer case studies are also not provided. Its support rating should therefore not be set too high, as the publicly available materials do not demonstrate ongoing operations capability or response guarantees.

Pros, Cons, and Best Fit

Its strengths are a clear focus on identity federation, SSO, and enterprise system integration, coverage of multiple mainstream protocols, and mention of Norwegian identity systems such as IdPorten and Feide. Its weaknesses are limited productization and transparency, with little public information on compliance, pricing, team size, or validated case studies. It is better suited to small and mid-sized projects that need identity integration for existing applications, ADFS/OWIN migration, SSO modernization, or web portal development. It is not ideal for enterprises looking to procure a mature IAM, SASE, or zero-trust platform with a full SLA.

Access from China and Alternatives

Access from China cannot be determined from the available content, and payment methods are not disclosed. For deployment in China, key points to evaluate include cross-border access, connectivity to identity sources, data compliance, and the feasibility of remote delivery. Alternatives to consider include Auth0, Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Keycloak, OneLogin, or domestic IAM, zero-trust, and identity authentication vendors.