What's Happening

If you can access your test environment from personal devices or home internet, but team members in your office can't access it despite having the correct login credentials, you're likely experiencing a network compatibility issue with shield authentication.

This is particularly common for government agencies and corporate networks with strict security policies.

The Real Problem

Shield authentication (the username/password prompt you see when accessing test environments) uses basic HTTP authentication. Many corporate and government networks block or filter this type of authentication for security reasons, even when you have the correct credentials.

Typical situation:
  • You create a test environment for training your team
  • Some people can access it (usually from personal devices)
  • Others can't access it from the office network
  • The environment works perfectly - it's just the network blocking the authentication method

Why This Happens

Government and corporate networks often:

  • Strip authentication headers before they reach the test site
  • Block basic authentication entirely as a security policy
  • Filter HTTP traffic that contains certain authentication types
  • Implement proxy rules that interfere with test environment access

Shield authentication isn't meant to be robust security - it's just there to keep search engines and bots away from your test content.

The Solution

We can disable shield authentication for your training environment. This:

  • ✅ Allows all your team members to access the environment from the office network
  • ✅ Maintains functionality - your test environment works exactly the same way
  • ✅ Keeps the environment secure in other ways
  • ✅ Can be made permanent so future deployments won't re-enable it

How to Request Shield Removal

Contact our support team and include these key details:

  • Environment URL: The specific test environment that's blocked
  • Issue description: Team members can't access from office network but can from personal devices
  • Purpose: What you need the environment for (training, development, UAT)
  • Number of affected users: How many team members need access

What We'll Do

  1. Identify the specific environment that needs shield authentication removed
  2. Disable shield authentication for that environment only
  3. Make the change permanent so redeployments won't re-enable it
  4. Confirm the fix works for all your team members

This is Common and Normal

You're not doing anything wrong - this is a routine request we handle regularly. Corporate network security policies often conflict with basic authentication, and disabling shield authentication is the standard solution.

The environment remains secure through other measures. Shield authentication is only meant to block search engines and random bots, not provide robust security.

Preventing Future Issues

For New Test Environments

  • Plan ahead - request shield-free environments if you know you'll need team access from corporate networks
  • Test access early - have team members try accessing new environments as soon as they're created
  • Document successful configurations for future reference

For Training Sessions

  • Book shield removal in advance for planned training events
  • Consider dedicated training environments without shield authentication for ongoing use

Alternative Approaches

If you prefer to keep shield authentication enabled:

  1. Provide VPN access - some organisations can configure VPN settings to allow basic authentication
  2. Use personal devices - access the environment from phones or home computers
  3. Request network policy changes - work with your IT team to allow basic authentication for specific domains

However, disabling shield authentication is usually the simplest and most effective solution.

Technical Background

Shield authentication uses HTTP Basic Authentication, which sends credentials in headers that many corporate firewalls and proxy servers will:

  • Filter or modify for security reasons
  • Block entirely based on security policies
  • Strip from requests before they reach the destination

This is why the environment appears to be "not working" when it's actually the network preventing the authentication from completing.

Need this resolved quickly? Contact our support team, and we'll disable shield authentication for your specific environment. Most requests are resolved within one business day.