Multi-tenancy SaaS

SaaS Multi-tenancy is widely used in cloud computing, The idea behind the multi-tenant architecture is that one software server, database, storage or network controller can be used by multiple customers while each client’s data is hidden from others. Single-tenancy is opposite to this and means that one software instance serves one application.

Pros & Cons of Multi-tenancy

The most obvious and the most significant benefit of multi-tenancy is cutting hosting expenses through the maximally effective usage of resources, but there are some more very important advantages this architecture can give your business:

• Fast and easy scaling, which allows allocating as many resources as it’s needed without downtimes and lots of administrative routines.
• High level of protection from malicious software.
• Software upgrades and maintenance are handled by SaaS providers.
• Reduced costs and time for hardware management.
• Easy integration with third-party software through the use of APIs.
• Limited customisation options comparing with single-tenant architecture,
• Some security and compliance issues, and the “noisy neighbour” effect, that may occur when some customer uses an inordinate amount of CPU and slows down the other tenants’ applications.

To summarise all the above points:

• Single-tenant architecture provides a high level of security and customisation and is a good choice for large enterprises.
• Multi-tenancy architecture is a more cost-effective and highly scalable model that perfectly suits most businesses.

Multi-tenant SaaS Models

• Container-based :?as a rule in containerised environment each client (tenant) data is isolated, but one common application server is shared between them. However, there is a possibility to run both the app server and the database in a completely isolated tenant’s container.
• Virtualization-based :?such a model is very close to single-tenancy and provides a very high level of security and isolation because each customer has his own VM with application and database. In spite of this, it’s used once in a while because of poor scalability and expensiveness.
• Database-per-tenant:?in this case, each tenant has its own database. Оnly the app server is shared and can be scaled vertically or horizontally if it is needed. This approach works well for several tenants but doesn’t suit apps with an unknown scale because of the huge number of databases required.
• Single multi-tenant database:?this model is very popular as it has single storage for all users, which can be easily scaled up when it’s necessary. The main disadvantage of such an approach is the high risk of “the noisy neighbour” effect, which was mentioned above.
• Shared multi-tenant databases:?the pattern allows to store tenant data across multiple databases. Tenants’ data is divided into a set of segments (shards) and few users can use the same shard. However, this model ensures the data for any particular tenant won’t be distributed between multiple shards. It is a win-win approach to build a highly scalable application.

Strategic Point for Designing Multi-tenant Application

• Type of isolation:?as users share resources in multi-tenant environments, their security and privacy should be assured by SaaS provider. You can choose between three the most commonly used isolation models: silo, pool, bridge and tier isolations.
• Silo SaaS providers offer separate isolated clusters for each tenant. This approach is similar to single-tenancy and requires additional costs on infrastructure, development and management, but ensures a high level of privacy protection.
• Pool isolation enables users to share the same infrastructure and provides effective resource scaling but has security weaknesses.
• Bridge model is a mix of silo and pool isolations, having shared and isolated infrastructures at the same time.
• Tier-based isolation its like a mixed ones, implies different types of isolation based on subscription plans, e.g.: free tier tenants use shared infrastructure while premium ones have isolated environments.
• Expected resource consumption:?analyse carefully how many tenants you have to manage, infrastructure costs per user, storage and CPU usage, and anticipated profit. Also, keep in mind that your multi-tenant SaaS should collect a lot of resource consumption metrics very carefully and regularly.
• Customisation options:?try to examine what level of customisation your tenants require to manage their environments and what level of control you need.
• Customers support:?research very attentively what type of support your tenants might need from the environment and infrastructure, what content and resources should be shared, and who will manage their additional requests.
• Infrastructure limits:?there should be a clear understanding of how the infrastructure that supports your multi-tenant architecture functions and if there are limitations on the resources you consume.
• SLA (Service Level Agreement):?this is a very important document that measures client’s expectations and helps to understand their needs. It definitely should contribute to your multi-tenancy model.
• Reputable hosting provider:?finding hosting for your SaaS that is powerful and scalable enough to ensure smooth and secure access to software for clients can be a real challenge.

Challenges in the development of a general SaaS product and general guides

System integration

? Difficult integration with success of a third-party payment system and other resources.

? Typically, developers need to examine how to successfully embed the additional resources into their platform so that it does not interfere with their other functions.

? Some developers choose to install the more basic optional resources and focus only on the native resources of the platform to save time and money, but this can work against them in the long term.

? Support systems such as customer support, billing and shipping are crucial for customer satisfaction.

? Unfortunately, many SaaS platforms are not able to properly integrate these solutions into their platform, or that leads to higher rates of customer turnover.

Quality test

? Each success platform has a common thing: a solution without bugs that provides exclusive resources for its customers.

? To achieve something like this, however, the development team had to go through several quality tests to find and correct all the bugs that prevent the proper functionality of the platform.

? Therefore, identifying every bug, especially in a more complex SaaS platform, and incredibly challenging for the project teams.

? The most challenging part is that, if a bug cannot be reproduced, it is very difficult to correct, or it can lead developers to waste time and money trying to find a solution.

? A single big bug or problem with the platform can cost a lot of money, so it is always beneficial for the team to be rigorous in its approach to correcting bugs before product launch.

User Accessibility

? Designing a complex system can come with many disadvantages and different challenges, one of which is user accessibility.

? There were several cases in which specialists observed that some resources were not fully accessible to the user after the implementation of a SaaS platform.

? A big role nisso plays or the fact that software developers many times abandon quality assurance processes to save time and meet deadlines.

? Improper configuration of the different parts in an application can also cause problems with user accessibility.

? A way to deal with this challenge is to configure a downtime implementation strategy, which guarantees that the service remains fully responsive during implementation and continuous operations.

Best Practices

Scalability

? Scalability is one of the two most important resources for a SaaS application.

? The application needs to serve customers from different geographical regions and scale vertically and horizontally for the best possible result.

? Scalability is important because it directly impacts the growth of the company.

? Set it up for a more scalable option, but it can also save a lot of time, energy and money for a long time.

Personalization/Personalization

? Customer feedback can be extremely beneficial in the development of a SaaS platform.

? Incorporating the client's wishes can lead to better retention and churn tax rates.

? To get isso, offer op??es customizable é o camino a percorrer.

? For example, recent research on Twitter found that more of a goal of its user base than a darker interface is more engaging.

? Outra research da Vinneage confirmed that more than 35% of people preferred "dominant and horizontal style logos for technology companies".

While these are just examples of customer preferences, it is important to ensure that the interface, style, cores and palettes of the SaaS platform reflect the image and objectives of the brand.

I hope I helped to better undestand the SaaS offer ! Regards