The two types of cloud architecture have different structures and offer various advantages and disadvantages for your human services organization. Whether your organization is a nonprofit, private enterprise, or public sector agency, you will want to familiarize yourself with these distinct structures as you consider the possibilities for SaaS. Differences Between Single-Tenant and Multi-Tenant SaaS At a basic level, the single-tenant architecture provides a single instance (piece) of software and its associated infrastructure to a single customer, whereas multi-tenant architecture serves multiple customers. As their names suggest, the two types of tenancy in SaaS architecture may be compared to different housing arrangements. In a single-tenant arrangement, as in a single-family home, the customer owns the structure and everything in it. They are responsible for maintenance, repairs, and utilities, as well as more specialized requirements, such as security. Single-tenancy SaaS architecture supports one platform user running a single platform codebase on their website. With single tenancy, each customer has their own separate database and instance of the software. No sharing among tenants occurs with this option, as there is only one tenant. On the other hand, using multi-tenant software could be equated to living in an apartment building. Portions of the infrastructure are shared among tenants, yet each tenant has their own private "space." Compared to maintaining a house, renting an apartment comes with less cost and commitment, and includes ongoing services from providers. Similarly, your SaaS server provider handles the maintenance and upgrade process so you don’t have to. With multi-tenancy, the single instance of the software's codebase is shared between multiple users. In multi-tenant SaaS, each tenant's individual data remains discrete, unseen, and secure from other tenants, but they all share: Web servers Infrastructure services Database Memory Let's take a closer look at how single-tenancy and multi-tenancy environments differ, and how these differences may impact your human services organization. Cost Single-tenant architecture usually allows the customer more resources than does multi-tenant. But, since they're all dedicated to one customer, those resources can carry a hefty price tag. In a multi-tenant setup, the cost for the service is shared, and those savings are typically passed on to the customer. Public sector agencies, private enterprises, and nonprofits often work within tight budget constraints, making multi-tenancy a sensible option for many different types of human services organizations. Setup and Configuration Compared to a multi-tenant setup, single-tenant software will often demand more time and effort from your organization. It consumes more resources during setup and ongoing maintenance, requiring some level of customization to be implemented. Multi-tenant SaaS, conversely, allows for quick setups and light management. Customers can add data, users, and third-party integrations with relative ease in the multi-tenant environment, which is configurable to your organization's specific needs. Scalability and Efficiency Since resources in a single-tenant cloud are dedicated to one tenant, utilization is generally less efficient than in a multi-tenant cloud. Scalability can be a challenge with single-tenancy also, as customers are often operating with fixed resources. With multi-tenant architecture, resources are balanced across customers, leading to greater overall efficiency. A multi-tenant system can shift computing resources where they're needed, keeping vendor costs low and resulting in a scalable solution for your human services organization.