We’ve come a long way since buying software directly from companies and installing it on our computers.
Today, we have cloud computing, which has allowed businesses to move on from fighting with big data centres. Instead, look for software solutions that are shared across multiple companies.
This is what’s known as multi-tenancy, and we’ll look into what that means as well as the benefits and risks associated with it.
What is multi-tenancy?
In Layman’s terms, multi-tenancy is when multiple users (known as tenants) share the same cloud infrastructure while keeping their data and applications separate.
The easiest way to think about this might be to see it as renting an apartment in a big building. Everyone has their own space, but they all use the same foundation, plumbing, and electricity.
In cloud hosting, several businesses or users operate on the same servers, databases, and applications, rather than having their own dedicated hardware.
It’s an incredibly popular choice because it’s cost-effective, easily scalable, and much easier to manage, compared to single-tenant hosting (we’ll get onto this in a minute).
There are a few potential issues with multi-tenant cloud hosting that you need to be aware of, because everything is shared, security risks can arise if data isn’t properly isolated or if one tenant experiences an issue that affects others.
That’s why having the right protections in place is so important.
What’s the Difference Between Single Tenant vs Multi Tenant Cloud?
The main difference between single-tenant and multi-tenant cloud hosting comes down to how resources are shared:
- Single-tenant = one business (tenant) only.
- Multi-tenant = shared; multiple businesses share the same infrastructure.
Multi-tenants share the same infrastructure, but their data and applications remain separate.
Both have their pros and cons:
- Single-tenant cloud offers more control and security, making it ideal for industries with strict compliance needs.
- Multi-tenant cloud is more affordable and efficient, which is why it’s widely used for SaaS platforms, startups, and growing businesses.
The security risks of multi-tenant cloud hosting
Multi-tenant cloud hosting is a go-to choice for many businesses for a few reasons, some of which we briefly mentioned above. Mainly, it’s cost-effective, easily scalable, and easy to manage. But like anything that’s shared, it comes with its own set of risks.
When multiple users operate on the same infrastructure, security gaps in one tenant’s environment can impact others. This can lead to data breaches, annoying downtime, or compliance headaches. A few of the biggest risks you’ll want to avoid include:
1. Data breaches & unauthorized access
Probably the biggest and scariest risk associated with multi-tenant cloud hosting is data breaches.
This is because, in a multi-tenant setup, multiple users share the same physical server or virtualized environment.
If security controls aren’t tight, a weakness in one tenant’s application could let an attacker slip into another tenant’s data.
This could be anything from misconfigured permissions, weak authentication, or just software flaws. These can create easy opportunities for cybercriminals and hackers, which no business wants to deal with.
2. DoS Attacks
A DDOS attack is perhaps even slightly scarier and more detrimental to your business. Over the last decade, this term has gained a somewhat notorious reputation, as more of them are happening, and the problems they cause can be pretty severe.
DDOS stands for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS). These attacks flood a server with traffic which makes websites or applications slow, or even taking them offline completely.
In a multi-tenant setup, if one tenant is targeted, others on the same infrastructure can feel this knock-on effect too. Almost six in ten (59%) businesses in the financial services sector have admitted to being on the receiving end of a ransomware attack in the past 12 months.
Without solid DDoS protection in place, an attack on one tenant could cause massive problems for everyone sharing the server.
3. Service disruptions
On a slightly less severe side, we have service disruptions.
Since tenants share resources like CPU, memory, and bandwidth, one tenant’s high-traffic website or resource-hungry application can slow things down for everyone else.
If things aren’t properly isolated, a spike in usage from one tenant could lead to sluggish performance or worse, complete downtime for others.
While it might not be one of the biggest problems or risks on our list, no one likes waiting for a slow-loading website, especially when it could have been prevented.
4. Compliance and data integrity challenges
This is particularly important for businesses in regulated industries like FinTech, HealthTech, or LegalTech. In these industries, keeping customer data secure is a legal requirement.
Multi-tenant hosting can make compliance tricky since data from different users all exist within the same environment.
Without clear boundaries between tenants and strict security controls, businesses risk falling out of compliance, facing hefty fines, or losing customer trust.
How to mitigate multi-tenant hosting risks
Okay, so we’ve got the risks, now we need solutions and preventative measures to stop them from becoming actual problems.
1. Preventing data breaches with strong access controls
As data breaches are one of the biggest threats in multi-tenant hosting, tight access controls are non-negotiable. A few ways to keep unauthorized users out:
- Only give users the permissions they actually need, rather than full access to everything. This limits the damage if an account is compromised.
- Add an extra layer of security beyond just a password, such as a one-time code sent to a mobile device, making it much harder for hackers to gain access.
- Ensures that even if data is intercepted during transmission, it remains unreadable to anyone without the correct decryption key. This is essential for protecting sensitive customer information.
These steps help make sure that even if one tenant’s security is compromised, it doesn’t put everyone else at risk.
2. DDoS protection: keeping your platform online
DDoS attacks can cripple a platform if nothing is done about it. However, being proactive with your protection can keep your services up and running and easily bat away any outsider hackers or threats.
Some good defense tactics to keep in mind include:
- Always-on DDoS Mitigation: This tech detects and blocks malicious traffic before it reaches your servers, preventing your site from slowing down or crashing during an attack.
- Rate limiting & traffic filtering: Restricts the number of requests a single IP can make in a short time, stopping bots from overwhelming your system with excessive traffic.
- Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): Distribute traffic across multiple locations instead of relying on a single server, reducing the impact of a targeted attack on your infrastructure.
The key thing to remember is that with the right protection in place, a DDoS attack on one tenant won’t bring down the entire platform.
3. Preventing service disruptions with isolated server roles
By now, we know that tenants share the same infrastructure, and resource-heavy workloads can sometimes cause slowdowns or outages. The best way to prevent this is to isolate server roles.
One way to do this is by keeping web services separate. This way, it ensures that heavy traffic or an issue with a website’s code won’t affect other critical services like email or databases. Additionally, databases store essential business and customer information, so if you can, try to isolate them, as this helps prevent performance issues and security risks from spreading across the system.
And lastly, we have separating your email processing. By doing this, you’ll have an easier time negating spam attacks or mail service issues from interfering with website functionality or database performance.
If you’re looking for something to help you do this, 20i’s reseller hosting platform maximizes uptime by assigning specific tasks to separate server stacks across the platform:
- Optimized web servers handle the files that make up websites.
- MySQL servers deal with databases.
- Email servers process mail.
Each component is also supported by a series of backup servers that are ready to instantly take over if any hardware fails.
4. Staying compliant with strict data controls
Remaining compliant with things like GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS, is a hassle, but it’s essential. Without it, you’ll run into some serious problems. To help with this, again, separating data is a strong solution.
Keep customer data isolated and secure to minimize leaks or unauthorized access from other tenants sharing the same infrastructure.
Regular audits can help with this, as they can identify potential compliance gaps before they become an issue. Platforms like 20i’s Reseller Hosting make this easier by offering built-in security and compliance features, so resellers and businesses can focus on growth without worrying about infrastructure risks.
The benefits of multi-tenant hosting outweigh the risks
It may seem like there are a fair few risks that come with multi-tenant cloud hosting, but its benefits certainly outweigh them.
The key is understanding these challenges and knowing how to prepare and implement solutions to keep everything safe and secure.
