Multi-tenancy refers to the ability of software to run several independent customer instances (tenants) on the same technical infrastructure. Each tenant works in a logically separated environment with its own data, settings and users.
In the context of online appointment booking systems as a SaaS platform, multi-tenancy means:
For the platform operator
- Central management of all customer instances
- Automated provisioning of new customer calendars
- Central subscription and payment management
- Cross-tenant statistics and utilization overviews
- Management of SMS credits and affiliate programs
- GDPR-compliant data processing agreements (DPAs)
For the end customer
- Their own isolated calendar under a subdomain (e.g.
[customerid].appointmind.net) - Their own admin area with its own login
- No visibility of other tenants' data
- Optional: single sign-on (SSO) via OpenID Connect
Distinction
Multi-tenancy is not the same as simple multi-user management. With true multi-tenancy, the instances are completely separated from each other, whereas a multi-user system only manages different roles within the same instance.