In our new white paper, “Elixir Cloud | Enhanced Security and Scalability in SaaS through Advanced Tenant Isolation,” we walk you through the technical specs of how and why we built security and scalability into the Elixir Cloud product. In this blog post, we will cover more of the high-level topics in a Q&A style.
What is tenant isolation in SaaS?
Tenant isolation in SaaS refers to the practice of keeping each customer's data and resources separate and secure within a shared environment. This ensures that one customer cannot access another's data or affect their performance.
What deployment models are offered?
- Multitenant Environment: Customers can use a shared namespace or opt for multiple namespaces for internal segregation. Each tenant gets their own isolated database, dedicated FSx storage, and separate Elasticache (Redis) instances.
- Enterprise Plan: This plan offers a fully dedicated cluster where all resources are exclusive to one customer. It includes dedicated infrastructure, storage, databases, and caching services for complete segregation.
What are the challenges with traditional multitenancy?
Traditional multitenancy can lead to:
- Security Vulnerabilities: Shared resources can pose risks of data leaks.
- Performance Bottlenecks: High usage by one tenant can slow down services for others.
- Compliance Risks: Meeting regulatory standards becomes complex when resources are shared.
How does the enhanced isolation approach work?
- Kubernetes Namespaces: Each tenant's applications are encapsulated in a dedicated virtual cluster (namespace), ensuring isolation at the application level.
- Dedicated Resources: Every tenant gets their own RDS database, FSx storage, and isolated Elasticache (Redis) for data segregation and security.
What are the security advantages?
- Complete Data Segregation: Tenant data is fully isolated, even in a shared environment.
- Compliance Benefits: Simplifies adherence to standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2.
- Threat Mitigation: Strict security policies prevent unauthorized access between tenant applications.
What are the scalability and performance benefits?
- Independent Scalability: Tenants can scale resources within their namespaces without impacting others.
- Optimized Resource Usage: Dynamic resource allocation ensures optimal performance and efficiency.
- Reduced Latency: Isolated resources minimize delays, improving service quality.
Can customers customize their deployment?
Yes, this can be done in two ways.
- Internal Segregation: Additional namespaces can be purchased for further internal segregation.
- Data Segregation Tools: Tools allow segregation within namespaces for specific needs without compromising security or performance.
How does this approach save costs?
- Efficient Infrastructure: Shared underlying services reduce costs while maintaining strong isolation.
- Operational Simplicity: Managing fewer environments is less complex and more cost-effective.
- Long-term Benefits: Initial setup complexity pays off by reducing the need for frequent changes, providing stability and financial advantages.
Conclusion
This type of SaaS architecture ensures robust security and scalability using Kubernetes namespaces, dedicated databases, and isolated storage and caching services. Whether in a shared or dedicated environment, the approach we took with Elixir Cloud meets stringent security needs, enhances performance, and offers cost-efficiency for modern businesses.
Looking for more details? Download the full white paper.