Multi-tenant describes an architecture in which several parties or users jointly access a single instance of software application, database and supporting hardware. It is the counterpart of single-tenant. Here, users' data and access are shielded from each other, even though they share the same environment.
In the field of information technology, multi-tenancy enables a software application to serve several user accounts simultaneously. This contributes to an efficient use of resources and lower maintenance costs. However, there are also challenges such as limited control, shared functions and potential security risks. The advantages of a multi-tenant architecture are lower costs, scalability, easy customization, continuous updates and improved productivity for users. Disadvantages include potential difficulties with updates, initial infrastructure overhead and limited access to source code.
Overall, multi-tenancy offers a cost-effective way to share software resources while ensuring data security.