Managing Clients in a Multi-Tenant Environment: Choosing the Right Model for Your Needs
For Managed Service Providers (MSPs), managing multiple clients within a single platform can be challenging. Each client often requires a unique approach to visibility, control, and reporting. Choosing the right multi-tenant environment is crucial for ensuring operational efficiency and client satisfaction. Here’s how MSPs can approach multi-tenant management to best support their diverse client needs.
Understanding the Need for Multi-Tenancy
MSPs serve a wide variety of clients, each with distinct operational structures and security requirements. Managing multiple clients effectively requires a setup that isolates each client’s data and ensures streamlined control.
When considering a multi-tenant solution, it’s essential to address questions such as:
- How will you onboard and manage clients with unique needs?
- What level of visibility and control should clients have over their environment?
- How will you prevent cross-contamination of data between clients?
To tackle these questions, MSPs can look to flexible multi-tenant models that allow for both centralized management and client-specific customization.
Two Multi-Tenant Management Options: Teams vs. vconnect
vRx offers two main structures: Teams and vconnect. Each has its strengths, depending on the level of client engagement and control required.
1. Teams: Centralized Dashboard with Segregated Client Views
For MSPs managing multiple clients centrally, a Teams setup within a single dashboard is often effective. In this model, the MSP can oversee all clients from one interface, while clients remain isolated by customizable views and permissions. As Jordan Hamblen, solutions architect at Vicarius, explains, “Teams can be broken down to represent each client or even specific departments within a client’s organization. This setup allows MSPs to manage everything from one central dashboard, segregating client data as needed for reporting and policy purposes.”
The Teams model works well for:
- MSPs with multiple, smaller clients that do not require extensive custom dashboards.
- Departments within a single client organization (e.g., server, desktop, and security teams) that need separated views and permissions.
- Centralized control where the MSP handles all day-to-day management, with clients relying on standardized reporting.
2. vconnect: Isolated Dashboards for Enhanced Client Control
For MSPs who collaborate closely with clients or serve co-managed environments, vconnect offers a separate dashboard for each client. Clients can view and manage their environment independently without risk of data cross-contamination. This structure provides MSPs with a high level of security and ensures each client’s data remains isolated.
As Hamblen explains, “vconnect was designed for MSPs with clients who need co-management. Each client has their own dashboard, creating a fully isolated environment ideal for larger or more complex organizations with distinct internal teams.”
The vconnect model is ideal for:
- Clients requiring full control over their dashboard, such as those with their own IT or security teams.
- Co-managed clients where both the MSP and the client engage in day-to-day management.
- Complex clients with multiple internal teams that need fully separate environments to avoid cross-data contamination (e.g., universities or large healthcare organizations).
When to Choose Teams or vconnect?
Each model has its advantages. Deciding between Teams and vconnect often comes down to the level of interaction and control your clients need:
- Choose Teams if you want centralized control with quick, at-a-glance access to all clients. This setup is suitable for straightforward environments where MSPs manage the majority of operations without much client involvement.
- Choose vconnect if your clients require a more hands-on role in their environment. This option allows for stronger client separation, more control, and a co-managed structure that supports collaboration between MSPs and clients.
Conclusion
Selecting the right multi-tenant model is key for MSPs aiming to deliver reliable, customized service. With options like Teams for centralized control and vconnect for isolated dashboards, MSPs can manage clients efficiently, regardless of their unique requirements. By aligning your approach to each client’s needs, you can build a resilient multi-tenant environment that strengthens client trust and supports seamless collaboration.