Accelerating Data Monetization by Moving to a Multi-Tenant SaaS Model
In June, IT decision-makers, developers and engineers gathered in Toronto for the AWS Summit to learn about cloud computing solutions, focusing on how AWS accelerates business outcomes for organizations of all sizes. During the two-day event, AWS experts, builders, customers and partners provided workshops and presentations on a variety of topics. The majority of these sessions emphasized a few recurring themes: constructing a well-architected framework, optimizing workflows, mitigating security risks and using AI and ML to better understand data.
At the AWS Summit, our very own CTO and Co-Founder, Tony Bussières, and Platform Team Lead, Pascal Gélinas, gave a lecture-style presentation titled Scaling your startup via multi-tenant SaaS, which featured TickSmith’s own journey towards simplifying and accelerating data monetization. TickSmith migrated an existing complex platform from a classic Amazon EC2 deployment to a multi-tenant SaaS model without rewriting any software from scratch.
As Tony and Pascal summarized TickSmith’s journey, they elaborated on two of the primary reasons why moving to SaaS accelerated data monetization efforts. First, a multi-tenant model reduced operational costs. Centralizing TickSmith’s operations meant fewer and faster deployments, leading to economies of scale. And second, faster deployments meant faster customer onboarding. It was quicker to build demos for prospects on a multi-tenant platform. Producing more demos faster led to more prospects eventually turning into paying customers.
If you are currently considering moving from a single-tenant to a multi-tenant solution, here are a few tips from Tony and Pascal’s session that will make your transition smoother:
- Multi-tenant SaaS migration is different for every organization. It’s important to understand that there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to SaaS tenant migration. Each case will be different, which means you’ll likely need guidance from experts who have done this before.
- Take advantage of the AWS resources that are available to you. Self-led research and migration might seem like a good idea at first, but it’s likely to be a significant uphill battle without a heavy reliance placed on leveraging AWS resources. Tony and Pascal suggested that a good first step to take is to contact your AWS representative and have them put you in touch with an AWS Solution Architect to discuss your migration. Don’t forget to read through documentation and other resources provided by AWS either. Two resources Tony and Pascal recommend for those looking to get started with SaaS migration are:
- Video – SaaS Migration: Moving From Single-Tenant to Multi-Tenant on AWS – Covers the most common SaaS migration patterns and previews specific architecture and build strategies.
- Documentation – SaaS Lens: AWS Well-Architected Framework – Addresses general design principles and outlines best practices of a well-architected framework.
- Get buy-in across the organization and have patience. IT can no longer work within its own silo. Nowadays, in order for any migration to be successful, company-wide buy-in is required. From understanding how the migration can bring operational changes to triumphing over any learning curves, you’ll need support and input from the entire organization, and sometimes, this can take longer than it’s anticipated.
Moving to a SaaS model made Tony and his team rethink the product roadmap for TickSmith. From determining which new features to prioritize to updating pricing, migrating from a siloed model to a multi-tenant SaaS has already proven to be beneficial for TickSmith and its customers.