How Cirrus Insight Works in Multi-Tenant Environments

Cirrus Insight supports a variety of deployment models to fit different email and Salesforce environments. This article provides guidance on how Cirrus Insight functions in multi-tenant environments and outlines available deployment options.

What is a Multi-Tenant Environment?

A multi-tenant environment refers to an IT setup where users or departments operate on separate, independently managed email or server instances—often across different domains or organizations—while still needing to use shared tools like Salesforce or Cirrus Insight. This structure can make centralized deployment and authentication more complex, requiring specific considerations for configuration and access.

Example 1: A national organization has multiple regional offices, each with its own Office 365 tenant and local IT admin. Each location needs Cirrus Insight configured to sync with its email environment, while still aligning with organization-wide processes.

Example 2: Some locations sync to their own Salesforce environments, while others share a centralized Salesforce instance. Cirrus Insight supports both models—enabling tailored sync per tenant while allowing oversight and integration at the organizational level.

Sidebar Installation Overview

Cirrus Insight’s Sidebar can be deployed based on the email platform your organization uses:

For Office 365, Exchange Online, or Exchange On-Prem (2013 or newer):

• The Sidebar is deployed as an Office Web Add-In, accessible in both the Outlook web and desktop versions.

For Gmail / Google Workspace environments:

• The Sidebar is deployed as a Chrome Extension, available via the Chrome Web Store.

Additional Cirrus Insight Services

Beyond the Sidebar, Cirrus Insight offers powerful productivity tools including:

• Calendar Scheduling

• Email Blasts

• Automatic Email, Calendar, and Task Sync

These services require users to connect both their Salesforce and email accounts. Two connection methods are available:

1. User-Managed OAuth Connections
Each user independently authenticates and connects their Salesforce and email accounts using OAuth.

2. Admin-Managed Service Accounts
Administrators can configure centralized connections via Salesforce Service Accounts and Email Service Accounts.

Multi-Tenant Environment Considerations

In a multi-tenant email environment—where users are distributed across multiple, independent mail server instances—centralized deployment can be more complex.

Typical Setup:

• Users manage their own OAuth connections to Salesforce and their email accounts.

• This approach is necessary because administrators often lack access to a unified mail platform that spans all tenants.

Alternative Setup for Collaborative Environments:

• Organizations with a smaller number of independent mail tenants—and the ability to coordinate with each tenant’s mail server admin—can take advantage of:

Separate Child Organizations within Cirrus Insight:

• Admins can create and manage distinct child orgs for each tenant.

• This enables centralized deployment and oversight for each business unit, while still accommodating different server environments.