Complete Guide to Platform Owner & Tenant Administration

Getting Started › Complete Guide to Platform Owner & Tenant Administration

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Purpose of Platform Administration
3. Platform Architecture Explained
4. Platform Owner Responsibilities
5. Tenant Administration Responsibilities
6. Module-by-Module Explanation
7. Data Isolation
8. Security
9. Step-by-Step Guide
10. Best Practices
11. Tips & Recommendations
12. Common Mistakes
13. Troubleshooting
14. Frequently Asked Questions
15. Related Articles

1. Introduction

Araona Connect is a multi-tenant SaaS platform. That means one single application serves many independent real-estate companies at once — each with its own workspace, staff, website, properties and leads. To keep this working smoothly, the platform has two distinct layers of administration: Platform-level administration (run by us, the Platform Owner) and Tenant-level administration (run by each company's Super Admin).

This guide explains, in plain English, who does what, where their power ends, and how the two layers work together without stepping on each other.

[Screenshot: Platform Dashboard]

2. Purpose of Platform Administration

Platform administration exists to:

• Onboard and manage all tenant companies on Araona Connect.
• Define the subscription plans, features and city permissions available to everyone.
• Keep the platform healthy, secure and legally compliant.
• Support tenants when they hit issues that only platform-level access can resolve.

Tenant administration exists to:

• Run one company's day-to-day operations — properties, leads, staff, website and billing — inside a private, isolated workspace.

3. Platform Architecture Explained

There are four kinds of user in the system. Knowing which one you are makes everything else easier to understand.

Platform-level vs. tenant-level, in one line: the Platform Owner manages tenants and the platform; a Tenant Super Admin manages everything inside one tenant.

4. Platform Owner Responsibilities

The Platform Owner dashboard is where the SaaS is actually run. From here the Platform Owner can:

• View all tenants — a searchable list of every company on the platform, with plan, status and usage at a glance.
• Create, edit, suspend or activate tenants — including manually onboarding a company, updating its plan or freezing access.
• Manage subscription plans — create Starter/Growth/Professional/Enterprise tiers, set property/lead/staff/city limits, and pick which features (custom domains, premium templates, etc.) each plan unlocks.
• Manage cities — add or remove the master list of cities that tenants can choose from.
• Monitor billing — see every invoice, payment, coupon redemption and failed charge across the platform.
• Review company verification documents — approve PAN, GST, RERA and other KYC uploads submitted by tenants.
• Publish announcements — broadcast messages that appear inside every tenant dashboard.
• Manage support tickets — respond to help requests raised by tenants.
• Monitor platform health — audit logs, error rates and usage trends.
• Access the Knowledge Base editor — publish and update articles like this one.

[Screenshot: Tenant List]

5. Tenant Administration Responsibilities

A Tenant Super Admin runs one company. They can manage:

• Company Profile — name, address, contacts, tax details, branding, documents.
• Website Content — home page hero, about, services, testimonials, blog.
• Website Templates — pick and configure one of the professional templates.
• Staff & Permissions — invite users, assign roles, restrict modules and cities.
• Properties — add, edit, approve and feature property listings.
• Leads (CRM) — capture, assign, follow up and close leads.
• Custom Domains — connect their own domain to their website.
• Billing — upgrade or downgrade the plan, add seats, download invoices.
• CRM Settings — notification preferences, task categories, reminder timings.

Limits of tenant access: a Tenant Super Admin cannot see other tenants, cannot change platform plans, cannot add cities to the master list, and cannot see platform-wide analytics or audit logs.

[Screenshot: Tenant Administration]

6. Module-by-Module Explanation

[Screenshot: User Roles]

7. Data Isolation

Every row that belongs to a company (properties, leads, staff, invoices, website content, tasks, notifications) is stamped with a tenant ID. The database uses row-level security to enforce a simple rule: a user only sees rows whose tenant ID matches their own.

• Tenants cannot see each other's data. Two companies could have the exact same property title or lead name and never collide — their rows are filtered before they ever reach the screen.
• The Platform Owner manages the platform without owning tenant data. The Platform Owner can list tenants and suspend them, but does not appear as an author, agent or lead owner inside any tenant workspace. Suspending or deleting a Platform Owner account does not disturb tenant ownership.
• File uploads are isolated too. Logos, property images and KYC documents live in tenant-scoped storage folders with matching access rules.

8. Security

• Role-based permissions. Every screen and every API call checks a role. Roles are stored in a dedicated table (never on the profile), so a tenant user cannot promote themselves.
• Secure access. All traffic runs over HTTPS. Sessions expire, and tokens are refreshed silently in the background.
• Administrator accounts. Keep the number of Super Admins low. Use full-name identities, not shared inboxes.
• Password security. Minimum 8 characters, mix of letters, numbers and symbols. Never reuse a password from another service.
• Multi-factor authentication (if enabled). Turn on MFA for every Platform Owner and Tenant Super Admin — it stops password leaks from becoming account takeovers.
• Sensitive changes are logged. Plan changes, role grants, suspensions and KYC approvals are written to an audit log.

[Screenshot: Platform Settings]

9. Step-by-Step Guide

For a Platform Owner — onboarding a new tenant manually:

1. Open the Platform Dashboard › Tenants › Add tenant.
2. Enter the company's brand name and Super Admin email.
3. Choose a plan (or leave on the default trial).
4. Send the invitation. The Super Admin receives an email to set their password.
5. After they finish onboarding, review and approve their KYC documents.

For a Tenant Super Admin — first day inside the workspace:

1. Complete onboarding (see Complete Guide to Company Profile & Tenant Onboarding).
2. Pick and configure a website template.
3. Add cities you operate in (from the platform's master list, within your plan's limit).
4. Invite your team from Staff & Permissions and assign roles.
5. Publish your first properties and start receiving leads.

10. Best Practices

• Review user permissions at least once a quarter — remove roles no one is using.
• Keep the number of Super Admin accounts to a minimum. Two is a healthy default for a growing tenant.
• Keep company information current — outdated address or GST breaks invoices and website contact details.
• Monitor subscription status weekly. Suspended accounts cannot receive leads.
• Read the audit log after any major staff change or plan change.
• Publish platform announcements before scheduled maintenance windows.

11. Tips & Recommendations

• Name your roles clearly. "Kolkata City Admin" beats "Admin 3" every time.
• Use the tenant's business email as the Super Admin login, not a personal Gmail.
• Before suspending a tenant, send them a courtesy note via Support Tickets or email — most suspensions are avoidable.
• When testing a new plan, create a dummy tenant rather than experimenting on a live one.

12. Common Mistakes

• Sharing administrator credentials. Instead, invite each person as their own user.
• Assigning excessive permissions. Start narrow and widen only when someone actually needs more.
• Forgetting to deactivate former staff. Their session may still be valid for hours — deactivate immediately on exit.
• Confusing Platform Owner and Tenant permissions. The Platform Owner cannot manage a tenant's leads or properties, and a Tenant Super Admin cannot change platform plans. This is by design.
• Using the Platform Owner login for day-to-day tenant work. Even if it "worked", it would blur the boundary and pollute audit logs.

13. Troubleshooting

Why can't I access Platform features?
Only accounts with the Platform Owner role see the Platform Dashboard. If you are a Tenant Super Admin, this is expected — the feature is not for you.

Why can't my staff see certain modules?
Open Staff & Permissions and check the role assigned to that user. Modules and cities they have not been granted are hidden from the sidebar entirely.

Why can't I manage another tenant?
Because tenants are isolated by design. Only the Platform Owner can view or edit other tenants. If you legitimately need cross-tenant access, contact platform support.

Why are some settings unavailable?
Your subscription plan may not include that feature (for example, custom domains are usually on Growth and above). Upgrade the plan to unlock it.

A suspended tenant says they cannot log in.
That is expected. Activate them from the Platform Dashboard to restore access.

14. Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Platform Owner also a tenant? No. The Platform Owner sits outside the tenant hierarchy.

Can a person be both a Platform Owner and a Tenant Super Admin? Technically yes on separate accounts, but we recommend keeping them separate for clarity and audit hygiene.

Can the Platform Owner see my leads or messages? No. Tenant data (leads, messages, properties, tasks) is invisible to platform staff.

Can a Tenant Super Admin delete their tenant? No. Deletion is a platform-level action — raise a support ticket and the Platform Owner will handle it.

Can I have more than one Super Admin per tenant? Yes, subject to the seat limit in your plan.

What happens to my data if my tenant is suspended? Data is preserved. Access is blocked until the tenant is reactivated.

How do I request a new city that is not in the list? Contact the Platform Owner. Cities are added centrally.

15. Related Articles

• Complete Guide to Staff, Roles & Permissions
• Complete Guide to Subscription, Plans & Billing
• Complete Guide to Company Profile & Tenant Onboarding
• Website Content Knowledge Base
• Complete Guide to Custom Domains