Some companies use the same SaaS more than once, for example one Google Workspace per subsidiary or a separate Microsoft Entra tenant for an entity they just bought. Connect each one to Factorial IT as its own instance, with its own connection, accounts and settings.

Feature/Functionality

Overview

An instance is one copy of a SaaS in Factorial IT. You can add as many as you need. To connect a SaaS for the first time, see "Connect your SaaS".

Adding a SaaS from the catalogue needs SaaS Management. Google Workspace, Microsoft Entra ID and Vanta are the exceptions. Without SaaS Management, the other SaaS carry a star icon in the catalogue, and clicking one opens the SaaS Management upgrade window.

How to use: add another instance

1. Go to SaaS > Directory and click Add a SaaS.
2. In the catalogue list, click the SaaS, even if you have already added it.
3. Factorial IT creates a new instance and opens its page. It gets the name of the SaaS, plus a number if that name is taken: Slack (2), Slack (3).
4. Connect the instance by following the steps on its page, as with any SaaS. For Google Workspace or Microsoft Entra ID, sign in with an admin account of the tenant this instance is for. See "Connect your email provider".

How to use: rename an instance

Give each instance a name your team will recognise, such as the entity or domain it covers.

1. Open the instance from SaaS > Directory.
2. Click its name at the top of the page.
3. Type the new name. Press Enter to save or Escape to cancel.

You need the Manage SaaS permission to rename. The new name appears everywhere the instance does, including the SaaS list and the accounts on employee profiles.

How instances behave

• Separate everything. Each instance has its own row in SaaS > Directory and its own page, with its own accounts, licences and provisioning rules.
• Grouped on profiles. On an employee profile, the accounts of each instance appear together, and every account shows its instance name.
• Where discovered accounts go. An account found by SaaS discovery joins the instance that already holds an account with that email. If none does, it joins the instance with the most accounts on the same email domain. If still no match, it joins the first instance added.
• Offboarding. Every instance where the leaver has an account is shown on its own line. Factorial IT removes the leaver from the instances you select for deprovisioning.
• SSO per instance. Each instance can have its own SSO connection, with its own service provider identifier.
• Several email providers. You can set more than one instance as an email provider, of the same SaaS or different ones, for example two Google Workspace instances and one Microsoft Entra tenant. Switch on Set {instance} as email provider in the Settings tab of each.
• Company domains. When an instance is an email provider, Factorial IT adds its email domain to your company's domains if it is missing, and checks again at every sync. Your other domains are left alone.
• Choosing at onboarding. With several email providers, you pick which ones create the new joiner's address. See "Automate your onboardings".
• Windows Autopilot. Autopilot stays on the Microsoft Entra instance it was set up with.

When a tenant is already connected

A Google Workspace or Microsoft Entra tenant can belong to one instance of that SaaS only. If another instance already uses it, Factorial IT blocks the connection and saves nothing. Where possible, the error names the instance that holds the tenant. Connect a different tenant, or keep working with that instance. Reconnecting an instance to its own tenant is still allowed.

Troubleshooting and FAQ

Troubleshooting

• The connection is refused and nothing is saved. The tenant already belongs to another instance. Read the error to see which one, then connect a different tenant or use that instance.
• Accounts land on the wrong instance. Discovery assigns accounts by email, then by domain, then to the first instance added. Check that each instance holds accounts on the domain you expect.
• Clicking a SaaS opens an upgrade window. Adding that SaaS needs SaaS Management.
• Still stuck? If an instance will not connect or accounts land on the wrong instance, contact support@factorial.it with:
  • The SaaS and the names of its instances
  • The tenant or domain you tried to connect
  • The error message shown, if there was one

FAQ

1. Is there a limit on instances?
   No. Add as many as you need.
    
2. Can two instances share one Google Workspace or Entra tenant?
   No. A tenant can be connected to one instance only.
    
3. Who can rename an instance?
   Anyone with the Manage SaaS permission.
    
4. Which Entra instance does Windows Autopilot use?
   The one it was originally set up with.