Tamper-proof multitenant data storage using blockchain

Technologies like Internet of Things (IoT), cloud, artificial intelligence, blockchain etc. have become a perceptible part of our lives resulting in the generation of enormous amounts of data. Consequently, the systems used for storage and processing of this data are required to be scalable for handling the huge volumes of data. A shared, multitenant system such as a cloud-based storage-as-a-service provides scalability of storage as well as economics of sharing. However, there is a risk of data tampering when multiple tenants work in a shared environment. The benefits of a multitenant solution can be leveraged only if tenants’ data is isolated from each other. Further, prevention of data tampering from malicious tenant nodes is also required. Therefore, the paper proposes the use of a private blockchain for an implementation of a multi-tenant-based storage system. The objective is to develop a scalable system where tenants’ data is not at a risk of tampering. The efficacy of the proposed system has been demonstrated with synthetic data of multiple tenants using a Software as a Service (SaaS) healthcare application.