diff --git a/app/controllers/index.js b/app/controllers/index.js
index 2d33f2fb..d3d7d007 100644
--- a/app/controllers/index.js
+++ b/app/controllers/index.js
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 // native modules
-const EventEmitter = require('events').EventEmitter;
+const {EventEmitter} = require('events');
 // 3rd party modules
 const mongoose = require('mongoose');
 const _ = require('lodash');
 const invariant = require('invariant');
 
 // application modules
+const {isEmpty} = require('../models/plugins/isempty');
 const logger = require('../tools/logger');
 
 /*
@@ -165,11 +166,7 @@ class DefaultController extends EventEmitter {
 
   // extra functions
   isEmpty(next) {
-    this._model.count({}, (error, count) => {
-      if (error) next(error);
-      else if (count === 0) next(true);
-      else next(false);
-    });
+    return isEmpty(this._model, next);
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/app/db.js b/app/db.js
index 23deef7a..25d977c6 100644
--- a/app/db.js
+++ b/app/db.js
@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@ let tearingDown = false;
 const connect = function () {
   const options = {
     logger: logger.info.bind(logger),
+    appname: 'opentmi',
+    validateOptions: true,
+    promiseLibrary: Promise,
     loggerLevel: 'info' // @todo fetch from config file
   };
 
diff --git a/app/models/group.js b/app/models/group.js
index 9a4b0abb..a09fb87f 100644
--- a/app/models/group.js
+++ b/app/models/group.js
@@ -1,14 +1,15 @@
-
-/*!
+/**
  * Module dependencies
  */
 const mongoose = require('mongoose');
 const QueryPlugin = require('mongoose-query');
+// application modules
 const logger = require('../tools/logger');
+const {IsEmpty} = require('./plugins/isempty');
 
-const Schema = mongoose.Schema;
 
 /* Implementation */
+const Schema = mongoose.Schema;
 const Types = Schema.Types;
 const ObjectId = Types.ObjectId;
 
@@ -25,9 +26,10 @@ const GroupSchema = new Schema({
   description: {type: String}
 });
 /**
- * Group plugin
+ * plugins
  */
 GroupSchema.plugin(QueryPlugin); // install QueryPlugin
+GroupSchema.plugin(IsEmpty); // install IsEmpty
 
 /**
  * Add your
diff --git a/app/models/plugins/isempty.js b/app/models/plugins/isempty.js
index 65705e8f..50f16c75 100644
--- a/app/models/plugins/isempty.js
+++ b/app/models/plugins/isempty.js
@@ -1,21 +1,22 @@
-const logger = require('../../tools/logger');
+function isEmpty(model, next) {
+  const pending = model.estimatedDocumentCount({})
+      .then(count => count === 0);
+    return next ? pending
+        .then(empty => next(undefined, empty)).catch(next)
+      : pending;
+}
 
 /**
- * @method isEmpty
+ * Extend model with isEmpty -function which resolves boolean if collection is empty
+ * @method IsEmpty
  * @param {mongoose.Schema} schema
  * @param {Object}          options
- * @param {Function}        [options.fn=Math.random]
- * @param {String}          [options.path='random']
  */
 function IsEmpty(schema, options) { // eslint-disable-line no-unused-vars
   const editedSchema = schema;
-  editedSchema.statics.isEmpty = function isEmpty(next) {
-    this.count({}, (error, count) => {
-      next(error, count === 0);
-    });
+  editedSchema.statics.isEmpty = function empty(next) {
+    return isEmpty(this, next);
   };
-
-  logger.info('isEmpty registered');
 }
 
-module.exports = IsEmpty;
+module.exports = {IsEmpty, isEmpty};
diff --git a/app/models/user.js b/app/models/user.js
index 0ee4b621..f6fc7c59 100644
--- a/app/models/user.js
+++ b/app/models/user.js
@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
-
-/*!
+/**
  * Module dependencies
  */
 const mongoose = require('mongoose');
 const QueryPlugin = require('mongoose-query');
 const bcrypt = require('bcryptjs');
 const _ = require('lodash');
+// application modules
 const logger = require('../tools/logger');
+const {IsEmpty} = require('./plugins/isempty');
 
 /* Implementation */
 const Schema = mongoose.Schema;
@@ -42,15 +43,12 @@ const UserSchema = new Schema({
   settings: {type: Types.Mixed}
 });
 
-/**
- * User plugin
- */
-// UserSchema.plugin(userPlugin, {});
 
 /**
- * Query Plugin
+ * Plugin
  */
 UserSchema.plugin(QueryPlugin); // install QueryPlugin
+UserSchema.plugin(IsEmpty); // install isEmpty
 
 /**
  * Add your
diff --git a/app/routes/groups.js b/app/routes/groups.js
index 4ba11c7f..102d9399 100644
--- a/app/routes/groups.js
+++ b/app/routes/groups.js
@@ -30,16 +30,14 @@ function Route(app) {
 
   app.use(router);
 
-  Group.count({}, (error, count) => {
-    if (error) {
-      logger.error(error);
-      return;
-    }
-    if (count === 0) {
-      (new Group({name: 'admins', users: []})).save();
-      (new Group({name: 'users', users: []})).save();
-    }
-  });
+  Group.isEmpty()
+    .then((empty) => {
+      if (empty) {
+        (new Group({name: 'admins', users: []})).save();
+        (new Group({name: 'users', users: []})).save();
+      }
+    })
+    .catch(error => logger.error(error));
 
   Group.getUsers('admins', (error, users) => {
     if (error) {
diff --git a/app/routes/users.js b/app/routes/users.js
index 415bec34..ae658083 100644
--- a/app/routes/users.js
+++ b/app/routes/users.js
@@ -42,13 +42,11 @@ function createDefaultAdmin() {
  */
 function Route(app) {
   // Create a default admin if there is no users in the database
-  User.count({}, (err, count) => {
-    if (err) {
-      logger.warn(err);
-    } else if (count === 0) {
-      createDefaultAdmin();
-    }
-  });
+  User.isEmpty()
+    .then((empty) => {
+      if (empty) { createDefaultAdmin(); }
+    })
+    .catch(error => logger.warn(error));
 
   // Create user routes
   const userRouter = express.Router();
diff --git a/test/tests_api/results.js b/test/tests_api/results.js
index 02b1c19f..b2ea7c1c 100644
--- a/test/tests_api/results.js
+++ b/test/tests_api/results.js
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ const path = require('path');
 const fs = require('fs');
 
 // Third party components
-const _ = require('lodash');
 const superagent = require('superagent');
 const {expect} = require('chai');
 const logger = require('winston');