Hybrid communications system and method of operation

• US 10,027,538 B1
• Filed: 09/22/2017
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ShoreTel Incorporated (Mitel Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitel Networks Incorporated (Mitel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Okita, Glen K., Pendleton, Amy S., Dinard, Laurent, Schwartz, Yaniv Schahar
• Primary Examiner(s): Survillo, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US15/712,380
• Time in Patent Office: 298 Days
• Field of Search: 709217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5051 Service on demand, e.g. definition and deployment of services in real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A method includes providing account enable data from a multi-tenant hosted communication system to a premises based communications system. The method also includes receiving user configuration data at a remote portal of the hosted communications system, the configuration data including the account enable data and user data describing properties of each of a plurality of users in the premises based communications system including at least one user group to which a subset of the users belongs. The method also includes providing enablement data to the premises based communications system via the portal to identify which resources in the multi-tenant hosted system are enabled for the plurality of users in the premises based communications system based on the user configuration data. Changes in the enablement data further can be synchronized based on changes in the user configuration data received from the premises based communications system via the portal.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:

providing account enable data from a multi-tenant hosted communication system to a given premises based communication system of a plurality of premises based communication systems, the multi-tenant hosted communication system being operated by an entity different from the given premises based communication system and including a cloud resource, the cloud resource being compatible with the plurality of different premises based communication systems and hosted within the multi-tenant hosted communication system;

receiving configuration data at the multi-tenant hosted communication system from the given premises based communication system, the configuration data including the account enable data and user data describing properties of each of a plurality of users in the given premises based communication system;

providing enablement data from the multi-tenant hosted communication system to the given premises based communication system to identify the cloud resource in the multi-tenant hosted communication system configured for the plurality of users based on the configuration data;

configuring a client access router at the given premises based communication system to provide a secure connection with a client access router termination at the multi-tenant hosted communication system, the secure connection further providing a mechanism for the given premises based communication system to access and utilize the cloud resource in the multi-tenant hosted communication system;

creating a virtual private cloud in the multi-tenant hosted communication system that is connected with the given premises based communication system through the secure connection between the client access router and the client access router termination; and

synchronizing changes in the enablement data based on changes in the configuration data received from the given premises based communication system via the secure connection.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the configuration data comprises a list of premises system users authorized for operating in the given premises based communication system.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the cloud resource comprise at least one of a mobility router service, a fax service, a voicemail transcription service hosted as part of the multi-tenant hosted communication system.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the cloud resource is a real time communications resource implemented in the virtual private cloud.

5. The media of claim 4, wherein the real time communications resource comprises a mobility router, the mobility router being configured based on the configuration data for at least one given user of the plurality of users to extend real time communications for the given user to a mobile device that is associated with the given user.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein the configuration data is received at the multi-tenant hosted communication system via a portal of the multi-tenant hosted communication system, the given premises based communication system including a portal interface to access the portal of the multi-tenant hosted communication system via the secure connection.

7. The media of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a configuration request at the portal via the portal interface; and

providing router configuration data from the portal to the client access router, the client access router being programmed to communicate with the client access router termination via the secure connection that is established based on the router configuration data.

8. The media of claim 1, wherein the user data includes data identifying at least one group to which a proper subset of the plurality of users belongs, and

wherein access to the cloud resource in the multi-tenant hosted communication system is provisioned separately for at least one of each user individually or each defined group of users based on the user data.

9. The media of claim 1, wherein the synchronizing comprises:

periodically receiving a query from the given premises based communication system for current configuration data; and

sending updated account enable data to the given premises based communication system in response to the query.

10. The media of claim 1, wherein a portal of the multi-tenant hosted communication system is accessed via the secure connection between the client access router and the client access router termination, the portal being configured to control and manage enablement and access to at least one of a shared hosted resource and a private hosted resource of the multi-tenant hosted communication system for users of the plurality of premises based communication systems.

11. The media of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises receiving the user data, via the portal of the multi-tenant hosted communication system, the user data including an entire list of users authorized for operating in the given premises based communication system.

12. The media of claim 1, wherein the cloud resource further comprises at least one shared hosted resource and at least one private hosted resource, wherein each private hosted resource is implemented in the virtual private cloud, the secure connection providing a real time connection between the private hosted resource and the given premises based communication system.

13. A hybrid unified communication system, comprising:

a plurality of premises based communication systems, a given one of the plurality of premises based communication system comprising;

a configuration manager to establish and control user properties for the given premises based communication system, the configuration manager providing configuration data that includes account enable data and user data describing properties of each of a plurality of users in the given premises based communication system; and

a client access router configured to provide a secure connection with a client access router termination at a multi-tenant hosted communication system; and

the multi-tenant hosted communication system, which is operated by an entity different from the given premises based communication system, to provide enablement data to the given premises based communication system to identify at least one cloud resource in the multi-tenant hosted communication system configured for the plurality of users in the given premises based communication system based on the configuration data received from the given premises based communication system, the multi-tenant hosted communication system comprising;

a cloud resource compatible with each of the plurality of different premises based communication systems;

a secure connection being established between the client access router and the client access router termination, the secure connection further providing a mechanism for the given premises based communication system to access and utilize the cloud resource in the multi-tenant hosted communication system;

a virtual private cloud that is connected with the given premises based communication system through the secure connection between the client access router and the client access router termination; and

a synchronization module to maintain synchronization between the configuration data of the given premises based communication system and the enablement data that is stored in the multi-tenant hosted communication system, the synchronization module further to synchronize changes in the enablement data based on changes in the configuration data received from the given premises based communication system via the secure connection.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the given premises based communication system further comprises a portal interface that accesses a portal of the multi-tenant hosted communication system via the secure connection.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the portal is configured to control and manage enablement and access to at least one of a shared hosted resource and a private hosted resource, wherein the shared hosted resource is configured for use among the plurality of premises based communication systems and the private hosted resource is implemented in the virtual private cloud and configured for use only by the given premises based communication system.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the portal is configured to control and manage enablement and access to at least some of the hosted resources for users of the given premises based communication system, the hosted resources providing at least one of a real time or non-real time communications service.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the account enable data comprises a unique identifier to identify the given premises based communication system,

wherein the given premises based communication system is authenticated with the multi-tenant hosted communication system based on the unique identifier, wherein the user data is sent, via the portal, to the multi-tenant hosted communication system in response to the authentication of the given premises based communication system.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the given premises based communication system further comprises local resources, resource controls to control access to the local resources by respective users based on the configuration data.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the multi-tenant hosted communication system further comprises a shared hosted resource and a private hosted resource for users of the plurality of premises based communication systems, wherein the shared hosted resource provides a non-real time communication service and the private hosted resource provides a real time communication service.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the cloud resource comprise at least one of a mobility router service, a fax service, a voicemail transcription service hosted as part of the multi-tenant hosted communication system.