Mobile device management

• US 10,034,259 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2014
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stricklen, Michael, McHale, Thomas, Caminetsky, Marc, Pagadala, Venkat Reddy
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Dung
• Application Number:
  US14/556,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20150133087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: 455418-420, 4554142, 4554561, 4554566
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

The invention provides systems and methods for managing mobile devices of supported by different platforms. In some embodiments, the invention provides this management capability by utilizing one or more agents or modules native to the platforms themselves to provide interaction with individual mobile. In some embodiments, the invention provides an abstraction layer by which management tasks or other functions relating to mobile devices of different types may be generally defined and translated for application to mobile devices supported by different platforms. In some embodiments, the invention utilizes existing organizational structure of an enterprise or organization to define management permission for mobile device administrators and end users as well as to define policy configuration schemes for mobile devices. In some embodiments, the invention tracks the lifecycle of mobile devices within an enterprise or organization as assets within the organization.

Claims

1. A system to manage a plurality of mobile devices of an organization via a common interface, the system comprising:

a registration module configured to receive an identifier for each of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein each identifier enables identification of a platform operating on its respective mobile device from the plurality of mobile devices and receive, for at least two of the plurality of mobile devices, end user information regarding one or more end users, wherein at least the end user information is obtained from an enterprise directory of the organization, wherein the registration module is authenticated and authorized by an application to the enterprise directory and wherein the end user information from the enterprise directory comprises access control and/or permissions data; and

a management module configured to determine a management task definition for a management task to be performed on at least two of the mobile devices, based at least in part on the end user information, and determine, using the received identifiers from the at least two mobile devices, a first platform operating on at least a first of the at least two mobile devices and a second platform operating on at least a second of the at least two mobile devices,

wherein a first platform server formulates instructions, specific to the first platform, to perform the management task on the at least first device, and

wherein a second platform server formulates instructions, specific to the second platform, to perform the management task on the at least second device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the registration module is configured to receive, from a user, location information regarding the end user information within the enterprise directory, wherein the location information comprises a path name for the enterprise directory.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the end user information comprises information that is used to determine the end user'"'"'s data permissions within the organization.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein employees of the organization are associated with one or more departments of the organization and wherein end user information comprises information regarding one or more departments associated with the end user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the management task comprises applying a policy to one or more of the mobile devices, the policy comprising one or more configuration sets specifying configuration information for the one or more mobile devices.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the management task comprises retrieving status information from one or more of the mobile devices, the status information including at least a logical state of each of the one or more mobile devices, the logical state including an indication of the use of each of the one or more mobile devices as an asset within the organization, wherein assets within the organization are tracked by an asset inventory application.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the management task definition is based on authentication or authorization information stored in the enterprise directory.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the end user information comprises enterprise role information regarding an end user'"'"'s association with the organization.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the end user information comprises information relating to one or more mobile devices of the plurality of mobile devices associated with the end user.

10. A method to manage a plurality of mobile devices of an organization via a common interface, the method comprising:

receiving an identifier for each of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein each identifier enables identification of a platform operating on its respective mobile device from the plurality of mobile devices;

retrieving, for at least two of the plurality of mobile devices and using a registration module, end user information regarding one or more end users, wherein at least the end user information is obtained from an enterprise directory of the organization, wherein the registration module is authenticated and authorized by an application to the enterprise directory and wherein the end user information from the enterprise directory comprises access control and/or permissions data;

determining a management task definition for a management task to be performed on at least two of the mobile devices, based at least in part on the end user information;

determining, using the received identifiers from the at least two mobile devices, a first platform operating on at least a first of the at least two mobile devices and a second platform operating on at least a second of the at least two mobile devices;

causing a first platform server to formulate instructions, specific to the first platform, to perform the management task on the at least first device; and

causing a second platform server to formulate instructions, specific to the second platform, to perform the management task on the at least second device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving, from a user, location information regarding the end user information within the enterprise directory, wherein the location information comprises a path name for the enterprise directory.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the end user information comprises information that is used to determine the end user'"'"'s data permissions within the organization.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein employees of the organization are associated with one or more departments of the organization and wherein end user information comprises information regarding one or more departments associated with the end user.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the management task comprises applying a policy to one or more of the mobile devices, the policy comprising one or more configuration sets specifying configuration information for the one or more mobile devices.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the management task comprises retrieving status information from one or more of the mobile devices, the status information including at least a logical state of each of the one or more mobile devices, the logical state including an indication of the use of each of the one or more mobile devices as an asset within the organization, wherein assets within the organization are tracked by an asset inventory application.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the management task definition is based on authentication or authorization information stored in the enterprise directory.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the end user information comprises enterprise role information regarding an end user'"'"'s association with the organization.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the end user information comprises information relating to one or more mobile devices of the plurality of mobile devices associated with the end user.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions thereon to manage a plurality of mobile devices of an organization via a common interface, the instructions, when executed by a processing device, causing the processing device to perform a plurality of operations comprising:

receiving an identifier for each of the plurality of mobile devices, wherein each identifier enables identification of a platform operating on its respective mobile device from the plurality of mobile devices;

retrieving, for at least two of the plurality of mobile devices and using a registration module, end user information regarding one or more end users, wherein at least the end user information is obtained from an enterprise directory of the organization, wherein the registration module is authenticated and authorized by an application to the enterprise directory and wherein the end user information from the enterprise directory comprises access control and/or permissions data;

determining a management task definition for a management task to be performed on at least two of the mobile devices, based at least in part on the end user information;

determining, using the received identifiers from the at least two mobile devices, a first platform operating on at least a first of the at least two mobile devices and a second platform operating on at least a second of the at least two mobile devices;

causing a first platform server to formulate instructions, specific to the first platform, to perform the management task on the at least first device; and

causing a second platform server to formulate instructions, specific to the second platform, to perform the management task on the at least second device.