Data protection analytics in cloud computing platform

• US 10,270,796 B1
• Filed: 03/25/2016
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Veeraswamy, Sairam, Singhal, Upanshu
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahmed, Mahabub S
• Application Number:
  US15/081,246
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 726 25
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1433 Vulnerability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

A system includes a metadata monitor configured to discover and manage metadata associated with a plurality of data protection mechanisms distributed and operating throughout a computing platform, and metadata representing a schema of the computing platform and one or more user applications executed thereon. The system also includes a data protection analytics manager comprising a set of one or more data protection analytics applications configured to determine, from the metadata, which resources are and are not protected by the plurality of data protection mechanisms. For the protected resources, the data protection analytics applications are configured to compute an effectiveness value, and for the non-protected resources, the data protection analytics applications are configure to compute an exposure value. A data protection model can then be adapted in a data protection mechanism-agnostic manner.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more processing devices operatively coupled via a communications network;

a metadata monitor operatively coupled to a computing platform, each of the metadata monitor and the computing platform are implemented by the one or more processing devices, wherein the metadata monitor is configured to discover and manage metadata associated with a plurality of data protection mechanisms distributed and operating throughout the computing platform, and metadata representing a schema of the computing platform and one or more user applications executed on the computing platform;

a data protection analytics manager, implemented by the one or more processing devices, operatively coupled to the metadata monitor, and comprising a set of one or more data protection analytics applications configured to determine, from the metadata discovered and managed by the metadata monitor, which resources of the computing platform are protected by the plurality of data protection mechanisms and which resources of the computing platform are not protected by the plurality of data protection mechanisms; and

a user interface, implemented by the one or more processing devices;

wherein, for the protected resources, the set of one or more data protection analytics applications is configured to compute an effectiveness value attributable to the plurality of data protection mechanisms, and for the non-protected resources, the set of one or more data protection analytics applications is configured to compute an exposure value attributable to the lack of data protection mechanisms;

wherein the data protection analytics manager is further configured to adapt a data protection model defined by the plurality of data protection mechanisms in a data protection mechanism-agnostic manner based on results of executing the set of one or more data protection analytics applications;

wherein, in computing the effectiveness value attributable to the plurality of data protection mechanisms, the set of one or more data protection analytics applications is configured to;

determine dependencies of the one or more user applications on each other;

determine whether a backup configuration of the one or more dependent user applications is asymmetric; and

mark as anomalous any backup configurations determined to be asymmetric;

wherein the user interface is configured to report the anomalous backup configurations.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing platform comprises a software defined data center.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing platform comprises a hybrid cloud computing deployment.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing platform comprises an on-premise infrastructure and an off-premise infrastructure.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing platform comprises a big data platform.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more data protection analytics applications is further configured to generate a snapshot of the computing platform.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more data protection analytics applications is further configured to determine a root cause of one or more failures of the plurality of data protection mechanisms.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more data protection analytics applications is further configured to perform data protection capacity analysis and prediction.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more data protection analytics applications is further configured to determine service level objective conformance of the data protection model.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more data protection analytics applications is further configured to provide a data copy management function configured to mine metadata that keeps track of how many copies of the instances of an application are maintained in the computing platform and their profile;

and return one or more results representing an effectiveness of the data protection mechanisms, the one or more results comprising;

(i) the number of copies of application instance data maintained in the computing platform;

(ii) the total size of the data and metadata for all the copies;

(iii) a topology map of the copies for the data instances along with its history;

(iv) a heat-map analysis indicating when a copy was last used;

(v) an efficiency analysis indicating copy location; and

(vi) the total cost of the copy with a detailed cost break-down analysis when requested.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more data protection analytics applications is further configured to provide a vulnerability function that provides a detailed analysis into service level risk given the data protection model.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more data protection analytics applications is further configured to provide a failure mode analysis function.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is further configured to one or more of:

present copies of a data instance of an application on one or more views, wherein the one or more views comprise point in time views of data instances and their profiles as well as the level of protection of an application being offered;

present a centralized view of the managed copies in a backup infrastructure agnostic manner; and

present a graph-based view of the protected applications, their data set and their cost of storing and accessing them for restore.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of mobile agents distributed throughout the computing platform and configured to collect and report metadata to the metadata monitor.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of mobile agents are further configured to crawl through the resources of the computing platform, and mine relevant application information from the crawled resources.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the one or more user applications are configured to each provide an application programming interface configured to report application profile information to the metadata monitor.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the one or more user applications are configured to be responsive to a REST-based application programming interface configured to report application profile information to the metadata monitor.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the metadata monitor obtains metadata from at least one of:

a data center management console;

user-assisted discovery; and

an active directory service.

19. A method, comprising

discovering and managing metadata, via a metadata monitor operatively coupled to a computing platform, wherein each of the metadata monitor and the computing platform are implemented by one or more processing devices, and wherein the metadata is associated with a plurality of data protection mechanisms distributed and operating throughout the computing platform, and the metadata represents a schema of the computing platform and one or more user applications executed on the computing platform;

executing a set of one or more data protection analytics applications, via a data protection analytics manager implemented by the one or more processing devices and operatively coupled to the metadata monitor, wherein the set of one or more data protection analytics applications are configured to determine, from the metadata discovered and managed by the metadata monitor, which resources of the computing platform are protected by the plurality of data protection mechanisms and which resources of the computing platform are not protected by the plurality of data protection mechanisms, wherein, for the protected resources, the set of one or more data protection analytics applications is configured to compute an effectiveness value attributable to the plurality of data protection mechanisms, and for the non-protected resources, the set of one or more data protection analytics applications is configured to compute an exposure value attributable to the lack of data protection mechanisms;

adapting, via the data protection analytics manager, a data protection model defined by the plurality of data protection mechanisms in a data protection mechanism-agnostic manner based on results of executing the set of one or more data protection analytics applications;

wherein, in computing the effectiveness value attributable to the plurality of data protection mechanisms, the set of one or more data protection analytics applications is configured to;

determine dependencies of the one or more user applications on each other;

determine whether a backup configuration of the one or more dependent user applications is asymmetric; and

mark as anomalous any backup configurations determined to be asymmetric;

reporting, via a user interface, the anomalous backup configurations.

20. An article of manufacture comprising a processor-readable storage medium having encoded therein executable code of one or more software programs, wherein the one or more software programs when executed by one or more processing devices implement the steps of:

discovering and managing metadata, via a metadata monitor operatively coupled to a computing platform, wherein each of the metadata monitor and the computing platform are implemented by the one or more processing devices, and wherein the metadata is associated with a plurality of data protection mechanisms distributed and operating throughout the computing platform, and the metadata represents a schema of the computing platform and one or more user applications executed on the computing platform;

executing a set of one or more data protection analytics applications, via a data protection analytics manager implemented by the one or more processing devices and operatively coupled to the metadata monitor, wherein the set of one or more data protection analytics applications are configured to determine, from the metadata discovered and managed by the metadata monitor, which resources of the computing platform are protected by the plurality of data protection mechanisms and which resources of the computing platform are not protected by the plurality of data protection mechanisms, wherein, for the protected resources, the set of one or more data protection analytics applications is configured to compute an effectiveness value attributable to the plurality of data protection mechanisms, and for the non-protected resources, the set of one or more data protection analytics applications is configured to compute an exposure value attributable to the lack of data protection mechanisms;

adapting, via the data protection analytics manager, a data protection model defined by the plurality of data protection mechanisms in a data protection mechanism-agnostic manner based on results of executing the set of one or more data protection analytics applications,

wherein, in computing the effectiveness value attributable to the plurality of data protection mechanisms, the set of one or more data protection analytics applications is configured to;

determine dependencies of the one or more user applications on each other;

determine whether a backup configuration of the one or more dependent user applications is asymmetric; and

mark as anomalous any backup configurations determined to be asymmetric;

reporting, via a user interface, the anomalous backup configurations.