Data backup and transfer across multiple cloud computing providers

• US 10,565,065 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2016
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Getac Technology Company Limited (MiTAC Holdings Corp.), Whp Workflow Solutions, LLC
• Original Assignee: Getac Technology Company Limited (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Guzik, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Anthony D
• Application Number:
  US15/197,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20170046230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 726 12
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45583 Memory management, e.g. access or allocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet

Abstract

Data may be stored across the clouds of multiple cloud computing providers to improve data security. Software infrastructure components of an original cloud computing provider storing data via a first virtual machine (VM) may be identified. Software infrastructure components of an alternative cloud computing provider that is to store the data via a second VM may also be identified. A comparison is performed to determine components missing from the alternative cloud computing provider. Accordingly, configuration data may be created to cause a VM configuration utility to provision the second virtual machine with the missing components at a runtime of the second virtual machine. The configuration data and a command to activate creation of the second virtual machine on a cloud of the alternative cloud computing provider is sent to the VM configuration utility. Subsequently, a backup or a transfer of the data from the first virtual machine to the second virtual machine may be initiated.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory including a plurality of computer-executable instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to perform a plurality of actions, the plurality of actions comprising;

dividing a data file into multiple data portions for storage at multiple cloud computing providers;

configuring software infrastructure components of the multiple cloud computing providers to store the data portions of the data file;

storing the data portions at different cloud computing providers of the multiple cloud computing providers;

determining a current or imminent security breach exists with respect to a target one of the data portions stored at a first cloud computing provider of the multiple cloud computing providers, the current or imminent security breach including an unauthorized or undesired access to the target data portion; and

initiating a transfer of the target data portion to an existing second cloud computing provider of the multiple cloud computing providers or a new cloud computing provider,

wherein the configuring includes;

receiving an infrastructure component specification that specifies common software infrastructure components of multiple cloud computing providers that are to store the data portions of the data file;

identifying software infrastructure components of a cloud computing provider that is to store a data portion of the data file via a virtual machine (VM);

determining one or more software infrastructure components that are missing from the cloud computing provider;

generating configuration data that causes a VM configuration utility to provision the VM to be created by the cloud computing provider with the one or more missing software infrastructure components at a runtime of the VM;

sending the configuration data and a command to activate creation of the VM on a cloud of the cloud computing provider to the VM configuration utility; and

initiating storage of the data portion in the VM in response to the VM configuration utility causing the cloud computing provider to create the VM and provisioning the VM with the one or more missing software infrastructure components from another cloud computing provider.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data file includes at least one of one or more data assets that are captured by a user device or metadata that is associated with the one or more data assets, and wherein a data asset is an audio recording, a video recording, or a multimedia recording that captures an event that is related to a crime.

3. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that upon execution cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

identifying software infrastructure components of an original cloud computing provider that is currently storing data via a first virtual machine (VM);

identifying software infrastructure components of an alternative cloud computing provider that is to store at least one portion of the data via a second VM, the second VM to be created by the alternative cloud computing provider;

determining one or more software infrastructure components that are missing from the alternative cloud computing provider;

generating configuration data that causes a VM configuration utility to provision the second VM to be created by the alternative cloud computing provider with the one or more missing software infrastructure components at a runtime of the second VM;

sending the configuration data and a command to activate creation of the second VM on a cloud of the alternative cloud computing provider to the VM configuration utility; and

initiating a backup or a transfer of at least one portion of the data from the first VM to the second VM in response to the VM configuration utility causing the alternative cloud computing provider to create the second VM and provisioning the second VM with the one or more missing software infrastructure components.

4. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 3, wherein the VM configuration utility provisions the second VM at the runtime with the one or more missing software infrastructure components from a third-party provider.

5. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 3, wherein the backup includes backing up the at least one portion of the data from the first VM to the second VM according to a mirroring or striping scheme.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the initiating the backup or the transfer includes:

deactivating delivery of any new incoming data used to provide a particular cloud service to a first VM of the original cloud computing provider;

initiating provisioning of a second VM of the alternative cloud computing provider with the new incoming data;

initiating copying of existing data from the first VM of the original cloud computing provider to the second VM of the alternative cloud computing provider;

activating execution of the particular cloud service on the second VM of the alternative cloud computing provider based on the existing data and any new incoming data;

initiating a deactivation of the first VM on the original cloud computing provider; and

activating deletion of the existing data from a cloud of the original cloud computing provider.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 3, wherein the initiating the backup or the transfer includes initiating a straight copying of generic data from the first VM to the second VM or initiating loading of application-specific data stored in a database of the first VM into a database of the VM via a data loader, wherein the application-specific data includes data that is at least one of used by a server application, used by a custom application, or in a proprietary database format.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the data loader is triggered to load the application-specific data by the VM configuration utility or a scheduler.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 3, wherein the identifying the software infrastructure components of the original and alternative computing cloud providers includes performing the identifying in response to:

a command to transfer or backup the at least one portion of the data from the original cloud computing provider to the alternative cloud computing provider,

a determination that the original cloud computing provider failed to fulfill a corresponding service level agreement (SLA) with respect to the data, or

a determination that a current or imminent security breach exists with respect to the data.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 3, wherein the software infrastructure components of the original cloud computing provider and the alternative cloud computing provider differ in at least one server infrastructure component, at least one cloud infrastructure component, or at least one application component.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 3, wherein the data include at least one of one or more data assets that are captured by a user device or metadata that is associated with the one or more data assets.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein a data asset is an audio recording, a video recording, or a multimedia recording that captures an event that is related to a crime.

13. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

identifying software infrastructure components of an original cloud computing provider that is currently storing data via a first virtual machine (VM), the data including at least one of one or more data assets that are captured by a user device or metadata that is associated with the one or more data assets;

identifying software infrastructure components of an alternative cloud computing provider that is to store at least one portion of the data via a second VM, the second VM to be created by the alternative cloud computing provider;

determining one or more software infrastructure components that are missing from the alternative cloud computing provider;

generating configuration data that causes a VM configuration utility to provision the second VM to be created by the alternative cloud computing provider with the one or more missing software infrastructure components at a runtime of the second VM;

sending the configuration data and a command to activate creation of the second VM on a cloud of the alternative cloud computing provider to the VM configuration utility; and

initiating a backup or a transfer of at least one portion of the data from the first VM to the second VM in response to the VM configuration utility causing the alternative cloud computing provider to create the second VM and provisioning the second VM with the one or more missing software infrastructure components from a third-party provider.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the data asset is an audio recording, a video recording, or a multimedia recording that captures an event that is related to a crime.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the backup includes backing up the at least one portion of the data from the first VM to the second VM according to a mirroring or striping scheme.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the initiating the backup or the transfer includes:

deactivating delivery of any new incoming data used to provide a particular cloud service to a first VM of the original cloud computing provider;

initiating provisioning of a second VM of the alternative cloud computing provider with the new incoming data;

initiating copying of existing data from the first VM of the original cloud computing provider to the second VM of the alternative cloud computing provider;

activating execution of the particular cloud service on the second VM of the alternative cloud computing provider based on the existing data and any new incoming data;

initiating a deactivation of the first VM on the original cloud computing provider; and

activating deletion of the existing data from a cloud of the original cloud computing provider.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the initiating the backup or the transfer includes initiating a straight copying of generic data from the first VM to the second VM or initiating loading of application-specific data stored in a database of the first VM into a database of the VM via a data loader, wherein the application-specific data includes data that is at least one of used by a server application, used by a custom application, or in a proprietary database format.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the identifying the software infrastructure components of the original and alternative computing cloud providers includes performing the identifying in response to:

a command to transfer or backup the at least one portion of the data from the original cloud computing provider to the alternative cloud computing provider,

a determination that the original cloud computing provider failed to fulfill a corresponding service level agreement (SLA) with respect to the data, or

a determination that an existing or imminent security breach exists with respect to the data.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the software infrastructure components of the original cloud computing provider and the alternative cloud computing provider differ in at least one server infrastructure component, at least one cloud infrastructure component, or at least one application component.