Security policy management for network devices
First Claim
1. A method for automatically provisioning a plurality of computing devices in accordance with established policies, the method comprising the steps of:
- creating a plurality of templates reflecting said policies;
expanding at least one template at a central location; and
providing the expanded information to said plurality of computing devices.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a system and method for use within a computer network that allows for automated provisioning, configuration, and maintenance of the servers and other devices connected to a computer network in accordance with established policies. This system and method make use of templates which represent security polices which are applicable to all devices within the system, a subset of the devices, or a particular type of device. In addition, the template structure includes conditional statements which allows for flexibility in defining the policies.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method for automatically provisioning a plurality of computing devices in accordance with established policies, the method comprising the steps of:
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creating a plurality of templates reflecting said policies;
expanding at least one template at a central location; and
providing the expanded information to said plurality of computing devices. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13)
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8. A system for automatically provisioning a plurality of computing devices in accordance with established policies, the system comprising:
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a database system which stores a plurality of templates which reflect said polices;
a plurality of agents which are respectively resident on each of said plurality of computing devices, and which communicate with said database system to obtain information with regard to provisioning and maintenance of the respective computing devices; and
a communications gateway through which communication messages are exchanged between said agents and said database system, wherein said communications gateway is configured to;
retrieve the plurality of templates;
expand the plurality templates; and
provided the expanded information to said plurality of agents. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification