SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING AND MONITORING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20100318642A1
• Filed: 03/05/2010
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cricket Media, Inc. (Cricket Media Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Cricket Media, Inc. (Cricket Media Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Dozier, Linda
• Application Number:
  US12/718,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20100318642A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

A system and method for providing and enforcing policy management and access control through a cloud-based computing system to other cloud-based computing systems via application programming interfaces.

Claims

1. A system for applying policies to cloud-based computing services comprising:

a policy management cloud that applies user-defined policies to multiple distinct groups, users, domains, objects, or interactions across a network; and

a plurality of computing clouds, wherein each computing cloud provides at least one cloud-based computing service;

wherein the policy management cloud is operatively coupled to the plurality of computing clouds and enforces the user-defined policies to groups, users, domains, objects, or interactions accessible through the at least one cloud-based computing service.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the user-defined policies reflect distinctions based on end-user attributes and operate on features, functions, data elements, searches, and interfaces.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the user-defined policies reflect distinctions based on end-user attributes other than access.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the user-defined attributes are roles, organizational units, location, sender, receiver, position in an organizational hierarchy, group membership, policy, user attributes.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the user attributes are age, race, social networking status, popularity, ranking, or transmission status.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the transmission status identifies the user as a spammer.

7. A system for applying policies to cloud-based computing services comprising:

a server that stores user-defined policies applicable to multiple distinct groups, users, domains, objects, or interactions across a network; and

a computing cloud, wherein the computing cloud provides at least one cloud-based computing service;

wherein the server is operatively coupled to the computing cloud and propagates to the computing cloud the user-defined policies applicable to the groups, users, domains, objects, or interactions, wherein at least one of the user-defined policies is recognized by and enforced by the at least one cloud-based computing service.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the user-defined policies reflect distinctions based on end-user attributes and operate on features, functions, data elements, searches, and interfaces.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the user-defined policies reflect distinctions based on end-user attributes other than access.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the user-defined attributes are roles, organizational units, location, sender, receiver, position in an organizational hierarchy, group membership, policy, user attributes.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the user attributes are age, race, social networking status, popularity, ranking, or transmission status.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the transmission status identifies the user as a spammer.

13. A method for applying policies to cloud-based computing services:

establishing a policy management cloud configured to apply user-defined policies to multiple distinct groups, users, domains, objects, or interactions across a network;

operatively connecting the policy management cloud to a plurality of computing clouds, wherein each computing cloud provides at least one cloud-based computing service; and

enforcing via the policy management cloud the user-defined policies to groups, users, domains, objects, or interactions accessible through the at least one cloud-based computing service.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the user-defined policies reflect distinctions based on end-user attributes and operate on features, functions, data elements, searches, and interfaces.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the user-defined policies reflect distinctions based on end-user attributes other than access.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the user-defined attributes are roles, organizational units, location, sender, receiver, position in an organizational hierarchy, group membership, policy, user attributes.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the user attributes are age, race, social networking status, popularity, ranking, or transmission status.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the transmission status identifies the user as a spammer.