System and Method for Secure Third-Party Development and Hosting within a Financial Services Network

• US 20110035303A1
• Filed: 10/25/2010
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Pfost, Jarrod E., Waterston, Michael L., Jakstadt, Eric G., Badari, Vasantha
• Application Number:
  US12/911,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20110035303A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

The system and method described herein secures third-party content development and hosts the content development within a financial services network. According to an aspect of the described technique, a development account uniquely identifying authorized developers is established on a development server, developed content is posted to the development account, and an automated validation agent validates the developed content.

Claims

1. A method for developing content for an on-line system, the method comprising:

establishing a development account and storage space on a development server, uniquely identifying authorized developers;

posting developed content to the development account space on the development server; and

invoking an automated validation agent to validate the developed content, before promoting the developed content to a production level of the system.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein establishing the biller development account comprises:

registering third-party certifications with the development system, uniquely identifying third-party developers.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the third-party developed content passed validation; and

propagating third-party content files from the development server to a production server for dissemination to one or more web servers.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein a user accesses the third-party developed content via the web servers.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the web servers host an electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) service.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the EBPP service includes content developed and hosted independent of the web server.

7. A method according to claim 3, wherein propagating third-party content files to the production server comprises:

simulating consumer load on the content files; and

propagating the content files to one or more web servers upon successful completion of load testing.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the development system comprises a secure development resource to enable authorized third-party content developers to remotely develop content.