SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ADVANCED CONTROL TOOLS FOR ADMINISTRATORS IN A CLOUD-BASED SERVICE

• US 20140033324A1
• Filed: 07/30/2013
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Inventors: Kiang, Andy, Tu, Kevin, Sheffield, Philip, Vinnik, Natalia, Vaughn, Alexander, Heilig, Timothy, Tatarchenko, Elena Andreevna, Duvall, Matthew Taro
• Granted Patent: US 9,794,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable

Abstract

A cloud-based platform (e.g., cloud-based collaboration and/or storage platform/service) is described that provides advanced control tools for administrators of an enterprise account. The advanced control tools permit the administrator to set mobile security settings for mobile devices running applications that allow a user to access enterprise data in the cloud-based platform; activity notification archiving; support for multiple email domains; automation processes; and policies. The settings selected by the administrator are applied enterprise-wide within the cloud-based platform.

Claims

1. A method of setting mobile security settings for mobile devices used to access data provided by users in a cloud collaboration environment, the method comprising:

receiving by a server from an administrator of an enterprise account of the cloud collaboration environment an indication whether data is permitted to be downloaded from the cloud collaboration environment to a mobile device of a user associated with the enterprise account;

transmitting by the server the indication to a mobile device application running on a given mobile device, wherein the mobile device application prevents the user of the given mobile device from downloading data from the enterprise account in the cloud collaboration environment to the mobile device if indicated by the administrator.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by the server from the administrator a duration of inactivity on the mobile device after which a passcode lock is required to be entered by a user to access data from the enterprise account in the cloud collaboration environment via the mobile device application;

transmitting by the server to the mobile device application the duration, wherein the mobile device application enforces the requirement for entry of the passcode lock after the duration of inactivity has occurred.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission of the indication occurs in response to a request from the mobile device application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the request is made by the mobile device application after the user logs in to the mobile device application.

5. A system of a cloud-based collaboration environment which provides enhanced configurable mobile security settings, the system comprising:

a processor;

a memory having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the system to;

receive from an administrator of an enterprise account on a cloud collaboration environment an indication regarding whether data is permitted to be downloaded from the cloud collaboration environment to a mobile device of a user associated with the enterprise account;

transmit the indication to a mobile device application running on a given mobile device, wherein the mobile device application prevents the user of the given mobile device from downloading data from the enterprise account in the cloud collaboration environment to the mobile device if indicated by the administrator.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the system is further caused to

receive from the administrator a duration of inactivity on the mobile device after which a passcode lock is required to be entered by a user to access data from the enterprise account in the cloud collaboration environment via the mobile device application;

transmit to the mobile device application the duration, wherein the mobile device application enforces the requirement for entry of the passcode lock after the duration of inactivity has occurred.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein transmission of the indication occurs in response to a request from the mobile device application, and further wherein the request is made by the mobile device application after the user logs in to the mobile device application.

8. A method for ensuring compliance in a cloud collaboration environment, the method, comprising:

receiving by a server from an administrator of an enterprise account of a cloud collaboration environment a location to which compliance emails should be transmitted;

upon detecting by the server a communication from a first user associated with the enterprise account to at least a second user within the cloud collaboration environment, sending a compliance email with the communication to the location.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a header of the email includes a first identity of the first user and a second identity of the at least the second user.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving by the server from the administrator one or more activities for which communications are to be archived,

wherein the compliance email is sent by the server when the communication is related to the one or more activities within the cloud collaboration environment.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the activities to be archived are selected from:

comments, discussions, assigning tasks, and invitations.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the location is an email address of the first user.

13. A machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:

receive from an administrator of an enterprise account of a cloud collaboration environment a location to which compliance emails should be transmitted;

upon detection of a communication from a first user associated with the enterprise account to at least a second user within the cloud collaboration environment, send a compliance email with the communication to the location.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the processor is further caused to:

receive from the administrator one or more activities for which communications are to be archived,

wherein the compliance email is sent by the server when the communication is related to the one or more activities within the cloud collaboration environment.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the activities to be archived are selected from:

comments, discussions, assigning tasks, and invitations.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the location is an email address of the first user.

17. A method comprising

receiving by a server from an administrator of an enterprise account of a cloud collaboration environment multiple email domains of users to be permitted to access links to data hosted on the cloud collaboration environment within the enterprise account;

permitting by the server users having an email address with one of the multiple email domains to access links to data within the cloud collaboration environment, and denying access to users not having an email address with one of the multiple email domains.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

permitting by the server a collaborator to access links to data within the within the cloud collaboration environment regardless of whether the collaborator has an email address with one of the multiple email domains.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving by the server privileges granted to link viewers;

enforcing by the server the privileges for the link viewers.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

subsequently receiving by the server from the administrator a first notification that all users can access links to data hosted on the cloud collaboration environment within the enterprise account;

permitting by the server all users to access links.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

subsequently receiving by the server from the administrator a second notification that only collaborators of a folder within the cloud collaboration environment can access links to data in the folder;

permitting by the server only collaborators of the folder within the cloud collaboration environment to access links to data in the folder.

22. A system comprising:

a processor;

a memory having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the system to;

receive from an administrator of an enterprise account of a cloud collaboration environment multiple email domains to be permitted to access links to data hosted on the cloud collaboration environment within the enterprise account;

permit users having an email address with one of the multiple email domains to access links to data within the cloud collaboration environment, and denying access to users not having an email address with one of the multiple email domains.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the system is further caused to:

permit a collaborator to access links to data within the cloud collaboration environment regardless of whether the collaborator has an email address with one of the multiple email domains.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the system is further caused to:

receive privileges granted to link viewers;

enforce the privileges for the link viewers.

25. A method comprising:

receiving by a server from an administrator of an enterprise account of a cloud collaboration environment a condition, wherein the condition is an action performed by a user associated with the enterprise account within the cloud collaboration environment;

receiving by the server from the administrator an action to be performed when the condition has occurred;

monitoring by the server the condition within the enterprise account of the cloud collaboration environment;

performing by the server the action when the condition has been met.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the condition is when an object is uploaded to the cloud collaboration environment and the object contains a social security number, a credit card number, custom words, or custom numbers.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the action is selected from:

moving the object to quarantine, tracking the uploaded object for reporting, and sending a notification to a specified email address.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the condition is when at least a minimum number of objects are downloaded from the cloud collaboration environment within a specified time period.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the action is selected from:

tracking the downloaded objects for reporting, and sending a notification to a specified email address.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the condition is when an object is shared with a user with a specified email domain.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the action is selected from:

moving the object to quarantine, tracking the shared object for reporting, and sending a notification to a specified email address.

35. The method of claim 25, wherein the condition is when an object is shared with a user at a specified email domain, and further wherein the action is selected from:

moving the object to quarantine, tracking the shared object for reporting, and sending a notification to a specified email address.

32. A system comprising:

means for receiving from an administrator of an enterprise account of a cloud collaboration environment a condition, wherein the condition is an action performed by a user associated with the enterprise account within the cloud collaboration environment;

means for receiving from the administrator an action to be performed when the condition has occurred;

means for monitoring the condition within the enterprise account of the cloud collaboration environment;

means for performing the action when the condition has been met.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the condition is when an object is uploaded to the cloud collaboration environment and the object contains a social security number, a credit card number, custom words, or custom numbers, and further wherein the action is selected from:

moving the object to quarantine, tracking the uploaded object for reporting, and sending a notification to a specified email address.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the condition is when at least a minimum number of objects are downloaded from the cloud collaboration environment with a specified time period, and further wherein the action is selected from:

tracking the downloaded objects for reporting, and sending a notification to a specified email address.