METHODS AND APPARATUS TO GRANT ACCESS TO CLOUD COMPUTING RESOURCES

• US 20170006032A1
• Filed: 06/30/2015
• Published: 01/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Simpson, Glen Robert, Giannesini, Didier, Ross, Clive Ilan
• Granted Patent: US 10,075,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/144 Query formulation
• 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: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

An example method to grant authorization to a user for accessing a cloud computing resource involves receiving a first message from a user via a social media interface. The first message includes a request to access a cloud computing resource. The example method involves determining whether the user is authorized to access the cloud computing resource. When the user is not authorized to access the cloud computing resource, the example method involves determining whether the authorization can be automatically granted without human intervention. When the authorization can be automatically granted without human intervention, the authorization is granted to the user. When the authorization cannot be automatically granted, a second message is sent to an administrator to request the human intervention to grant the user the authorization to access the cloud computing resource.

Claims

1. A method to grant authorization to a user for accessing a cloud computing resource, the method comprising:

receiving a first message from a user via a social media interface, the first message including a request to access the cloud computing resource;

determining, with a processor and using an autonomous computer-executable process, whether the user is authorized to access the cloud computing resource;

when the user is not authorized to access the cloud computing resource, determining, with the processor and using the autonomous computer-executable process, whether the authorization can be automatically granted without human intervention;

when the authorization can be automatically granted without human intervention, granting the authorization to the user; and

when the authorization cannot be automatically granted, sending a second message to an administrator to request the human intervention to grant to the user the authorization to access the cloud computing resource.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further including providing a third message via the social media interface using the autonomous computer-executable process, the third message informing the user that the request is not grantable and asking whether the user would like to obtain authorization to access the cloud computing resource, wherein determining whether the authorization can be automatically granted is performed when a user-selection is received indicating that the user would like to obtain authorization to access the cloud computing resource.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining whether the user is authorized to access the cloud computing resource includes determining whether a user profile of the user indicates that the user is authorized to access the cloud computing resource, the user profile to identify cloud computing resources that the user is authorized to access in a cloud computing system.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising accessing a pre-defined policy to determine whether the authorization can be automatically granted without the human intervention.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein the pre-defined policy is defined by an entity associated with a cloud computing system in which the cloud computing resource is located, the pre-defined policy to specify authorizations that are automatically grantable for a plurality of resources in the cloud computing system.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the social media interface is a real-time text-based chat session.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the cloud computing resource is at least one of a database, an application, and a virtual machine.

8. An apparatus to grant authorization to a user for accessing a cloud computing resource, the apparatus comprising:

a social media interface to receive a first message from a user, the first message including a request to access the cloud computing resource;

an entitlement analyzer to;

determine, using an autonomous computer-executable process, whether the user is authorized to access the cloud computing resource; and

determine, using the autonomous computer-executable process, whether the authorization can be automatically granted without human intervention; and

an entitlement interface to;

grant the authorization to the user when the authorization can be automatically granted without human intervention; and

send a second message to an administrator to request the human intervention to grant the authorization to the user to access the cloud computing resource when the authorization cannot be automatically granted.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, further including a conversation manager to provide a third message via the social media interface, the third message informing the user that the request is not grantable and asking whether the user would like to obtain authorization to access the cloud computing resource, wherein the entitlement analyzer determines whether the authorization can be automatically granted when a user-selection is received indicating that the user would like to obtain authorization to access the cloud computing resource.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the entitlement analyzer is to determine whether a user profile of the user indicates that the user is authorized to access the cloud computing resource, the user profile to identify cloud computing resources that the user is authorized to access in a cloud computing system.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the entitlement analyzer is to access a pre-defined policy to determine whether the authorization can be automatically granted without the human intervention.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the pre-defined policy is to be defined by an entity associated with a cloud computing system in which the cloud computing resource is located, the pre-defined policy to specify authorizations that are automatically grantable for a plurality of resources in the cloud computing system.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the social media interface is to be a real-time text-based chat session.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the cloud computing resource is to be at least one of a database, an application, and a virtual machine.

15. An article of manufacture comprising computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to at least:

receive a first message from a user via a social media interface, the first message including a request to access the cloud computing resource;

determine, using an autonomous computer-executable process, whether the user is authorized to access the cloud computing resource;

determine, using the autonomous computer-executable process, whether the authorization can be automatically granted without human intervention;

grant the authorization to the user when the authorization can be automatically granted without human intervention;

send a second message to an administrator to request the human intervention to grant the user the authorization to access the cloud computing resource when the authorization cannot be automatically granted.

16. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause a processor to provide a third message via the social media interface using the autonomous computer-executable process, the third message informing the user that the request is not grantable and asking whether the user would like to obtain authorization to access the cloud computing resource, wherein the instructions to determine whether the authorization can be automatically granted is performed when a user-selection is received indicating that the user would like to obtain authorization to access the cloud computing resource.

17. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to determine whether a user profile of the user indicates that the user is authorized to access the cloud computing resource, the user profile to identify cloud computing resources that the user is authorized to access in a cloud computing system.

18. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 15, further including instructions to access a pre-defined policy to determine whether the authorization can be automatically granted without the human intervention.

19. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 18, wherein the pre-defined policy is defined by an entity associated with a cloud computing system in which the cloud computing resource is located, the pre-defined policy to specify authorizations that are automatically grantable for a plurality of resources in the cloud computing system.

20. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 15, wherein the cloud computing resource is at least one of a database, an application, and a virtual machine.