System and method for managing computer and phone network resources

• US 6,292,801 B1
• Filed: 09/30/1999
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Telemate Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Telemate.Met Software, Inc.
• Inventors: Jones, Kent H., McAbee-Reher, Raphael D., Mauro, Richard L., Jensen, Morten S., Campbell, Rene L., Rau, Dean D., OʼReilly, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US09/410,114
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 704/9, 704/10, 707/5, 707/10, 707/200, 707/523, 379/115, 379/112, 709/228, 370/338, 370/349, 434/350
• US Class Current: 379/9.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13003 Constructional details of switching devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1305 Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1309 Apparatus individually associated with a subscriber line, line circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13092 Scanning of subscriber lines, monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13093 Personal computer, PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13097 Numbering, addressing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13202 Network termination [NT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1322 PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13339 Ciphering, encryption, security
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13349 Network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13353 Routing table, map memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0062 Provisions for network management
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0087 Network testing or monitoring arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/953 : Organization of data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 : Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 : Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A system tracks ownership data for data resources coupled on a network. The system includes a data extractor for extracting data resource communication activity data from a plurality of network activity data sources, a database of organizational data resource ownership data, and a communication activity report generator for correlating extracted data resource communication activity data and organizational data resource ownership data so that ownership of communication activity may be tracked. The data extractor obtains network activity data from a variety of data sources such as firewalls, routers, servers, and PBXs. Network activity data about communication activity may be obtained directly from the data resources initiating the communication activity or from data sources that handle communication activity initiated by a data resource. The network activity data are then processed to extract data resource communication activity data. Organizational data resource ownership data includes data for identifying the data resources from which communication activity data are extracted and the organizational entities owning the data resources. Typically, these organizational entities include company data, division data, department data, and owner data. This data may then be linked to identify an owner as being associated with a particular department and division within a company. The communication activity report generator may be used to generate a response to a directory query or a history query. A response to a directory query identifies one or more data resources and the ownership data linked to that device. A response to a history query identifies for a particular time period, one or more data resources, the network activity initiated by those data resources and ownership data linked to those data resources.

Claims

1. A system for tracking ownership of network activity of data resources comprising:

a data extractor for extracting data resource communication activity data from a plurality of different kinds of network activity data sources including at least two of a router, web server, firewall/proxy server, private branch exchange (PBX), and calling card import, the data extractor including a reformatting module for converting network activity data into data resource communication activity data;

a database of organizational data resource ownership data; and

a communication activity report generator for correlating extracted data resource communication activity data and organizational data resources ownership data so that ownership of communication activity may be tracked.

2. The system of claim 1, said data extractor further comprising:

a reformatting module for converting network activity data to data resource communication activity data.

3. The system of claim 2, said data extractor further comprising:

a costing module for computing costing data for data resource communication activity data; and

a merging module for merging said costing data and said data resource communication activity data in a said database.

4. The system of claim 3, said data extractor further comprising:

an alarm module for comparing said data resource communication activity data to thresholds.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said alarm module also generates alarm data in response to said data resource communication activity data exceeding said thresholds;

and

said merging module merges said alarm data into said database.

6. The system of claim 1, said database further comprising:

organizational data tables for containing organizational component data; and

join tables for linking adjoining organizational data tables so that an owner of a data resource may be identified by said join tables.

7. The system of claim 6, said database further comprising:

a history table for containing ownership data for a data resource for a specified time period.

8. The system of claim 1, said communication activity data report generator further comprising:

a directory interface for providing a view of organizational data stored in said database; and

a reporting interface for defining a report object to query said database.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said merging module implements rules for maintaining referential integrity of said data resource communication activity data stored in said database.

19. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the data resource communication activity data includes session date/time and origination identifier data.

10. A method for tracking ownership of the network activity of data resources comprising:

extracting data resource communication activity data from a plurality of different kinds of network activity data sources including at least two of a router, web server, firewall/proxy server, private branch exchange (PBX), and calling card import;

converting network activity data into data resource communication activity data;

storing organizational data resource ownership data; and

correlating extracted data resource communication activity data and organization data resource ownership data so that ownership of communication activity may be tracked.

11. The method of claim 10, said extraction further comprising:

converting network activity data to data resource communication activity data.

12. The method of claim 11, said extraction further comprising:

computing costing data for data resource communication activity data; and

merging said costing data and said data resource communication activity data in a database.

13. The method of claim 12, said extraction further comprising:

comparing said data resource communication activity data to thresholds.

14. The method of claim 12, said comparison further comprising:

generating alarm data in response to said data resource communication activity data exceeding said thresholds; and

merging said alarm data into said database.

15. The method of claim 10, said storage further comprising:

storing organizational component data; and

linking organizational component data to identify an owner of a data resource.

16. The method of claim 15, said storage further comprising:

storing data to identify ownership data for a data resource for a specified time period.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing a view of organizational data stored in said database; and

defining a report object to query said database.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

maintaining referential integrity of said data resource communication activity data stored in said database.

20. A method of claim 10 wherein the data resource communication activity data includes session date/time and origination identifier data.

21. A system for tracking ownership of network activity of data resources, the system comprising:

a data extractor for extracting data resource communication activity data from a plurality of different kinds of network activity data sources including at least two of a router, web server, firewall/proxy server, private branch exchange (PBX), and calling card import;

a database of organizational data resource ownership data; and

a communication activity report generator for correlating extracted data resource communication activity data and organizational data resources ownership data so that ownership of communication activity may be tracked.

22. A method for tracking ownership of the network activity of data resources, the method comprising:

extracting data resource communication activity data from a plurality of different kinds of network activity data sources including at least two of a router, web server, firewall/proxy server, private branch exchange (PBX), and calling card import;

storing organizational data resource ownership data; and

correlating extracted data resource communication activity data and organization data resource ownership data so that ownership of communication activity may be tracked.