Method and system for third party resource provisioning management

• US 6,871,232 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2001
• Issued: 03/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yeh, Frank Jr., Mildenberger, Kai, Curie, Jeffrey C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, David Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/800,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20020169876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/225, 709/226
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A method and system of provisioning resources from a central location via a third party resource provisioning management (RPM) service provider. Various levels of provisioning may be obtained. Organizations may obtain resource provisioning from a third party RPM resource provider using a third party server. At an affiliate level, various resource vendors may be part of a resource exchange, sharing resources with other affiliates within the exchange. At a public provisioning infrastructure level, an individual organization may obtain access to resources within the infrastructure, subject to receipt of a provisioning ticket and appropriate identity authentication.

Claims

1. A method for provisioning resources of a plurality of organizations using a server, each organization having resources internal to the organization, the method comprising configuring a server for:

receiving a set of organizational attributes, organizational information, and user roles for each organization;

receiving a plurality of resource provisioning policies for each organization based on selected organizational attributes, organizational information, and user roles;

receiving organizational attribute information, organizational information, and user role information from each organization for a particular user, resource internal to the organization, or database;

applying resource provisioning policies to the user based on the received user role information, organizational information, and organizational attribute information;

provisioning resources internal to the organization from a remote, centralized location based on the applied resource provisioning policies; and

implementing a recovery procedure when at least one of the policies is violated.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of provisioning takes place over a network.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further including the step of provisioning resources external to the organization.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein in the step of receiving, organizational attribute information, organizational information, and user role information is received automatically after the step of establishing.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein multiple resources internal or external to the organization are provisioned in parallel.

6. A method for provisioning resources of a plurality of organizations using a server, each organization having resources internal to the organization, the method comprising the steps of:

configuring the server with a set of organizational attributes, organizational information, and user roles for each organization;

defining a plurality of resource provisioning policies for each organization based on selected organizational attributes, organizational information, and user roles;

receiving, at the server, organizational attribute information, organizational information, and user role information from each organization for a particular user, resource internal to the organization, or database;

configuring the server to apply the resource provisioning policies to users based on the received user role information, organizational information, and organizational attribute information;

grouping organizations together into a resource exchange; and

configuring the server to cross-provision resources internal to each organization within the resource exchange from a remote, centralized location based on the applied resource provisioning policies; and

configuring the server to implement a recovery procedure when at least one of the policies is violated.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, further including the step of providing a translational map for organizations within the resource exchange to facilitate the step of cross-provisioning.

8. A method as recited in claim 6, further including the step of providing high level authentication of organizations within the resource exchange to facilitate the step of cross-provisioning.

9. A method as recited in claim 6, further including the step of providing identity synchronization of organizations within the resource exchange to facilitate the step of cross-provisioning.

10. A method as recited in claim 6, further including the step of providing resource registration within the resource exchange to facilitate the step of cross-provisioning.

11. A method as recited in claim 6, further including the step of providing an audit trail for organizations within the resource exchange to facilitate the step of cross-provisioning.

12. A method as recited in claim 6, further including the step of providing anonymity for organizations within the resource exchange to facilitate the step of cross-provisioning.

13. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein multiple resources internal to each organization are provisioned in parallel to facilitate the step of cross-provisioning.

14. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein in the step of receiving, organizational attribute information, organizational information, and user role information is received automatically, after the step of establishing, from each organization to facilitate the step of cross-provisioning.

15. A method for provisioning resources internal to a plurality of organizations using a server, the organizations existing in a public provisioning infrastructure, the method comprising the steps of:

configuring the server with a set of organizational attributes, organizational information, and user roles for each organization having resources internal to the organization;

defining a plurality of resource provisioning policies for each organization having resources internal to the organization based on selected organizational attributes, organizational information, and user roles;

receiving, at the server, organizational attribute information, organizational information, and user role information from each organization for a particular user, resource internal to the organization, or database;

receiving, at the server, organizational attribute information, organizational information, and user role information from members of a general public desiring use of a resource internal to each organization within the public provisioning infrastructure;

generating a resource provisioning ticket for the members of the general public;

configuring the server to apply resource provisioning policies to users based on the received user role information, organizational information, and organizational attribute information;

forwarding the provisioning ticket to a vendor of a particular resource internal to a particular organization; and

configuring the server to implement a recovery procedure when at least one of the policies is violated.

16. A system for provisioning resources internal to a plurality of organizations, the system comprising:

a third party resource provisioning manager;

a server for provisioning resources, wherein the server is operated by a third party resource provisioning manager, the server configured with a plurality of resource provisioning policies for each organization based on selected organizational attributes, organizational information, and user roles;

resources belonging to each organization, the resources being internal to the organization; and

a network providing a link between the server and the resources,

wherein the server is configured to automatically provision the resources based on the policies.

17. A system as recited in claim 16, wherein the third party resource provisioning manager provisions the resources of each organization over the network at the request of the organization.

18. A system as recited in claim 16, wherein the third party resource provisioning manager provisions the resources of each organization over the network automatically.

19. A system as recited in claim 16, further comprising resources external to the organization, wherein the resources external to the organization are provisioned for each organization.

20. A system for provisioning resources of a plurality of organizations, the system comprising:

a third party resource provisioning manager;

a logical server for provisioning resources, wherein the server is operated by a third party resource provisioning manager;

a resource exchange made up of the plurality of organizations, each organization having resources internal to the organization; and

a network providing a link between the server and the resources,

wherein the server is configured to automatically provision the resources based on the policies.

21. A system as recited in claim 20, wherein the third party resource provisioning manager cross-provisions the resources of each organization within the resource exchange over the network at the request of each organization.

22. A system as recited in claim 20, wherein the third party resource provisioning manager cross-provisions the resources of each organization within the resource exchange over the network automatically.

23. A system as recited in claim 20, further comprising a translational map for organizations within the resource exchange to facilitate the provisioning of resources by the logical server.

24. A system as recited in claim 20, further comprising means for each high level authentication of organizations within the resource exchange to facilitate the provisioning of resources by the logical server.

25. A system as recited in claim 20, further comprising means for identity synchronization of organizations within the resource exchange to facilitate the provisioning of resources by the logical server.

26. A method as recited in claim 20, further including means for providing resource registration within the resource exchange to facilitate the provisioning of resources by the logical server.

27. A system as recited in claim 20, further comprising means for providing an audit trail for organizations within the resource exchange to facilitate the provisioning of resources by the logical server.

28. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein multiple resources are provisioned in parallel to facilitate the provisioning of resources by the logical server.

29. A system for provisioning resources of a plurality of organizations, the organizations existing within a public provisioning infrastructure, the system comprising:

means for establishing a set of organizational attributes, organizational information, and user roles for each organization having resources;

means for defining a plurality of resource provisioning policies for each organization having resources based on selected organizational attributes, organizational information, and user roles;

means for receiving organizational attribute information, organizational information, and user role information from each organization for a particular user, resource, or database;

means for receiving organizational attribute information, organizational information, and user role information from members of a general public desiring use of a resource within the public provisioning infrastructure;

means for generating a resource provisioning ticket for the members of the general public;

means for determining which resource provisioning policies are applicable to users based on the received user role information, organizational information, and organizational attribute information;

means for forwarding the provisioning ticket to a vendor of a particular resource; and

means for implementing a recovery procedure when at least one of the policies is violated.

30. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for provisioning resources of a plurality of organizations, each organization having resources internal to the organization, the computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to be configured with a set of organizational attributes, organizational information, and user roles for each organization;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to be configured with a plurality of resource provisioning policies for each organization based on selected organizational attributes, organizational information, and user roles;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to receiving organizational attribute information, organizational information, and user role information from each organization for a particular user, resource internal to the organization, or database;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to apply the resource provisioning policies to the user based on the received user role information, organizational information, and organizational attribute information; and

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to provision resources internal to the organization from a remote, centralized location based on the applied resource provisioning policies,

wherein the resource provisioning policies are predefined for each organization.