Apparatus and method for analysis of conversational patterns to position information and autonomic access control list management

• US 7,313,827 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2003
• Issued: 12/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kelley, Edward E., Wilbrink, Tijs Y., Zijlstra, Ellis
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITHERS, MATTHEW
• Application Number:
  US10/604,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20050010823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,629 Days
• Field of Search: 726/28, 726/29, 726/30, 726/15, 707/6
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A method employing a software application for operation for analyzing conversational patterns between people and teams within an organization, locating inconsistencies in the required and actual access level to knowledge repositories, which ultimately results in dynamically updating access control lists of the knowledge repositories, and having the originator and anticipated users being prompted to further enable informed, fact-based manual control of the access control lists.

Claims

1. A method of analyzing conversational patterns to position information sources and autonomic access control list management comprising:

calculating said conversational frequency patterns for a selected user from data stored in a first database;

calculating access of systems, applications, or documents by said selected user, including;

obtaining a list of systems, applications, or documents from a third database;

obtaining access control lists from said list of systems, applications, or documents;

calculating frequency of access to said systems, applications, or documents; and

storing said frequency of access in a fourth database;

finding other users from a second database;

obtaining a list of systems, applications, or documents utilized by said other users but not by said selected user; and

granting or withdrawing access to said selected user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said conversational patterns include at least one record of contact between said selected user and at least one other person.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of calculating conversational frequency patterns comprises:

obtaining a list of sources from said first database;

identifying individuals for analysis from sources found in said first database;

finding existing links among said identified individuals;

calculating frequency of contacts; and

storing said frequency of contacts in a second database.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising building said list of systems, applications, or documents that only includes systems, applications, or documents that are in use by a contact organizational team or contact persons of said selected user.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining access control lists from systems, repositories, or online documents.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

building a list of systems, applications, or documents regularly accessed by conversational partners of persons who received a file or document located on one of said systems; and

searching said system indices for said file or document in repositories.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising tracking said conversational patterns through instant-messaging, emails, or telephonic communications and searching said patterns by keywords.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising prompting said other users if said selected user gains access to said systems, applications, or documents, and inquiring of said selected user if said access is desired, or granting access to said selected user and opening said system, application, or document.

9. A method of analyzing conversational patterns to position information sources and autonomic access control list management comprising:

calculating said conversational frequency patterns for a selected user from data stored in a first database;

calculating access of systems, applications, or documents by said selected user;

finding other users from a second database;

matching conversational partners with system users;

building a first structure identifying people with whom said selected user has documented conversations;

building a second structure identifying people within said selected user'"'"'s group of said conversational partners who regularly access said systems, applications, or documents;

identifying similarities between said first and second structures;

identifying subsets not employed by said selected user, but matching frequently used systems, applications, or documents of said selected user'"'"'s conversational partners;

prioritizing said subsets and presenting said subsets to said selected user;

obtaining a list of systems, applications, or documents utilized by said other users but not by said selected user; and

granting or withdrawing access to said selected user.

10. A method of analyzing conversational patterns to position information sources and autonomic access control list management comprising:

obtaining a list of sources from a first database;

identifying individuals for analysis from said sources found in said first database;

finding existing links among said identified individuals;

calculating frequency of contacts among said identified individuals;

matching conversational partners with said identified individuals;

building a first structure identifying people with who said identified individuals have documented conversations;

building a second structure identifying people within said identified individuals'"'"' groups of said conversational partners who regularly access said systems, applications, or documents;

identifying similarities between said first and second structures;

identifying subsets not employed by said identified individuals, but matching frequently used systems, applications, or documents of said identified individuals'"'"' conversational partners;

prioritizing said subsets and presenting said subsets to said user;

storing said frequency of contacts in a second database;

obtaining a list of systems, applications, or documents from a third database;

obtaining access control lists from said list of systems, applications, or documents;

calculating frequency of access to said systems, applications, or documents;

storing said frequency of access in a fourth database;

obtaining a list of systems, applications, or documents utilized by other users but not by said identified individuals; and

granting or withdrawing access to said identified individuals.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

building a list of systems, applications, or documents regularly accessed by conversational partners of persons who received a file or document located on one of said systems; and

searching system indices for said file or document in repositories.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising prompting said other users if said identified individuals gain access to said systems, applications, or documents, and inquiring of said identified individuals if said access is desired, or granting access to said identified individuals and opening said system, application, or document.

13. A method of analyzing conversational patterns to position information sources and autonomic access control list management comprising:

deploying process software for analysis of conversational patterns to position information and autonomic access control list management, said deployment comprising;

installing said process software on at least one server;

identifying server addresses for users accessing said process software on said at least one server;

installing a proxy server if needed;

sending said process software to said at least one server via a file transfer protocol, or sending a transaction to said at least one server containing said process software and receiving and copying said process software to said at least one server'"'"'s file system;

accessing said process software on a user'"'"'s client computer file system; and

executing said process software by said users;

calculating said conversational frequency patterns for a selected user from data stored in a first database;

calculating access of systems, applications, or documents by said selected user;

finding other users from a second database;

obtaining a list of systems, applications, or documents utilized by said other users but not by said selected user; and

granting or withdrawing access to said selected user.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of installing said process software further comprises:

determining if programs will reside on said at least one server when said process software is executed;

identifying said at least one server that will execute said process software; and

transferring said process software to said at least one servers storage.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of accessing said process software includes having said at least one server automatically copying said process software to each client computer, running an installation program at each client computer, and executing said installation program on said client computer.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein sending said process software to said users via email further comprises identifying said users and addresses of said client computers.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of executing said process software by said users includes sending said process software to directories on said client computers.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of accessing said process software comprises sending said process software to users via email.

19. A method of analyzing conversational patterns to position information sources and autonomic access control list management comprising:

integrating process software for analysis of conversational patterns to position information and autonomic access control list management, said integration comprising;

determining if said process software will execute on at least one server;

identifying said at least one server address, including checking said at least one server for operating systems, applications, network operating systems, or version numbers for validation with said process software, and identifying any missing software applications that are required for integration;

updating said operating systems, said applications, or said network operating systems that are not validated for said process software, and providing any of said missing software applications required for said integration;

identifying client addresses and checking said client'"'"'s computers for operating systems, applications, network operating systems, or version numbers for validation with said process software, and identifying any missing software applications that are required for integration;

updating said client'"'"'s computers with said operating systems, said applications, or said network operating systems that are not validated for said process software, and providing any of said missing software applications required for said integration; and

installing said process software on said client'"'"'s computers and said at least one server;

calculating said conversational frequency patterns for a selected user from data stored in a first database;

calculating access of systems, applications, or documents by said selected user;

finding other users from a second database;

obtaining a list of systems, applications, or documents utilized by said other users but not by said selected user; and

granting or withdrawing access to said selected user.

20. A method of analyzing conversational patterns to position information sources and autonomic access control list management comprising:

on demand sharing of process software for analysis of conversational patterns to position information and autonomic access control list management, said on demand sharing comprising;

creating a transaction containing unique customer identification, requested service type, and service parameters;

sending said transaction to at least one main server;

querying said server'"'"'s central processing unit capacity for adequate processing of said transaction; and

allocating additional central processing unit capacity when additional capacity is needed to process said transaction, and adding said additional central processing unit capacity to said server, or checking environmental capacity for processing said transaction, including network bandwidth, processor memory, or storage, and allocating said environmental capacity as required;

calculating said conversational frequency patterns for a selected user from data stored in a first database;

calculating access of systems, applications, or documents by said selected user;

finding other users from a second database;

obtaining a list of systems, applications, or documents utilized by said other users but not by said selected user; and

granting or withdrawing access to said selected user.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising recording usage measurements including network bandwidth, processor memory, storage, or said central processing unit cycles.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising summing said usage measurements, acquiring a multiplicative value of said usage measurements and unit costs, and recording said multiplicative value as an on demand charge to a requesting customer.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising posting said on demand charge on a web site if requested by said requesting customer, or sending said demand charge via email to said requesting customer'"'"'s email address.

24. The method of claim 20 further comprising charging said on demand charge to said requesting customer'"'"'s account if an account exists and said requesting customer selects a charge account payment method.

25. A method of analyzing conversational patterns to position information sources and autonomic access control list management comprising:

including deploying, accessing, and executing process software for analysis of conversational patterns to position information and autonomic access control list management through a virtual private network, said method further comprising;

determining if said virtual private network is required;

checking for remote access of said virtual private network;

if said remote access does not exist, identifying a third party provider to provide secure, encrypted connections between a private network and remote users, identifying said remote users, and setting up a network access server for downloading and installing desktop client software for remotely accessing said virtual private network;

accessing said process software;

transporting said process software to said remote user'"'"'s desktop; and

executing said process software on said remote user'"'"'s desktop;

calculating said conversational frequency patterns for a selected user from data stored in a first database;

calculating access of systems, applications, or documents by said selected user;

finding other users from a second database;

obtaining a list of systems, applications, or documents utilized by said other users but not by said selected user; and

granting or withdrawing access to said selected user.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

determining if said virtual private network is available for site-to-site access, or installing equipment required to establish said site-to-site virtual private network, and installing large scale encryption into said virtual private network; and

accessing said process software on said site-to-site configuration.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein said step of accessing said process software further comprises dialing into said network access server or attaching directly via a cable or DSL modem into said network access server.