Systems and methods for risk based information management

• US 7,792,757 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2006
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Iron Mountain Incorporated
• Inventors: Blumenau, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Mahmoudi; Tony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Choi; Michele C
• Application Number:
  US11/555,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20070266032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/9, 707/10, 707/100, 707/104.1, 707/204, 713/193, 709/206, 705/26
• US Class Current: 705/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/125 characterised by the use of retention policies retention policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• 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: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Techniques involve storing digital assets in a distributed digital asset management environment. The techniques includes (a) receiving, by a server from a client, an asset identification tag associated with an original version of a digital asset which is initially created and stored on the client; (b) identifying, by the server and in response to receiving the asset identification tag, a risk-management policy corresponding to the client and the digital asset; (c) executing an action dictated by the risk-management policy; and (d) transmitting, by the server to the client, a transfer command which identifies the digital asset and directs the client to transfer the digital asset from the client to the server. The techniques further include (e) obtaining, by the server from the client, a copy of the digital asset while the client concurrently deletes the original version of the digital asset in response to the transfer command.

Claims

1. A risk-based computer-implemented method for storing digital assets in a distributed digital asset management environment, the method comprising:

(a) receiving, by a server from a client, an asset identification tag associated with an original version of a digital asset which is initially created and stored on the client;

(b) identifying, by the server and in response to receiving the asset identification tag, a risk-management policy corresponding to the client and security of the digital asset stored on the client;

(c) executing an action dictated by the risk-management policy;

(d) transmitting, by the server to the client, a transfer command which identifies the digital asset and directs the client to transfer the digital asset from the client to the server; and

(e) obtaining, by the server from the client, a copy of the digital asset while the client concurrently deletes the original version of the digital asset in response to the transfer command;

wherein the client is a portable laptop computer;

wherein the server is a secure datacenter;

wherein the asset identification tag received by the server from the client indicates that the digital asset has a given priority;

wherein identifying the risk-management policy includes;

selecting, as the risk-management policy, a risk-based policy which compares the given priority of the digital asset to a predetermined priority threshold; and

wherein executing the action dictated by the risk-management policy includes;

comparing the given priority of the digital asset to the predetermined priority threshold, and

concluding that the digital asset should be removed from the portable laptop computer to the secure datacenter in response to comparing the given priority of the digital asset to the predetermined priority threshold.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a risk factor is assigned to the digital asset prior to executing the risk-management policy;

and

wherein executing the action dictated by the risk-management policy further includes waiting for a pre-determined time period to expire in response to application of the assigned risk factor to enable the transfer command to direct deletion of the original version of the digital asset from the client only after the pre-determined time period has expired.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a risk factor is assigned to the digital asset prior to executing the risk-management policy;

and

wherein executing the action dictated by the risk-management policy further includes waiting for the original version of the digital asset to go unused for a pre-determined time period to enable the transfer command to direct deletion of the original version of the digital asset from the client after the digital asset remains unused for a time period greater than the pre-determined time period.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a risk factor is assigned to the digital asset prior to executing the risk-management policy;

and

wherein concluding that the digital asset should be removed from the portable laptop computer to the secure datacenter includes choosing to remove the original version of the digital asset from the client in response to application of the risk-management policy when the risk factor indicates that the digital asset is a pre-determined type of digital asset.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a risk factor is assigned to the digital asset prior to executing the risk-management policy;

and

wherein concluding that the digital asset should be removed from the portable laptop computer to the secure datacenter includes choosing to remove the original version of the digital asset from the client in response to application of the risk-management policy when the risk factor indicates that the digital asset resides in an insecure location.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein obtaining, by the server from the client, the copy of the digital asset while the original version of the digital asset is concurrently deleted from the client in response to the transfer command includes transferring the copy of the digital asset from the client to the server while the client contemporaneously deletes the original version of the digital asset in a manner which is transparent to a user of the client.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein executing the action dictated by the risk-management policy further includes:

starting a timer which expires after a preset amount of time has elapsed, the preset amount of time being at least one minute, and

purposefully delaying transmission of the transfer command from the secure datacenter to the portable laptop computer until the started timer has expired.

8. A risk-based system for storing digital assets in a distributed digital asset management environment, the system comprising:

a client which transmits, to a server, an asset identification tag associated with an original version of a digital asset which is initially created and stored on the client; and

a server that;

stores the asset identification tag,

identifies, in response to receiving the asset identification tag, a risk-management policy corresponding to the client and security of the digital assets stored on the client,

executes an action dictated by the risk-management policy,

transmits, to the client, a transfer command which identifies the digital asset and directs the client to transfer the digital asset from the client to the server, and

obtains, from the client, a copy of the digital asset while the client concurrently deletes the original version of the digital asset in response to the transfer command;

wherein the client is a portable laptop computer;

wherein the server is a secure datacenter;

wherein the asset identification tag received by the server from the client indicates that the digital asset has a given priority;

wherein the server, when identifying the risk-management policy, is constructed and arranged to;

select, as the risk-management policy, a risk-based policy which compares the given priority of the digital asset to a predetermined priority threshold; and

wherein the server, when executing the action dictated by the risk-management policy, is constructed and arranged to;

compare the given priority of the digital asset to the predetermined priority threshold, and

conclude that the digital asset should be removed from the portable laptop computer to the secure datacenter in response to comparing the given priority of the digital asset to the predetermined priority threshold.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a risk factor is assigned to the digital asset prior to executing the risk-management policy;

and

wherein, when the server concludes that the digital asset should be removed from the portable laptop computer to the secure datacenter, the server is constructed and arranged to choose to remove the original version of the digital asset from the client in response to application of the risk-management policy when the risk factor indicates that the digital asset resides in an insecure location.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the client, in response to the transfer command, sends the copy of the digital asset to the server while the client contemporaneously deletes the original version of the digital asset in a manner which is transparent to a user of the client.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the server, when executing the action dictated by the risk-management policy, is further constructed and arranged to:

start a timer which expires after a preset amount of time has elapsed, the preset amount of time being at least one minute, and

purposefully delay transmission of the transfer command from the secure datacenter to the portable laptop computer until the started timer has expired.

12. A computer readable storage medium having executable instructions thereon to store digital assets in a distributed digital asset management environment based on risk, the computer readable medium comprising:

(a) instructions to receive, by a server from a client, an asset identification tag associated with an original version of a digital asset which is initially created and stored on the client;

(b) instructions to identify, by the server and in response to

receiving the asset identification tag, a risk-management policy corresponding to the client and security of the digital asset stored on the client;

(c) instructions to execute an action dictated by the risk-management policy;

(d) instructions to transmit, by the server to the client, a transfer command which identifies the digital asset and directs the client to transfer the digital asset to the server; and

(e) instructions to obtain, by the server from the client, a copy of the digital asset while the client concurrently deletes the original digital asset in response to the transfer command;

wherein the client is a portable laptop computer;

wherein the server is a secure datacenter;

wherein the asset identification tag received by the server from the client indicates that the digital asset has a given priority;

wherein identifying the risk-management policy includes;

selecting, as the risk-management policy, a risk-based policy which compares the given priority of the digital asset to a predetermined priority threshold; and

wherein the instructions to execute the action dictated by the risk-management policy includes;

instructions to compare the given priority of the digital asset to the predetermined priority threshold, and

instructions to conclude that the digital asset should be removed from the portable laptop computer to the secure datacenter in response to comparing the given priority of the digital asset to the predetermined priority threshold.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein a risk factor is assigned to the digital asset prior to executing the risk-management policy;

and

wherein the instructions to execute the action dictated by the risk-management policy further include instructions for the server to wait for a pre-determined time period to expire in response to application of the assigned risk factor to enable the transfer command to direct deletion of the original version of the digital asset from the client only after the pre-determined time period has expired.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein a risk factor is assigned to the digital asset prior to executing the risk-management policy;

and

wherein the instructions to execute the action dictated by the risk-management policy further includes instructions to wait for the original version of the digital asset to go unused for a pre-determined time period to enable the transfer command to direct deletion of the original version of the digital asset from the client after the digital asset remains unused for a time period greater than the pre-determined time period.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein a risk factor is assigned to the digital asset prior to executing the risk-management policy;

and

wherein the instructions to conclude that the digital asset should be removed from the portable laptop computer to the secure datacenter includes instructions to choose removal of the original version of the digital asset from the client in response to application of the risk-management policy when the risk factor indicates that the digital asset is a pre-determined type of digital asset.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein a risk factor is assigned to the digital asset prior to executing the risk-management policy;

and

wherein the instructions to instructions to conclude that the digital asset should be removed from the portable laptop computer to the secure datacenter includes instructions to choose removal of the original version of the digital asset from the client in response to application of the risk-management policy when the risk factor indicates that the digital asset resides in an insecure location.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions to obtain the copy of the digital asset while the original version of the digital asset is concurrently deleted from the client in response to the transfer command includes instructions to transfer the copy of the digital asset from the client to the server while the client contemporaneously deletes the original version of the digital asset from the client in a manner which is transparent to a user of the client.