Hierarchical collaboration policies in a shared workspace environment

• US 8,245,141 B1
• Filed: 10/29/2008
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fuller, Charles E., Krishnan, Deepa
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Application Number:
  US12/260,778
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 715741-743, 709/225, 709/229, 709/223
• US Class Current: 715/741
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities

Abstract

In one embodiment, a first administrative entity having first members may initiate an operated shared workspace having a policy control engine. The first administrative entity may configure a first set of policies regarding workspace access, while a second administrative entity, having second members, may configure a second set of policies regarding workspace access. The policy control engine may then apply the first policies to the first and second members, and also may apply one or more policies of the second set of policies to the second members in response to the respective policies being stricter than corresponding policies of the first set of policies.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

operating a shared workspace, the workspace initiated by a first administrative entity having first members and a first set of policies regarding workspace access, the workspace shared with a second administrative entity having second members and a second set of policies regarding workspace access;

applying the first policies to the first and second members; and

applying one or more policies of the second set of policies to the second members in response to the respective policies of the second set of policies being stricter than corresponding policies of the first set of policies, wherein the second set of policies is inapplicable to the first members and workspace access for the first members is controlled by the first set of policies, and wherein workspace access for one or more second members is controlled by both the first and second sets of policies.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the first set of policies define workspace access for the first members.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the first set of policies define workspace access for non-first members other than the first members.

4. The method as in claim 3, wherein the first set of policies specifically define workspace access for the second members.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the first set of policies define interaction ability between the first members and non-first members.

6. The method as in claim 5, wherein the first set of policies define interaction ability between the first members and second members.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein the workspace is a set of shared resources of an online collaboration session.

8. The method as in claim 7, wherein the first and second sets of policies define workspace access to at least one of:

document access;

document control;

feature set availability;

folder control; and

interaction between members.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein the workspace is a physical building location with room access control.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more network interfaces adapted to communicate with network-attached devices;

a processor coupled to the network interfaces and adapted to execute one or more processes; and

a memory configured to store a policy control process executable by the processor, the policy control process when executed operable to;

manage operation of a shared workspace, the workspace initiated by a first administrative entity having first members;

receive a first set of policies from the first administrative entity regarding workspace access;

receive a second set of policies from a second administrative entity regarding workspace access, the second administrative entity having second members;

apply the first policies to the first and second members; and

apply one or more policies of the second set of policies to the second members in response to the respective policies of the second set of policies being stricter than corresponding policies of the first set of policies, wherein the second set of policies is inapplicable to the first members and workspace access for the first members is controlled by the first set of policies, and wherein workspace access for one or more second members is controlled by both the first and second sets of policies.

11. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the first set of policies define workspace access for the first members.

12. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the first set of policies define workspace access for non-first members other than the first members.

13. The apparatus as in claim 12, wherein the first set of policies specifically define workspace access for the second members.

14. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the first set of policies define interaction ability between the first members and non-first members.

15. The apparatus as in claim 14, wherein the first set of policies define interaction ability between the first members and second members.

16. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the workspace is a set of shared resources of an online collaboration session.

17. The apparatus as in claim 16, wherein the first and second sets of policies define workspace access to at least one of:

document access;

document control;

feature set availability;

folder control; and

interaction between members.

18. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the workspace is a physical building location with room access control.

19. A system, comprising:

a first administrative entity having first members;

a second administrative entity having second members;

one or more servers configured to operate a shared workspace, the workspace initiated by the first administrative entity; and

a policy control engine to;

manage operation of the shared workspace;

receive a first set of policies from the first administrative entity regarding workspace access;

receive a second set of policies from the second administrative entity regarding workspace access;

apply the first policies to the first and second members; and

apply one or more policies of the second set of policies to the second members in response to the respective policies of the second set of policies being stricter than corresponding policies of the first set of policies, wherein the second set of policies is inapplicable to the first members and workspace access for the first members is controlled by the first set of policies, and wherein workspace access for one or more second members is controlled by both the first and second sets of policies.

20. The system as in claim 19, wherein the workspace is a set of shared resources of an online collaboration session.