Systems and methods for secure recording in a customer center environment

• US 8,401,155 B1
• Filed: 05/22/2009
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Barnes, Robert John, Williams, Jamie Richard, Calahan, Marc, Dong, Thomas Z., Smith, Damian
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant
• Application Number:
  US12/470,768
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 370259-271, 370351-356, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 4555501-560, 4554121-420, 704270-278, 709201-207, 709217-248, 379 671- 8828, 37926501-2661
• US Class Current: 379/67.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/656 for recording conversations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing

Abstract

Systems and methods for secure recording in a customer center environment are provided. The system receives data related to a communication at a media distribution device. A key is provided by a key server to the media distribution device to encrypt the received data. In addition, an identifier may be associated with the received data. The key and the identifier are stored in a database associated with the key server. The encrypted data is recorded the a recorder, where it is accessible to authorized users within the customer center. Upon request, the key is provided to the authorized user to decrypt the encrypted data for play back. The customer center environment may include a user interface for viewing customer contacts. The contact may be organized into folders and annotations associated with the customer contacts may be received.

Claims

1. A method for secure recording and playback in a customer center environment, comprising:

receiving data related to a communication at a media distribution device, the communication comprising at least one of plural types of media including audio, video and screen capture data, and the communication further being received from at least one of plural types of devices including an agent phone, a voice gateway, and a media application server;

associating an identifier to a key provided by a key server;

providing, from a capture control server, a command to the media distribution device to adjust a packet size or codec type of the communications data based on the capabilities of a recorder to which the communications data will be recorded;

encrypting adjusted data in accordance with the key and the identifier to generate encrypted data; and

recording the encrypted data to the recorder.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the identifier in a header of the encrypted data;

passing the identifier to the key server to obtain the key; and

decrypting the encrypted data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the decrypting is performed by a replay device upon replay.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transporting the encrypted data to an archive server; and

retaining the association of the key and identifier with the encrypted data on the archive server.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing a second key to encrypt the data at rest within a device that communicates the encrypted data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the key is a symmetric encryption key, and wherein the second key is a file system encryption key associated with the device.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising encrypting the encrypted data in accordance with an encryption scheme of a communication link between the device and a second device communicatively attached to the device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether telephony components are operable to perform at least one of the following:

adjust the packet size of the communications data, change the codec type of the communications data, and mix at least two media streams associated with the communications data into one stream,

wherein the telephony components that transmit communications data to the conference bridge including agent phones and voice gateway,

wherein the telephony components that transmit communications data to a duplicate media streaming (DMS) device including agent phones, media communication device, voice gateway and customer phones, and

wherein the telephony components that transmit communication data to the store-forward device including agent phones, voice gateway and media application server.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the key and the identifier in a database;

associating access privileges to an authorized user; and

providing the key to the authorized user in response to receiving the identifier and the access privileges.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the authorized user is a device within the customer call center environment, and further comprising exporting the communication having an unencrypted format.

11. A distributed system for secure recording communications at customer center environment, comprising:

a media distribution device that receives customer communications and selects a recording device from the cluster of recording devices to record customer communications and a media communication device from a cluster of media communication devices to terminate a customer communication, the customer communications comprising at least one of plural types of media including audio, video and screen capture data, and the customer communications further being received from at least one of plural types of devices including an agent phone, a voice gateway, and a media application server;

a key management system that issues and maintains encryption keys to authorized users;

a capture engine that issues command to the media distribution device to adjust a packet size or codec type of the communications data based on the capabilities of a recorder to which the customer communications will be recorded, the capture engine further encrypting the customer communication in accordance with an encryption key and an identifier;

a playback device that is operable to retrieve and decrypt an encrypted customer communication from the recording device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the identifier is stored in a header of the encrypted customer communication, and wherein the identifier and the encryption key are stored in a database associated with key management system.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising utilizing a second key to encrypt the data at rest within the media communication device.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising encrypting the encrypted customer communication in accordance with an encryption scheme of a communication link between the media communication device and the recording device.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

associating access privileges to an authorized user; and

providing the encryption key to the authorized user in response to receiving the identifier and the access privileges.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the authorized user is the playback device within the customer call center environment, and further comprising exporting the communication having an unencrypted format.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the customer communication remains encrypted on the recording device.