Consolidating disparate cloud service data and behavior based on trust relationships between cloud services

• US 8,813,205 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2012
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Srivastava, Anurag, Deshmukh, Abhijit
• Primary Examiner(s): Kosowski, Carolyn B
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHIANG, JASON
• Application Number:
  US13/366,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20130205383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 728/8
• US Class Current: 726/8
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations

Abstract

A method for consolidating cloud service data and behaviors can begin with the compilation of user/service membership data that associates requesting entities with subscribed cloud services by a trusted cloud service consolidator. A federated trust library housing inter-service trust information for the cloud services contained in the user/service membership data can be created. In response to a service request from a requesting entity, trusted secondary cloud services can be identified for the requesting entity. Identification of the trusted secondary cloud services can be based upon trust factors synthesized from data contained in the federated trust library. Data satisfying the service request and associated behaviors from each trusted secondary cloud service can then be consolidated into a unified data structure. A behavior can be an executable action supported by a trusted secondary cloud service. The unified data structure can be conveyed to the requesting entity in a service response.

Claims

1. A system for consolidating cloud service data and behaviors comprising:

one or more non-transitory storage mediums storing program instructions;

one or more processors for executing the program instructions;

a plurality of cloud services, comprising at least a portion of the program instructions, operating in a cloud computing environment, wherein the plurality of cloud services provide data and behaviors in response to service requests;

a plurality of user/service membership data that associates a plurality of requesting entities with cloud services to which the plurality of requesting entities subscribe;

a federated trust library containing inter-service trust information for the cloud services contained in the user/service membership data, wherein the inter-service trust comprises a directionality property for defining a first level of trust from a first cloud service to a second cloud service and a second level of trust from the second cloud service to the first cloud service, wherein the first level of trust is different from the second level of trust; and

a trusted cloud service consolidator, comprising at least a portion of the program instructions, configured to selectively consolidate the data and behaviors from cloud services into a unified data structure in response to a service request, wherein the cloud services are selected based upon a trust factor synthesized from the federated trust library, wherein the trust factor is a quantification of a level of confidence between a cloud service specified in the service request and other cloud services that a requesting entity consumes, as defined in the user/service membership data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the trusted cloud service consolidator further comprises:

a data manager, comprising at least a portion of the program instructions, configured to create and maintain contents of the user/service membership data and federated trust library; and

a trust factor calculator r, comprising at least a portion of the program instructions, configured to calculate the trust factor for the service request and the trust factor for the other cloud services that the requesting entity consumes.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface, generated by executing at least a portion of the program instructions, provided by at least one processor executing user interface program instructions for presenting the unified data structure to the requesting entity.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the trusted cloud service consolidator is an integrated component of a cloud service within the plurality of cloud services.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the trusted cloud service consolidator is a distinct cloud service within the plurality of cloud services.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the trusted cloud service consolidator is Web service operating outside of the cloud computing environment.

7. A computer program product for consolidating cloud service data and behaviors comprising:

one or more non-transitory storage mediums storing program instructions, which are executable by one or more processors;

a plurality of cloud services, comprising at least a portion of the program instructions, operating in a cloud computing environment, wherein the plurality of cloud services provide data and behaviors in response to service requests;

a plurality of user/service membership data, stored in the one or more non-transitory storage mediums, that associates a plurality of requesting entities with cloud services to which the plurality of requesting entities subscribe;

a federated trust library containing inter-service trust information for the cloud services contained in the user/service membership data, wherein the inter-service trust comprises a directionality property for defining a first level of trust from a first cloud service to a second cloud service and a second level of trust from the second cloud service to the first cloud service, wherein the first level of trust is different from the second level of trust; and

a trusted cloud service consolidator, comprising at least a portion of the program instructions, configured to selectively consolidate the data and behaviors from cloud services into a unified data structure in response to a service request, wherein the cloud services are selected based upon a trust factor synthesized from the federated trust library, wherein the trust factor is a quantification of a level of confidence between a cloud service specified in the service request and other cloud services that a requesting entity consumes, as defined in the user/service membership data.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the trusted cloud service consolidator further comprises:

a data manager, comprising at least a portion of the program instructions, configured to create and maintain contents of the user/service membership data and federated trust library; and

a trust factor calculator r, comprising at least a portion of the program instructions, configured to calculate the trust factor for the service request and the trust factor for the other cloud services that the requesting entity consumes.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising:

a user interface, generated by executing at least a portion of the program instructions, provided by at least one processor executing user interface program instructions for presenting the unified data structure to the requesting entity.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the trusted cloud service consolidator is an integrated component of a cloud service within the plurality of cloud services.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the trusted cloud service consolidator is a distinct cloud service within the plurality of cloud services.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the trusted cloud service consolidator is Web service operating outside of the cloud computing environment.