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

• US 8,826,408 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2012
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Deshmukh, Abhijit, Srivastava, Anurag
• Primary Examiner(s): Kosowski, Carolyn B
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHIANG, JASON
• Application Number:
  US13/483,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20130204994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 726/8
• 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 method for consolidating cloud service data and behaviors comprising:

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

creating a federated trust library of 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;

in response to a service request from a requesting entity, identifying trusted secondary cloud services for the requesting entity, wherein the trusted secondary cloud services correspond to those cloud services that are associated with the requesting entity in the user/service membership data, wherein the trusted secondary cloud services are not a target of the service request, and, wherein said identification is based upon trust factors synthesized from data contained in the federated trust library;

consolidating data satisfying the service request and associated behaviors from each trusted secondary cloud service into a unified data structure, wherein a behavior is an executable action supported by a trusted secondary cloud service, wherein said behavior is executable upon the data satisfying the service request obtained from the trusted secondary cloud service; and

conveying the unified data structure to the requesting entity in a service response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein compiling the user/service membership data further comprises:

for each requesting entity, identifying the cloud services to which the requesting entity subscribes; and

recording an association between the requesting entity and each identified cloud service in the user/service membership data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the federated trust library further comprises:

requesting inter-service trust information from each cloud service contained in the user/service membership data; and

upon receipt of the requested inter-service trust information, storing the inter-service trust information in the federated trust library.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the trusted secondary cloud services further comprises:

receiving the service request from the requesting entity, wherein the service request is for a specified cloud service and includes a plurality of contextual data;

determining a trust factor for the received service request using the plurality of contextual data, wherein the trust factor defines a confidence level that contents included in the service response must meet;

identifying secondary cloud services that the requesting entity consumed from the user/service membership data, wherein the specified cloud service is excluded from the secondary cloud services;

calculating trust factors for relationships between the specified cloud service and each identified secondary cloud service from the federated trust library;

comparing the calculated trust factors of the secondary cloud services with the trust factor of the service request; and

designating the identified secondary cloud services whose calculated trust factors satisfy the trust factor for the service request as trusted secondary cloud services.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically determining a validity of data contained within the user/service membership data and federated trust library;

when data is found to be invalid, modifying a corresponding entry of the user/service membership data or federated trust library accordingly.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the unified data structure to the requesting entity in a user interface, wherein behaviors contained in the unified data structure are selectable within the user interface.

7. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising:

computer usable program code, stored in the non-transitory storage medium, configured to;

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

create a federated trust library of 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;

in response to a service request from a requesting entity, identify trusted secondary cloud services for the requesting entity, wherein the trusted secondary cloud services correspond to those cloud services that are associated with the requesting entity in the user/service membership data, wherein the trusted secondary cloud services are not a target of the service request, and, wherein said identification is based upon trust factors synthesized from data contained in the federated trust library; and

consolidate data satisfying the service request and associated behaviors from each trusted secondary cloud service into a unified data structure, wherein a behavior is an executable action supported by a trusted secondary cloud service, wherein said behavior is executable upon the data satisfying the service request obtained from the trusted secondary cloud service; and

conveying the unified data structure to the requesting entity in a service response.

8. A computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer usable program code to compile the user/service membership data is further configured to:

for each requesting entity, identify the cloud services to which the requesting entity subscribes; and

record an association between the requesting entity and each identified cloud service in the user/service membership data.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer usable program code to create the user/service membership data is further configured to:

request inter-service trust information from each cloud service contained in the user/service membership data; and

upon receipt of the requested inter-service trust information, store the inter-service trust information in the federated trust library.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer usable program code to identify is further configured to:

receive the service request from the requesting entity, wherein the service request is for a specified cloud service and includes a plurality of contextual data;

determine a trust factor for the received service request using the plurality of contextual data, wherein the trust factor defines a confidence level that contents included in the service response must meet;

identify secondary cloud services that the requesting entity consumed from the user/service membership data, wherein the specified cloud service is excluded from the secondary cloud services;

calculate trust factors for relationships between the specified cloud service and each identified secondary cloud service from the federated trust library;

compare the calculated trust factors of the secondary cloud services with the trust factor of the service request; and

designate the identified secondary cloud services whose calculated trust factors satisfy the trust factor for the service request as trusted secondary cloud services.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer usable program code is further configured to:

periodically determine a validity of data contained within the user/service membership data and federated trust library;

when data is found to be invalid, modify a corresponding entry of the user/service membership data or federated trust library accordingly.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer usable program code is further configured to:

present the unified data structure to the requesting entity in a user interface, wherein behaviors contained in the unified data structure are selectable within the user interface.

13. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer usable program code, wherein the one or more processors execute the computer usable program code to;

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

create a federated trust library of 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;

in response to a service request from a requesting entity, identify trusted secondary cloud services for the requesting entity, wherein the trusted secondary cloud services correspond to those cloud services that are associated with the requesting entity in the user/service membership data, wherein the trusted secondary cloud services are not a target of the service request, and, wherein said identification is based upon trust factors synthesized from data contained in the federated trust library; and

consolidate data satisfying the service request and associated behaviors from each trusted secondary cloud service into a unified data structure, wherein a behavior is an executable action supported by a trusted secondary cloud service, wherein said behavior is executable upon the data satisfying the service request obtained from the trusted secondary cloud service; and

conveying the unified data structure to the requesting entity in a service response.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors execute the computer usable program code to compile the user/service membership data to further:

for each requesting entity, identify the cloud services to which the requesting entity subscribes; and

record an association between the requesting entity and each identified cloud service in the user/service membership data.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors execute the computer usable program code to create the user/service membership data to further:

request inter-service trust information from each cloud service contained in the user/service membership data; and

upon receipt of the requested inter-service trust information, store the inter-service trust information in the federated trust library.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors execute the computer usable program code to identify to further:

receive the service request from the requesting entity, wherein the service request is for a specified cloud service and includes a plurality of contextual data;

determine a trust factor for the received service request using the plurality of contextual data, wherein the trust factor defines a confidence level that contents included in the service response must meet;

identify secondary cloud services that the requesting entity consumed from the user/service membership data, wherein the specified cloud service is excluded from the secondary cloud services;

calculate trust factors for relationships between the specified cloud service and each identified secondary cloud service from the federated trust library;

compare the calculated trust factors of the secondary cloud services with the trust factor of the service request; and

designate the identified secondary cloud services whose calculated trust factors satisfy the trust factor for the service request as trusted secondary cloud services.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors execute the computer usable program code to further:

periodically determine a validity of data contained within the user/service membership data and federated trust library;

when data is found to be invalid, modify a corresponding entry of the user/service membership data or federated trust library accordingly.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors execute the computer usable program code to further:

present the unified data structure to the requesting entity in a user interface, wherein behaviors contained in the unified data structure are selectable within the user interface.