Data governance for email systems

• US 9,147,180 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2010
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varonis Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Varonis Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Korkus, Ohad, Faitelson, Yakov, Kretzer-Katzir, Ophir, Bass, David
• Primary Examiner(s): BILGRAMI, ASGHAR H
• Application Number:
  US12/861,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20120054283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,862 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/128 involving web programs, i.e. using technology especially used in internet, generally interacting with a web browser, e.g. hypertext markup language [HTML], applets, java
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

An enterprise email governance system including an enterprise-wide email communication item events monitoring subsystem providing at least near real time indications of email communication item events and an enterprise-wide email communication item events storage subsystem receiving inputs from the monitoring subsystem and providing at least near real time user accessibility to the email communication item events.

Claims

1. An enterprise email governance system useful with enterprise email systems in which multiple users have access to at least some email communication items, the system comprising:

an enterprise-wide email communication item events monitoring subsystem operative for monitoring email servers and identifying a first plurality of entities in the enterprise who have actually accessed emails as well as a second plurality of entities in the enterprise who have access permissions to emails, said first plurality of entities being a subset of said second plurality of entities, said second plurality of entities comprising entities other than senders or recipients of said emails, said subsystem also being operative for providing at least near real time indications of email communication item events associated with said first and second plurality of entities and for providing identification of the entity other than the sender or recipient of said email who had at least one of access permissions or actual access to said email, said email communication item events comprising at least one of;

creating email communication items;

sending email communication items;

receiving email communication items;

viewing email communication items;

modifying email communication items;

deleting email communication items;

opening email communication items;

forwarding email communication items; and

saving email communication items; and

an enterprise-wide email communication item events storage subsystem receiving inputs from said monitoring subsystem and providing at least near real time user accessibility to said email communication item events.

2. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 1 and wherein said enterprise-wide email communication item events storage subsystem provides at least near real time indications of sending and receiving of email communication items.

3. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 1 and wherein said enterprise-wide email communication item events storage subsystem provides at least near real time indications of opening email communication items.

4. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 1 and wherein said enterprise-wide email communication item events storage subsystem provides at least near real time indications of forwarding email communication items.

5. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 1 and wherein said enterprise-wide email communication item events storage subsystem provides at least near real time indications of saving email communication items.

6. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 1 and wherein said enterprise-wide email communication item events storage subsystem provides at least near real time indications of email communication item events involving selected at least pairs of entities.

7. An enterprise email governance system useful with enterprise email systems in which multiple users have access to at least some email communication items, the system comprising:

an enterprise-wide email communication item access permissions accounting subsystem identifying a first plurality of entities in the enterprise who have email communication item access permissions and providing indications of email communication item access permissions associated with said first plurality of entities, said email communication item access permissions comprising user access permissions for at least one of;

creating email communication items;

sending email communication items;

reading email communication items;

modifying email communication items;

deleting email communication items;

opening email communication items; and

forwarding email communication items; and

an enterprise-wide email communication item events accounting subsystem identifying a second plurality of entities in the enterprise who have actually accessed emails, said second plurality of entities being a subset of said first plurality of entities, said first plurality of entities comprising entities other than senders or recipients of said emails, said subsystem also being operative for providing at least near real time indications of email communication item events associated with said second plurality of entities and for providing identification of the entity other than the sender or recipient of said email who had at least one of access permissions or actual access to said email, said email communication item events comprising at least one of;

creating email communication items;

sending email communication items;

receiving email communication items;

reading email communication items;

modifying email communication items;

deleting email communication items;

opening email communication items;

forwarding email communication items; and

saving email communication items.

8. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 7 and wherein said email communication item access permissions include email communication item modification permissions.

9. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 7 and wherein said email communication item access permissions include email communication item creation and deletion permissions.

10. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 7 and wherein said email communication item access permissions include email communication item sending, replying and forwarding permissions.

11. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 7 and wherein said email communication item access permissions include email communication item reading permissions.

12. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 7 and wherein said enterprise-wide email communication item events accounting subsystem provides at least near real time indications of email communication item events involving selected at least pairs of entities.

13. An enterprise email and file governance system useful with enterprise email systems in which multiple users have access to at least some email communication items, the system comprising:

an enterprise-wide email communication items monitoring subsystem operative for monitoring email servers and identifying a first plurality of entities in the enterprise who have actually accessed emails as well as a second plurality of entities in the enterprise who have access permissions to emails, said first plurality of entities being a subset of said second plurality of entities, said second plurality of entities comprising entities other than senders or recipients of said emails, said subsystem also being operative for providing identification of the entity other than the sender or recipient of said email who had at least one of access permissions or actual access to said email and for providing at least one of;

at least near real time indications of email communication item events associated with said first and second plurality of entities, said email communication item events comprising at least one of;

creating email communication items;

sending email communication items;

receiving email communication items;

reading email communication items;

modifying email communication items;

deleting email communication items;

opening email communication items;

forwarding email communication items; and

saving email communication items; and

indications of email communication item access permissions associated with said second plurality of entities, said email communication item access permissions comprising user access permissions for at least one of;

creating email communication items;

sending email communication items;

reading email communication items;

modifying email communication items;

deleting email communication items;

opening email communication items; and

forwarding email communication items;

an enterprise-wide file monitoring subsystem providing at least one of;

at least near real time indications of file access events; and

indications of file access permissions; and

an enterprise-wide monitored events storage subsystem receiving inputs from at least one of said monitoring subsystems and providing at least near real time user accessibility to said email communication items and to at least one of said email communication item access events, said indications of email communication item access permissions, said file access events and said indications of file access permissions.

14. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 13 and wherein said at least near real time user accessibility to said email communication items and to at least one of said email communication item access events and said indications of email communication item access permissions includes filtering functionality operative to provide at least near real time user accessibility to said email communication items, and to said access events and said access permissions thereof, which match at least one of a multiplicity of email communication items filtering criteria.

15. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 14 and wherein said multiplicity of email communication items filtering criteria includes keywords.

16. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 14 and wherein said multiplicity of email communication items filtering criteria includes email communication item send time.

17. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 14 and wherein said multiplicity of email communication items filtering criteria includes email communication item receive time.

18. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 14 and wherein said multiplicity of email communication items filtering criteria includes email communication item recipients.

19. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 14 and wherein said multiplicity of email communication items filtering criteria includes email communication item sender.

20. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 14 and wherein said multiplicity of email communication items filtering criteria includes email communication item subject.

21. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 14 and wherein said multiplicity of email communication items filtering criteria includes email communication item attachments characteristics.

22. An enterprise email governance system according to claim 21 and wherein said communication item attachments characteristics include attachment size, attachment subject and attachment content.

23. An enterprise email governance method useful with enterprise email systems in which multiple users have access to at least some email communication items, the method comprising:

monitoring email servers and identifying a first plurality of entities in the enterprise who have actually accessed emails as well as a second plurality of entities in the enterprise who have access permissions to emails, said first plurality of entities being a subset of said second plurality of entities, said second plurality of entities comprising entities other than senders or recipients of said emails, and for providing at least near real time indications of email communication item events associated with said first and second plurality of entities and identification of the entity other than the sender or recipient of said email who had at least one of access permissions or actual access to said email, said email communication item events comprising at least one of;

creating email communication items;

sending email communication items;

receiving email communication items;

reading email communication items;

modifying email communication items;

deleting email communication items;

opening email communication items;

forwarding email communication items; and

saving email communication items; and

storing monitored enterprise-wide email communication item events and providing at least near real time user accessibility to said email communication item events.

24. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 23 and wherein said method includes providing at least near real time indications of sending and receiving of email communication items.

25. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 23 and wherein said method includes providing at least near real time indications of opening email communication items.

26. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 23 and wherein said method includes providing at least near real time indications of forwarding email communication items.

27. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 23 and wherein said method includes providing at least near real time indications of saving email communication items.

28. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 23 and wherein said method includes providing at least near real time indications of email communication item events involving selected at least pairs of entities.

29. An enterprise email governance method useful with enterprise email systems in which multiple users have access to at least some email communication items, the method comprising:

identifying a first plurality of entities in the enterprise who have email communication item access permissions and providing indications of email communication item access permissions associated with said first plurality of entities, said email communication item access permissions comprising user access permissions for at least one of;

creating email communication items;

sending email communication items;

reading email communication items;

modifying email communication items;

deleting email communication items;

opening email communication items; and

forwarding email communication items; and

identifying a second plurality of entities in the enterprise who have actually accessed emails, said second plurality of entities being a subset of said first plurality of entities, said first plurality of entities comprising entities other than senders or recipients of said emails, and providing at least near real time indications of email communication item events associated with said second plurality of entities and identification of the entity other than the sender or recipient of said email who had at least one of access permissions or actual access to said email, said email communication item events comprising at least one of;

creating email communication items;

sending email communication items;

receiving email communication items;

reading email communication items;

modifying email communication items;

deleting email communication items;

opening email communication items;

forwarding email communication items; and

saving email communication items.

30. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 29 and wherein said email communication item access permissions include email communication item modification permissions.

31. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 29 and wherein said email communication item access permissions include email communication item creation and deletion permissions.

32. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 29 and wherein said email communication item access permissions include email communication item sending, replying and forwarding permissions.

33. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 29 and wherein said email communication item access permissions include email communication item reading permissions.

34. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 29 and wherein said method includes providing at least near real time indications of email communication item events involving selected at least pairs of entities.

35. An enterprise email and file governance method useful with enterprise email systems in which multiple users have access to at least some email communication items, the method comprising:

monitoring email servers and identifying a first plurality of entities in the enterprise who have actually accessed emails as well as a second plurality of entities in the enterprise who have access permissions to emails, said first plurality of entities being a subset of said second plurality of entities, said second plurality of entities comprising entities other than senders or recipients of said emails, providing identification of the entity other than the sender or recipient of said email who had at least one of access permissions or actual access to said email, and providing at least one of;

at least near real time indications of email communication item events associated with said first and second plurality of entities, said email communication item events comprising at least one of;

creating email communication items;

sending email communication items;

receiving email communication items;

reading email communication items;

modifying email communication items;

deleting email communication items;

opening email communication items;

forwarding email communication items; and

saving email communication items; and

indications of email communication item access permissions associated with said second plurality of entities, said email communication item access permissions comprising user access permissions for at least one of;

creating email communication items;

sending email communication items;

reading email communication items;

modifying email communication items;

deleting email communication items;

opening email communication items; and

forwarding email communication items;

monitoring files across the enterprise and providing at least one of;

at least near real time indications of file access events; and

indications of file access permissions; and

storing enterprise-wide monitored events and providing at least near real time user accessibility to said email communication items and to at least one of said email communication item access events, said indications of email communication item access permissions, said file access events and said indications of file access permissions.

36. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 35 and wherein said at least near real time user accessibility to said email communication items and to at least one of said email communication item access events and said indications of email communication item access permissions includes filtering functionality operative to provide at least near real time user accessibility to said email communication items, and to said access events and said access permissions thereof, which match at least one of a multiplicity of email communication items filtering criteria.

37. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 36 and wherein said multiplicity of email communication items filtering criteria includes keywords.

38. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 36 and wherein said multiplicity of email communication items filtering criteria includes email communication item send time.

39. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 36 and wherein said multiplicity of email communication items filtering criteria includes email communication item receive time.

40. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 36 and wherein said multiplicity of email communication items filtering criteria includes email communication item recipients.

41. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 36 and wherein said multiplicity of email communication items filtering criteria includes email communication item sender.

42. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 36 and wherein said multiplicity of email communication items filtering criteria includes email communication item subject.

43. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 36 and wherein said multiplicity of email communication items filtering criteria includes email communication item attachments characteristics.

44. An enterprise email governance method according to claim 43 and wherein said communication item attachments characteristics include attachment size, attachment subject and attachment content.