Enterprise management for devices

• US 9,361,083 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Karaa, Hassen, Healy, Michael, Flegg, Brett D. A., Dhawan, Gaurav, Sutherland, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luu, Cuong V
• Application Number:
  US13/787,390
• Publication Number:
  US 20140259007A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/62 Uninstallation

Abstract

Installing apps on a device. The device is generally configured to be used in a closed market environment that only allows generally available apps of the closed market to be installed. The method includes determining that the device has been authorized to install apps outside of a set of apps generally available from the closed market and from a set of apps available only to users of a particular enterprise. The method further includes determining that an app, that is not generally available from the closed market, has been verified by a central authority. The method further includes installing the app on the device in spite of the fact that the device is generally configured to be used in a closed market environment.

Claims

1. A method, implemented at a computing device that includes one or more processors, for configuring the computing device for use with an enterprise management infrastructure, the method comprising:

connecting the computing device to a management infrastructure of an enterprise, including;

configuring an agent at the computing device for ongoing communications with a management infrastructure of the enterprise;

installing an enterprise self-service portal at the computing device; and

installing a sideloading key of the enterprise on the computing device, which authorizes the computing device to enterprise apps that are not generally offered in a closed app market;

as part of a periodic computing device-initiated maintenance task of the agent, the agent performing two or more of the following;

reporting updated device configuration information to the management infrastructure, applying a policy change configured for the computing device, reporting device compliance information to the management infrastructure, or updating one or more installed enterprise apps; and

as part of a user-initiated application installation task of the agent that is initiated by a user at the self-service portal, the agent sideloading a particular enterprise app on the computing device, including;

determining that the computing device possesses the sideloading key and is therefore authorized to install enterprise apps that are not generally offered in a closed app market; and

based on the computing device possessing the particular sideloading key, obtaining the particular enterprise app from the management infrastructure and installing the particular enterprise app on the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a self-service portal user interface to the user to allow the user to select the particular enterprise app from among a set of enterprise apps that are provided by the enterprise;

receiving user input selecting the particular enterprise app;

notifying a service that the user has selected the particular enterprise app;

receiving a notification from the service that the particular enterprise app is available to be installed; and

wherein installing the particular enterprise app on the computing device is performed in a fashion that minimizes disruption to the computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular enterprise app is installed when the computing device determines that it has sufficient free resources to install the particular enterprise app without serious impact to a user experience of the computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining an enumeration of enterprise apps that have been installed on the computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a report to an enterprise administrator, the report comprising an enumeration of all enterprise apps from the enterprise that have been installed on the computing device, without identifying in the report other non-enterprise apps that have been installed on the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising disconnecting the computing device from the management infrastructure, including:

disabling or deleting any enterprise apps that have already been installed on the computing device; and

making data associated with any enterprise apps that have already been installed on the computing device inaccessible at the computing device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of the acts of claim 6 are performed in response to the computing device not contacting the management infrastructure for a pre-determined period of time.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of the acts of claim 6 are performed in response to the user indicating a desire to disconnect the computing device from the management infrastructure.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of the acts of claim 6 are performed in response to an enterprise administrator indicating a desire to disconnect the computing device from the management infrastructure.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular sideloading key is issued by a central authority corresponding to the closed app market.

11. A computing device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer readable media, wherein the one or more computer readable media comprise computer executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more of the processors, configure the computing device to perform at least the following;

connect the computing device to a management infrastructure of an enterprise, including;

configuring an agent at the computing device for ongoing communications with a management infrastructure of the enterprise;

installing an enterprise self-service portal at the computing device; and

installing a sideloading key of the enterprise on the computing device, which authorizes the computing device to install apps that are not generally offered in a closed app market;

perform two or more of the following as part of a periodic computing device-initiated maintenance task of the agent;

report updated device configuration information to the management infrastructure, apply a policy change configured for the computing device, report device compliance information to the management infrastructure, and update one or more installed enterprise apps; and

sideload a particular enterprise app on the computing device as part of a user-initiated application installation task of the agent that is initiated by a user at the self-service portal, including;

determining that the computing device possesses the sideloading key and is therefore authorized to install apps that are not generally offered in a closed app market; and

based on the computing device possessing the particular sideloading key, obtaining the enterprise app from the management infrastructure and installing the enterprise app on the computing device.

12. The computing device of claim 11, further comprising computer executable instructions that configure the computing device to perform the following:

provide a self-service portal user interface to the user to allow the user to select the particular enterprise app from among a set of enterprise apps that are provided by the enterprise;

receive user input selecting the particular enterprise app;

notify a service that the user has selected the particular enterprise app;

receive a notification from the service that the particular enterprise app is available to be installed; and

wherein the particular enterprise app is installed on the computing device in a fashion that minimizes disruption to the computing device.

13. The computing device of claim 11, further comprising computer executable instructions that configure the computing device to install the particular enterprise app when the computing device determines that it has sufficient free resources to install the particular enterprise app without serious impact to a user experience of the computing device.

14. The computing device of claim 11, further comprising computer executable instructions that configure the computing device to maintain an enumeration of enterprise apps that have been installed on the computing device.

15. The computing device of claim 11, further comprising computer executable instructions that configure the computing device to provide a report to an enterprise administrator, the report comprising an enumeration of all enterprise apps from the enterprise that have been installed on the computing device, without identifying in the report other non-enterprise apps that have been installed on the computing device.

16. The computing device of claim 11, further comprising computer executable instructions that configure the computing device to perform the following:

disable or delete any enterprise apps that have already been installed on the computing device; and

make data associated with any enterprise apps that have already been installed on the computing device inaccessible at the computing device.

17. One or more hardware storage devices having stored thereon computer executable instructions that are executable by one or more processors of a computing device, and that configure the computing device to perform at least the following:

connect the computing device to a management infrastructure of an enterprise, including;

configuring an agent at the computing device for ongoing communications with a management infrastructure of the enterprise;

installing an enterprise self-service portal at the computing device; and

installing a sideloading key of the enterprise on the computing device, which authorizes the computing device to install apps that are not generally offered in a closed app market;

perform two or more of the following as part of a periodic computing device-initiated maintenance task of the agent;

report updated device configuration information to the management infrastructure, apply a policy change configured for the computing device, report device compliance information to the management infrastructure, and update one or more installed enterprise apps; and

sideload a particular enterprise app on the computing device as part of a user-initiated application installation task of the agent that is initiated by a user at the self-service portal, including;

determining that the computing device possesses the sideloading key and is therefore authorized to install apps that are not generally offered in a closed app market; and

based on the computing device possessing the particular sideloading key, obtaining the enterprise app from the management infrastructure and installing the enterprise app on the computing device.

18. The one or more hardware storage devices of claim 17, further comprising computer executable instructions that configure the to perform the following:

provide a self-service portal user interface to the user to allow the user to select the particular enterprise app from among a set of enterprise apps that are provided by the enterprise;

receive user input selecting the particular enterprise app;

notify a service that the user has selected the particular enterprise app;

receive a notification from the service that the particular enterprise app is available to be installed; and

wherein the particular enterprise app is installed on the computing device in a fashion that minimizes disruption to the computing device.

19. The one or more hardware storage devices of claim 17, further comprising computer executable instructions that configure the computing device to maintain an enumeration of enterprise apps that have been installed on the computing device.

20. The one or more hardware storage devices of claim 17, further comprising computer executable instructions that configure the computing device to provide a report to an enterprise administrator, the report comprising an enumeration of all enterprise apps from the enterprise that have been installed on the computing device, without identifying in the report other non-enterprise apps that have been installed on the computing device.