Providing an enterprise application store

• US 9,413,736 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2013
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Batson, Kevin, Hayton, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoffman, Brandon
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRUONG, THONG P
• Application Number:
  US14/015,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20140298400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 726/2, 726/3, 726/4, 726/5, 726/7, 726/8, 726/28
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for providing an application store are presented. In some embodiments, a request for a software application may be received at an application store. Subsequently, the software application may be configured, at the application store, based on a single sign-on credential. The configured software application then may be provided, by the application store, to at least one recipient device associated with the single sign-on credential.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at an application store provided by a computing device, a single sign-on (SSO) credential that includes data enabling access to the application store and one or more other enterprise resources;

determining, at the application store, whether the SSO credential is valid;

based on determining that the SSO credential is valid, providing, by the application store, an enterprise application store interface that is configured to include one or more features that are specific to an organization associated with the application store;

receiving, by the application store, via the enterprise application store interface, a request for a software application;

configuring the software application at the application store by;

establishing, at the application store, one or more user-specific settings based on the SSO credential; and

applying, at the application store, one or more management policies to the application based on the SSO credential and based on policy information that is maintained by the application store and created by the application store based on input received via a mobile service management interface provided by the application store; and

providing, by the application store, the configured software application to at least one recipient device associated with the SSO credential,

wherein the configured software application provided to the at least one recipient device is a stub application that corresponds to a virtualized application,

wherein the application store stores data indicating that the stub application was configured based on the SSO credential, and

wherein a virtualization platform associated with the virtualized application uses the stored data in authenticating a user of the stub application when the stub application is launched.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the software application is configured in response to validation of the SSO credential.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more management policies are selected to be applied to the application based on at least one user role associated with the SSO credential.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the software application further includes:

accessing, by the application store, one or more enterprise resources using the SSO credential;

obtaining, by the application store, user-specific information from the one or more enterprise resources based on the SSO credential; and

using the user-specific information in establishing the one or more user-specific settings for the software application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein execution of the virtualized application is enabled by the SSO credential.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the one or more user-specific settings based on the SSO credential includes modifying, at the application store, at least one default setting in the application based on privileges of an authorized user of the SSO credential.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more management policies are configured to disable one or more features of the application in one or more first circumstances, and the one or more management policies are configured to disable access to one or more specific resources in one or more second circumstances.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the enterprise application store interface enables a user of the at least one recipient device associated with the SSO credential to browse and download one or more applications that have been chosen for enterprise users affiliated with the organization associated with the application store.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more other enterprise resources include a cloud storage platform and a virtualization platform.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the application store minimally configures the software application by establishing one or more essential settings without establishing one or more non-essential settings.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile service management interface includes one or more controls that are configured to allow an administrative user of the application store to define one or more policies to be applied to one or more applications that are available via the application store.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the mobile service management interface is provided by the application store in response to receiving at least one application from the administrative user of the application store.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the application store is configured to receive, via the mobile service management interface, at least one policy update for at least one application of the one or more applications that are available via the application store.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to;

provide an application store;

receive, at the application store, a single sign-on (SSO) credential that includes data enabling access to the application store and one or more other enterprise resources;

determine, at the application store, whether the SSO credential is valid;

based on determining that the SSO credential is valid, provide, by the application store, an enterprise application store interface that is configured to include one or more features that are specific to an organization associated with the application store;

receive, by the application store, via the enterprise application store interface, a request for a software application;

configure the software application at the application store by;

establishing, at the application store, one or more user-specific settings based on the SSO credential; and

applying, at the application store, one or more management policies to the application based on the SSO credential and based on policy information that is maintained by the application store and created by the application store based on input received via a mobile service management interface provided by the application store; and

provide, by the application store, the configured software application to at least one recipient device associated with the SSO credential,

wherein the configured software application provided to the at least one recipient device is a stub application that corresponds to a virtualized application,

wherein the application store stores data indicating that the stub application was configured based on the SSO credential, and

wherein a virtualization platform associated with the virtualized application uses the stored data in authenticating a user of the stub application when the stub application is launched.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein configuring the software application further includes:

accessing, by the application store, one or more enterprise resources using the SSO credential;

obtaining, by the application store, user-specific information from the one or more enterprise resources based on the SSO credential; and

using the user-specific information in establishing the one or more user-specific settings for the software application.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein execution of the virtualized application is enabled by the SSO credential.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the mobile service management interface includes one or more controls that are configured to allow an administrative user of the application store to define one or more policies to be applied to one or more applications that are available via the application store.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the mobile service management interface is provided by the application store in response to receiving at least one application from the administrative user of the application store.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the application store is configured to receive, via the mobile service management interface, at least one policy update for at least one application of the one or more applications that are available via the application store.

20. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed, cause at least one computing device to:

receive, at an application store, a single sign-on (SSO) credential that includes data enabling access to the application store and one or more other enterprise resources;

determine, at the application store, whether the SSO credential is valid;

based on determining that the SSO credential is valid, provide, by the application store, an enterprise application store interface that is configured to include one or more features that are specific to an organization associated with the application store;

receive, by the application store, via the enterprise application store interface, a request for a software application;

configure the software application at the application store by;

establishing, at the application store, one or more user-specific settings based on the SSO credential; and

applying, at the application store, one or more management policies to the application based on the SSO credential and based on policy information that is maintained by the application store and created by the application store based on input received via a mobile service management interface provided by the application store; and

provide, by the application store, the configured software application to at least one recipient device associated with the SSO credential,

wherein the configured software application provided to the at least one recipient device is a stub application that corresponds to a virtualized application,

wherein the application store stores data indicating that the stub application was configured based on the SSO credential, and

wherein a virtualization platform associated with the virtualized application uses the stored data in authenticating a user of the stub application when the stub application is launched.