Access control center auto launch

• US 9,930,023 B1
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Automobile Association (United Services Automobile Association)
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Wilkinson, Christopher Thomas, Francovich, Edward Allen, Scott, Jeremy Ryan, Sternitzke, Steven Dale
• Primary Examiner(s): Thiaw, Catherine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ho, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/841,170
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1085 involving dynamic management of active down- or uploading connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable

Abstract

Methods and systems provide indirect and temporary access to a company'"'"'s IT infrastructure and business applications. The methods/systems involve establishing an access control center (ACC) to control the access that technical support personnel may have to the company'"'"'s IT infrastructure and business applications. Thin client terminals with limited functionality may then be set up in the ACC for use by the technical support personnel. The thin client terminals connect the technical support personnel to workstations outside the ACC that operate as virtual desktops. The virtual desktops in turn connect the technical support personnel to the IT infrastructure and business applications. An ACC application may be used to automatically establish the connection between the thin client terminals and the virtual desktops and the virtual desktops and the IT infrastructure and business applications.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a computer configured to control access to computing resources of a computing infrastructure comprising a plurality of devices, from a credentials database, a set of credentials configured to access a device from the plurality of devices of the computing infrastructure, wherein the device is associated with an incident;

transmitting, by the computer, to a client device a launch routine configured to establish a remote virtual desktop connection between the client device and the device, wherein the virtual desktop is hosted on a work station computer associated with the computing infrastructure and hosting one or more virtual desktops;

upon authenticating the client device, automatically executing, by the computer, the launch routine to establish a connection between the device and the virtual desktop by executing a remote access application, wherein the virtual desktop comprises a plurality of remote access applications, and wherein the virtual desktop automatically determines the remote access application to execute based upon the set of credentials configured to access the computing resource;

upon executing the launch routine, automatically transmitting, by the computer, the set of credentials to the remote access application of the virtual desktop; and

establishing, by the computer, a remote session between the remote access application of the virtual desktop and the device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computer automatically transmits the set of credentials to the remote access application of the virtual desktop upon execution of the launch routine establishing the remote virtual desktop connection between the client device and the device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the launch routine is automatically executed at the client device upon receiving the launch routine from the computer.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the launch routine is executed upon receiving instructions via a client interface at the client device.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising identifying, by the computer, in the credentials database the remote access application for the launch routine, wherein the launch routine indicates the remote access application to the client device.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising querying, by the computer, the credentials database for the set of credentials based upon a system identifier (system ID) associated with the device.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the computer identifies a plurality of sets of credentials associated with the device according to the credentials database.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the computer, a set of personnel credentials to an authentication server upon receiving the set of personnel credentials from a thin client device; and

identifying, by the computer, one or more incidents assigned to a personnel identifier according to a manager terminal, upon receiving verification from the authentication server that the set of personnel credentials match a pre-stored set of personnel credentials.

9. The method according to claim 8, automatically connecting, by the computer, the thin client device to a virtual desktop executed by the client device based upon an incident assigned to the personnel identifier in the credentials database.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the set of credentials configured to access the device are not viewable to a user via the client device.

11. A computing system comprising:

a credentials database configured to one or more sets of credentials in non-transitory machine-readable storage media; and

an access control server configured to receive from a credentials database a set of credentials configured to access a device associated with an incident, transmit to a client device a launch routine configured to establish a remote virtual desktop connection between the client device and the device, wherein the virtual desktop is hosted on a work station computer associated with the computing infrastructure and hosting one or more virtual desktops;

upon authenticating the client device automatically execute the launch routine to establish a connection between the device and the virtual desktop by executing a remote access application, wherein the virtual desktop comprises a plurality of remote access applications, and wherein the virtual desktop automatically determines the remote access application to execute based upon the set of credentials configured to access the computing resource;

upon executing the launch routine automatically transmit the set of credentials to the remote access application of the virtual desktop; and

establish a remote session between the remote access application of the virtual desktop and the device.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the access control server is further configured to automatically transmit the set of credentials to the device upon execution of the launch routine establishing the remote desktop connection between the client device and the device, and

wherein the set of credentials configured to access the device are not viewable to a user via the client device.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the launch routine is automatically executed at the client device upon receiving the launch routine from the computer.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the launch routine is executed upon receiving instructions via a client interface at the client device.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein the access control server is further configured to identify in the credentials database a remote access application for the launch routine, wherein the launch routine indicates the remote access application to the client device.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein the access control server is further configured to query the credentials database for the set of credentials based upon a system identifier (system ID) associated with the device.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the access control server identifies a plurality of sets of credentials associated with the device according to the credentials database.

18. The system according to claim 11, wherein the access control server is further configured to:

transmit a set of personnel credentials to an authentication server upon receiving the set of personnel credentials from a thin client device; and

identify one or more incidents assigned to a personnel identifier according to a manager terminal, upon receiving verification from the authentication server that the set of personnel credentials match a pre-stored set of personnel credentials.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the access control server is further configured to automatically connect the thin client device to a virtual desktop executed by the client device.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the access control server is further configured to identify the virtual desktop in the credentials database based upon an incident assigned to the personnel identifier in the credentials database.