Systems and methods for providing recording as a network service

• US 20080002719A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Witness Systems Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Williams, Jamie Richard, Spohrer, Dan, Byrd, Steve, Bourne, John, Barnes, Robert John
• Granted Patent: US 7,903,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.52
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/18 Protocol analysers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing recording of communications are provided. A representative method incorporates: providing recording as a service on a network such that: the network determines whether Internet Protocol (IP) packets, which are being communicated by the network, are associated with a communication that is to be recorded and the network directs information corresponding to the IP packets associated with the communication to a long term storage device.

Claims

1. A method for providing recording of communications comprising:

providing recording as a service on a network such that;

the network determines whether Internet Protocol (IP) packets, which are being communicated by the network, are associated with a communication that is to be recorded and

the network directs information corresponding to the IP packets associated with the communication to a long term storage device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the IP packets are associated with a communication that is to be recorded is accomplished by a switching device of a network, the switching device being a network infrastructure component configured for directing the IP packets.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein directing of the information corresponding to the IP packets to the long term storage is accomplished without using a recorder, which is configured to be tapped into the switching device, for temporarily storing the IP packets.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the switching device determines whether the IP packets are associated with the communication that is to be recorded.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, in determining whether IP packets are associated with a communication that is to be recorded, the switching device receives the IP packets in a promiscuous mode.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein, in determining whether IP packets are associated with a communication that is to be recorded, the IP packets are filtered.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the switching device filters the IP packets by operating in a non-promiscuous mode.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein, in determining whether IP packets are associated with a communication that is to be recorded, the switching device analyzes at least some of the IP packets received, with a portion of each of those IP packets being analyzed.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein, in determining whether IP packets are associated with a communication that is to be recorded, the switching device analyzes all of the IP packets received.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the IP packets associated with the communication contain audio data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the IP packets associated with the communication contain video data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the IP packets associated with the communication contain screen data captured from a computing device.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating instructions to the network, the instructions indicating that information corresponding to the IP packets associated with the communication are to be directed to the long term storage device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein a switching device of a network determines whether the IP packets are associated with a communication that is to be recorded;

and

the method further comprises;

providing the switching device with instructions regarding communications such that information corresponding to the IP packets and satisfying criteria associated with the instructions is directed to the long term storage device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein at least some of the instructions are provided to the switching device via the network.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the IP packets associated with the communication at the long term storage device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving information corresponding to the IP packets at the long term storage device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the information corresponding to the IP packets comprises at least one of a source of the communication and a destination of the communication.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising reconstructing the communication for replay.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein a recorder, which is in communication with the switching device, determines whether the IP packets are associated with the communication that is to be recorded.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein:

the network comprises a switching device operative to direct the IP packets

the IP packets are provided to the recorder, which is tapped into the switching device; and

the IP packets that are to be directed to the long term storage device by the switching device are retransmitted from the recorder.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the service resides on the network and is accessible to a user via the network for requesting recording services.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the recording services are accessible via a web browser.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the web browser uses HTML.

25. A system for providing recording as a network service comprising:

a switching device operative to;

communicate Internet Protocol (IP) packets of a network with which the switching device is associated;

determine which of the IP packets communicated by the switching device are associated with a communication that is to be recorded; and

direct information corresponding to the IP packets associated with the communication to a long term storage device;

wherein the switching device is a network infrastructure component configured for directing IP packets.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising the long term storage device to which the IP packets are directed.

27. The system of claim 25, further comprising means for facilitating identification of the IP packets associated with the communication.

28. The system of claim 25, further comprising a recorder tapped into the switching device, the recorder being operative to facilitate identification of the IP packets associated with the communication.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the recorder is operative to transmit the IP packets for recording back to the switching device such that the switching device directs the IP packets transmitted from the recorder to long term storage.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the switching device is operative to receive instructions regarding communications via the network such that IP packets satisfying criteria associated with the instructions are directed to the long term storage device.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the switching device is operative to receive the instructions from a recorder, which is tapped into the switching device.