System, method and device for mediating connections between policy source servers, corporate repositories, and mobile devices

• US 8,565,726 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2009
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Skyhigh Security LLC, Trust Digital
• Original Assignee: McAfee, Inc. (McAfee, LLC)
• Inventors: Walker, David, Sapp, Kevin, Goldschlag, David
• Primary Examiner(s): SIVJI, NIZAR N
• Application Number:
  US12/614,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20100112983A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 713/201, 455/419, 455/418
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/022 Multivendor or multi-standard integration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0869 Validating the configuration within one network element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

The invention relates to providing policy from an integrated policy server to a mobile device, comprising identifying a policy in an integrated policy server applicable to the mobile device and supplying policy elements to policy transports for transmission to the mobile device. The invention also relates to providing policy from an integrated policy server to a mobile device, including identifying a policy in the integrated policy server applicable to the mobile device, determining whether the mobile device is in compliance with the policy, and supplying policy elements to policy transports for transmission to the mobile device when the mobile device is not in compliance with the policy. The invention further relates to controlling access to a data server by a mobile device, including identifying a policy in an integrated policy server applicable to the mobile device, and determining whether the mobile device is in compliance with the policy.

Claims

1. A method for providing policy from an integrated policy server to a mobile device, the mobile device having policy compliance capabilities, the method comprising:

identifying the mobile device;

identifying a policy in the integrated policy server applicable to the mobile device based on the identity of the mobile device, the policy including one or more policy elements;

identifying one or more of the policy elements based on the policy compliance capabilities of the mobile device;

determining whether the mobile device is in compliance with the policy based on the identified policy elements; and

when the mobile device is not in compliance with the policy;

decomposing the policy into the one or more policy elements;

mapping the one or more policy elements to one or more device-specific policy elements compatible with the mobile device;

transforming the one or more policy elements to the one or more device-specific policy elements compatible with the mobile device;

grouping the device-specific policy elements according to one or more policy transports to form grouped device-specific policy elements, wherein the grouped device-specific policy elements are grouped to minimize the number of policy transports; and

supplying the grouped device-specific policy elements to the corresponding one or more policy transports for transmission to the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an indicia that the policy was installed on the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising reporting the installation of the identified policy elements on the mobile device to the integrated policy server.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining whether the mobile device is in compliance with the policy after receiving the indicia that the policy was installed on the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising reporting the compliance of the mobile device to the policy to the integrated policy server when the mobile device is determined to be in compliance with the policy.

6. A system for providing policy from an integrated policy server to a mobile device, the mobile device having policy compliance capabilities, the system comprising:

a data server;

an integrated policy server; and

a policy proxy configured to;

identify the mobile device;

identify a policy in the integrated policy server applicable to the mobile device based on the identity of the mobile device, the policy including one or more policy elements;

identify one or more of the policy elements based on the policy compliance capabilities of the mobile device;

determine whether the mobile device is in compliance with the policy based on the identified policy elements; and

when the mobile device is not in compliance with the policy;

decompose the policy into the one or more policy elements;

map the one or more policy elements to one or more device-specific policy elements compatible with the mobile device;

transform the one or more policy elements to the one or more device-specific policy elements compatible with the mobile device;

group the device-specific policy elements according to one or more policy transports to form grouped device-specific policy elements, wherein the grouped device-specific policy elements are grouped to minimize the number of policy transports; and

supply the grouped device-specific policy elements to the corresponding one or more policy transports for transmission to the mobile device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the policy proxy is further configured to receive an indicia that the policy was installed on the mobile device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the policy proxy is further configured to report the installation of the identified policy elements on the mobile device to the integrated policy server.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the policy proxy is further configured to determine whether the mobile device is in compliance with the policy after receiving the indicia that the policy was installed on the mobile device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the policy proxy is further configured to report the compliance of the mobile device to the policy to the integrated policy server when the mobile device is determined to be in compliance with the policy.

11. A device for providing policy from an integrated policy server to a mobile device, the mobile device having policy compliance capabilities, the device comprising a policy proxy configured to:

identify the mobile device;

identify a policy in the integrated policy server applicable to the mobile device based on the identity of the mobile device, the policy including one or more policy elements;

identify one or more of the policy elements based on the policy compliance capabilities of the mobile device;

determine whether the mobile device is in compliance with the policy based on the identified policy elements; and

when the mobile device is not in compliance with the policy;

decompose the policy into the one or more policy elements;

map the one or more policy elements to one or more device-specific policy elements compatible with the mobile device;

transform the one or more policy elements to the one or more device-specific policy elements compatible with the mobile device;

group the device-specific policy elements according to one or more policy transports to form grouped device-specific policy elements, wherein the grouped device-specific policy elements are grouped to minimize the number of policy transports; and

supply the grouped device-specific policy elements to the corresponding one or more policy transports for transmission to the mobile device.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the policy proxy is further configured to receive an indicia that the policy was installed on the mobile device.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the policy proxy is further configured to report the installation of the identified policy elements on the mobile device to the integrated policy server.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the policy proxy is further configured to determine whether the mobile device is in compliance with the policy after receiving the indicia that the policy was installed on the mobile device.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the policy proxy is further configured to report the compliance of the mobile device to the policy to the integrated policy server when the mobile device is determined to be in compliance with the policy.