Providing an enterprise application store

• US 8,849,978 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2013
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• 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: Hayton, Richard, Batson, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): HIGA, BRENDAN Y
• Application Number:
  US14/015,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20140297824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709220-222, 709223-229, 709/248
• US Class Current: 709/223
• 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 updated policy information for at least one application may be received at an application store from a policy agent. Based on receiving the request, it may be determined, at the application store, whether one or more policies for the at least one application have been updated. Based on determining that the one or more policies for the at least one application have been updated, at least one policy update may be provided to the policy agent.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at an application store, from a policy agent, a request for updated policy information for at least one application;

based on receiving the request, determining, at the application store, whether one or more policies for the at least one application have been updated 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;

based on determining that the one or more policies for the at least one application have been updated, providing at least one policy update to the policy agent;

receiving, at the application store, a policy change for a first application;

determining that the first application is present on one or more devices; and

providing information associated with the policy change to the one or more devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on determining that the one or more policies for the at least one application have not been updated, notifying the policy agent that updates are not available.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for updated policy information is received from the policy agent upon execution of a wrapped application.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether one or more policy updates are available for one or more other applications in addition to the first application on the one or more devices; and

based on determining that one or more policy updates are available for the one or more other applications, providing the one or more available policy updates for the one or more other applications to the one or more devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the first application is present on the one or more devices is based on one or more user-keyed application download records associated with the application store.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy agent is a mobile device management policy enforcement agent.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy agent is an application wrapper for the at least one application that is configured to enforce the one or more policies on the at least one application.

8. The method of claim 7,

wherein the application wrapper is configured to support use of client certificates for authentication to protected network resources, and

wherein the application wrapper is further configured to orchestrate network access on behalf of the at least one application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the application store maintains different policies for different users of the at least one application.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one policy of the one or more policies is configured to disable access to one or more specific enterprise resources in one or more specific circumstances.

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 to define one or more policies to be applied to one or more applications that are available in the application store, and

wherein the application store is configured to provide an enterprise application store interface that includes one or more features specific to an enterprise that has deployed the application store, the one or more features including a listing of one or more applications that are chosen for enterprise users affiliated with the enterprise.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the policy change for the first application is received from at least one administrative user via the mobile service management interface.

13. 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;

receive, at an application store, from a policy agent, a request for updated policy information for at least one application;

based on receiving the request, determine, at the application store, whether one or more policies for the at least one application have been updated 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;

based on determining that the one or more policies for the at least one application have been updated, provide at least one policy update to the policy agent;

receive, at the application store, a policy change for a first application;

determine that the first application is present on one or more devices; and

provide information associated with the policy change to the one or more devices.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the memory stores additional computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to:

based on determining that the one or more policies for the at least one application have not been updated, notify the policy agent that updates are not available.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the request for updated policy information is received from the policy agent upon execution of a wrapped application.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the memory stores additional computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to:

determine whether one or more policy updates are available for one or more other applications in addition to the first application on the one or more devices; and

based on determining that one or more policy updates are available for the one or more other applications, provide the one or more available policy updates for the one or more other applications to the one or more devices.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein determining that the first application is present on the one or more devices is based on one or more user-keyed application download records associated with the application store.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the policy agent is a mobile device management policy enforcement agent.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the policy agent is an application wrapper for the at least one application that is configured to enforce the one or more policies on the at least one application.

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, from a policy agent, a request for updated policy information for at least one application;

based on receiving the request, determine, at the application store, whether one or more policies for the at least one application have been updated 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;

based on determining that the one or more policies for the at least one application have been updated, provide at least one policy update to the policy agent;

receive, at the application store, a policy change for a first application;

determine that the first application is present on one or more devices; and

provide information associated with the policy change to the one or more devices.