Access control center auto configuration

• US 8,850,525 B1
• Filed: 09/17/2008
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Wilkinson, Christopher Thomas, Francovich, Edward Allen, Rodriguez, Jose Luis
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Jung
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ho, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US12/212,637
• Time in Patent Office: 2,204 Days
• Field of Search: 726/4, 705/26.41, 718/1, 709/203
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4875 with migration policy, e.g. auction, contract negotiation

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 to the virtual desktops, and the virtual desktops to the IT infrastructure and business applications. The ACC application may include an auto configuration module for automatically configuring a root privilege manager and jump server.

Claims

1. A system of controlling access by technical support personnel to a company'"'"'s computing system, the system comprising a memory storing instructions, said memory coupled to a processor executing said instructions to:

receive identification information from the technical support personnel, the technical support personnel being physically and logically isolated from the company'"'"'s computing system;

authorize the technical support personnel to request a first approval;

obtain the first approval for the technical support personnel, the first approval authorizing the technical support personnel to request a second approval;

obtain the second approval for the technical support personnel, the second approval authorizing the technical support personnel to access the company'"'"'s computing system including a number of virtual desktops, wherein one of the number of virtual desktops is assigned to the technical support personnel operating a thin client terminal, based on a type of incident assigned to the technical support personnel and wherein the thin client terminal contains only specific remote access applications based on the type of incident assigned;

send user credentials through the thin client terminal displaying the one of the number of virtual desktops to access corresponding systems of the company'"'"'s computing system via the one of the number of virtual desktops, wherein the user credentials are sent through the background of the thin client terminal displaying the one of the number of virtual desktops and wherein the user credentials are utilized to access a number of features of the company'"'"'s computing system; and

automatically update configuration information for controlling access to the company'"'"'s computing system based on the first and second approvals.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein configuration information includes access credentials for the company'"'"'s computing system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein one or more of the access credentials are manually selected by an access control center manager.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein at least one access credentials is automatically retrieved from a database based on the one or more access credentials manually selected by an access control center manager.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the configuration information is provided to a root privilege manager, the root privilege manager providing a central repository for the configuration information.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein controlling access to the company'"'"'s computing system is performed by a jump server, the jump server controlling the access to the company'"'"'s computing system based on the configuration information.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the root privilege manager and the jump server are implemented.

8. A method of controlling access by technical support personnel to a company'"'"'s computing system, the method comprising:

receiving identification information from the technical support personnel, the technical support personnel being physically and logically isolated from the company'"'"'s computing system;

authorizing the technical support personnel to request a first approval;

obtaining the first approval for the technical support personnel, the first approval authorizing the technical support personnel to request a second approval;

obtaining the second approval for the technical support personnel, the second approval authorizing the technical support personnel to access the company'"'"'s computing system including a number of virtual desktops, wherein one of the number of virtual desktops is assigned to the technical support personnel operating a thin client terminal, based on a type of incident assigned to the technical support personnel and wherein the thin client terminal contains only specific remote access applications based on the type of incident assigned;

sending user credentials through the thin client terminal displaying the one of the number of virtual desktops to access corresponding systems of the company'"'"'s computing system via the one of the number of virtual desktops, wherein the user credentials are sent through the background of the thin client terminal displaying the one of the number of virtual desktops and wherein the user credentials are utilized to access a number of features of the company'"'"'s computing system; and

automatically updating configuration information for controlling access to the company'"'"'s computing system based on the first and second approvals.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein configuration information includes access credentials for the company'"'"'s computing system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein one or more of the access credentials are manually selected by an access control center manager.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one access credentials is automatically retrieved from a database based on the one or more access credentials manually selected by an access control center manager.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the configuration information is provided to a root privilege manager, the root privilege manager providing a central repository for the configuration information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein controlling access to the company'"'"'s computing system is performed by a jump server, the jump server controlling the access to the company'"'"'s computing system based on the configuration information.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the root privilege manager and the jump server are implemented.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for controlling access by technical support personnel to a company'"'"'s computing system, the computer-executable instructions executable by a processor to:

receive identification information from the technical support personnel, the technical support personnel being physically and logically isolated from the company'"'"'s computing system;

authorize the technical support personnel to request a first approval;

obtain the first approval for the technical support personnel, the first approval authorizing the technical support personnel to request a second approval;

obtain the second approval for the technical support personnel, the second approval authorizing the technical support personnel to access the company'"'"'s computing system including a number of virtual desktops, wherein one of the number of virtual desktops is assigned to the technical support personnel operating a thin client terminal, based on a type of incident assigned to the technical support personnel and wherein the thin client terminal contains specific remote access applications based on the type of incident assigned;

send user credentials through the thin client terminal displaying the one of the number of virtual desktops to access corresponding systems of the company'"'"'s computing system via the one of the number of virtual desktops, wherein the user credentials are sent through the background of the thin client terminal displaying the one of the number of virtual desktops and wherein the user credentials are utilized to access a number of features of the company'"'"'s computing system; and

automatically update configuration information for controlling access to the company'"'"'s computing system based on the first and second approvals.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein configuration information includes access credentials for the company'"'"'s computing system.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein one or more of the access credentials are manually selected by an access control center manager.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein at least one access credentials is automatically retrieved from a database based on the one or more access credentials manually selected by an access control center manager.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the configuration information is provided to a root privilege manager, the root privilege manager providing a central repository for the configuration information.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein controlling access to the company'"'"'s computing system is performed by a jump server, the jump server controlling the access to the company'"'"'s computing system based on the configuration information.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the root privilege manager and the jump server are implemented.