REMOTE PROVISIONING OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Remote provisioning of an IT network and/or associated services is provided. Hardware, software, service and/or expertise can be moved from on-premise to a remote location (e.g., central, distributed . . . ). Accordingly, at least a large degree computation can be moved to the center to exploit economies of scale, among other things. In such an architecture, computational resources (e.g., data storage, computation power, cache . . . ) can be pooled, and entities can subscribe to a particular level of resources related to a private entity IT network.
1 . A system that provides information technology (IT) to an entity, comprising:
at least one off-premise apportioned computer resource; and
an off-premise service component that manages the at least one resource to remotely provide at least one private IT network to the entity.
2 . The system of claim 1 , the service component controls access to resources in accordance with an entity subscription.
3 . The system of claim 2 , the service component throttles entity access to one or more of processing power, cache, electronic storage and communication bandwidth based on the subscription.
4 . The system of claim 1 , the IT network comprises a service that provides at least one of entity server functionality, application software and electronic mail.
5 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a setup component that enables designation of one or more of entity user roles, settings, permissions and pass codes associated with the network.
6 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an authentication component that determines a user identity associated with attempted network access; and
an authorization component that controls network access based on the identity and entity network settings.
7 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an interface component that provides a set of links to remote software applications and/or services employable by an entity user in a manner that makes the applications and/or services appear local.
8 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an assistance component that initiates a communication session with a remote technician to receive technical assistance with respect to the entity network.
9 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a component that facilitates purchase of a right to utilize resources of a client device by the service component.
10 . A method of provisioning IT services, comprising the following computer-implemented acts:
contacting a third-party IT service; and
utilizing the IT service to establish and/or maintain an entity computer network comprising hardware and/or software remotely from the third-party IT service location.
11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising interacting with a plurality of remotely executed enterprise software applications.
12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising setting rules, policies and/or roles for network usage by individuals associated with the entity.
13 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising initiating software installation with respect to at least one of a local device and the remote service via the service.
14 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising initiating dialog with a representative of the third-party service to address an issue with the service.
15 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising subscribing to a level of the IT service based on need and/or usage.
16 . The method of claim 15 , subscribing to the service comprises subscribing to at least one of a level of processing power for entity transaction execution, a portion of electronic storage associated with a data store shared with other subscribers and a bandwidth for communication with the service
17 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising caching data locally to enable offline interaction.
18 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising sharing client device resources the service to facilitate establishment and/or maintenance of the network.
19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising selling available client resources to the service.
20 . A computer-implemented system for affording enterprise IT services remotely, comprising:
means for determining computational ability of a client device communicatively coupled to an off-premise enterprise network; and
means for optimally apportioning off-premise computer resources that form enterprise networks for a myriad of service subscribing enterprises based on the computational ability of the device, available resources and an associated subscription.