Dynamic account provisions for service desk personnel
View Patent ↗The present invention describes an automated process that enables dynamic provisioning (both creation and deletion) of administrative accounts based upon a real-time need as defined by service desk processes and procedures. This invention enhances current provisioning of administrative account processes that are typically handled by service desk personnel that constantly turnover through firings and hirings. By creating an on-demand provisioning process on a strictly as-needed basis an enhanced security structure is created. In addition, audit ability of access can be added to the processes that provides accountability and traceability of activities that can be directly related back to actual business justifications (the initial problem report) for actions (important not only in ITIL but also regulatory requirements).
1. An automated method for increasing security of accounts in a computing system designed to assist users encountering problems when attempting to perform computer-related task comprising the steps of:
initially setting administrative accounts in the computing system to a closed state;
detecting a problem with an attempt of a user to perform a task;
assigning the detected problem to a service desk personnel;
defining one or more administrative accounts that will be accessible by the service desk personnel in order to resolve the detected problem;
opening the defined one or more administrative accounts for access by the service desk personnel in order to resolve the detected problem;
determining when the service desk personnel has generated a resolution to the detected problem; and
closing access to the one or more administrative accounts, which had been opened to enable the service desk personnel to resolve the detected problem.
2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said problem detecting step further receiving an incident report containing an identification of the user.
3. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said problem-detecting step further comprises interactively receiving information from the user encountering a problem when attempting to perform a task.
4. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising before said problem detecting step, the step of creating a database containing information about each computing device in the computing system, each user that can access a device in the computing system and information about security policies the define which users can access which computing devices and any privileges of a user when accessing a computing device.
5. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising after said problem detecting step, the step of identifying the task the user was attempting to perform.
6. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising before said verification receiving step, the step of informing the user of a generated solution to the identified problem.
7. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said accounting opening step further comprises the step of creating an administrative account based on real-time need as defined by service desk processes.
8. The computer program product as described in claim 1 further comprising instructions for incorporating received information into an incident report and instructions for identifying the task the user was attempting to perform based on information contained in the incident report.
9. The method as described in claim 5 further comprising the step of identifying all system resources needed for the user to perform the desired task.
10. The method as described in claim 9 further comprising before said verification receiving step, the step of determining whether additional computing resources are needed to generate a resolution to the identified problem.
11. The method as described in claim 10 further comprising when the determination is that additional resources are needed, the step opening access for the service desk personnel to the identified additional resources.
12. The method as described in claim 7 wherein said access closing step further comprises the step of deleting one or more administrative accounts as identified by service desk processes.
13. An automated method for increasing security of accounts in a computing system designed to assist users encountering problems when attempting to perform computer-related task comprising the steps of:
detecting a problem with an attempt of a first user to perform a task;
assigning the detected problem to a second user;
determining one or more computer resources, which need to be accessed to resolve the detected problem;
granting access to the one or more computer resources to the second user;
determining when a resolution to the detected problem has been resolved; and
revoking access to the one or more computer resources to the second user in response to the resolution of the detected problem.
14. An A computer program product in a computer readable storage medium for increasing security of accounts in a computing system that is designed to assist users encountering problems when attempting to perform computer-related task comprising:
instructions initially setting administrative accounts in the computing system to a closed state;
instructions detecting a problem with an attempt of a user to perform a task;
instructions assigning the detected problem to a service desk personnel;
instructions defining one or more administrative accounts that will be accessible by the service desk personnel in order to resolve the detected problem;
instructions opening the defined one or more administrative accounts for access by the service desk personnel in order to resolve the detected problem;
instructions determining when the service desk personnel have generated a resolution to the detected problem;
instructions receiving verification from the user that the problem has been resolved; and
instructions closing access to the one or more administrative accounts opened to enabled the service desk personnel to resolve the detected problem.
15. The computer program product as described in claim 14 further comprising before said problem detecting instructions, instructions for creating a database containing information about each computing device in the computing system, each user that can access a device in the computing system and information about security policies the define which users can access which computing devices and any privileges of a user when accessing a computing device.
16. The computer program product as described in claim 8 further comprising instructions for identifying all system resources needed for the user to perform the desired task.
17. The computer program product as described in claim 16 further comprising before said verification receiving instructions, instructions for determining whether additional computing resources are needed to generate a resolution to the identified problem.