Granted Patent B2

US 8,429,716 · App. 12/613,077 · Granted Apr 23, 2013

Abstract

Claims (32)

1. A method for facilitating user access of cloud assets, the method comprising:

authenticating a user to a system comprising a cloud computing environment in which a plurality of cloud assets are hosted, wherein authenticating the user includes authenticating the user to a secure bridge that interconnects the user to at least one cloud asset of the plurality of cloud assets through a routing system including a virtual router and a distributor connected to the virtual router disposed within the cloud computing environment;

assembling a deployment associated with the authenticated user in accordance with a policy, the deployment comprising designated ones of the cloud assets; and

providing a secure mechanism by which the designated ones of the cloud assets comprising the deployment are accessible by the authenticated user, wherein providing the secure mechanism includes generating a key pair at the secure bridge such that the authenticated user thereby obtains access to the designated ones of the cloud assets comprising the deployment through the virtual router of the routing system within the cloud computing environment.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the policy is defined by an enterprise of which the authenticated user is a member.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the designated cloud assets is a shared asset.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the designated cloud assets is already instantiated at a time of the assembling.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the assembling comprises instantiating at least one of the designated cloud assets.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising terminating the deployment responsive to a termination request received from one of the authenticated users and one of the designated cloud assets.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the key pair is a public-private key pair and wherein the private key is maintained by the secure bridge and is associated with an ID of the user and the public key is distributed to the designated cloud assets.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising adding cloud assets to the deployment.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the virtual router includes a network address translator (“NAT”).

10. A system for enabling user access of cloud assets, the system comprising:

means for authenticating a user to a system comprising a cloud computing environment in which a plurality of cloud assets are hosted, wherein means for authenticating the user includes means for authenticating the user to a secure bridge that interconnects the user to at least one cloud asset of the plurality of cloud assets through a routing system including a virtual router and a distributor connected to the virtual router disposed within the cloud computing environment;

means for assembling a deployment associated with the authenticated user in accordance with a policy, the deployment comprising designated ones of the cloud assets comprising deployment components; and

means for providing a secure mechanism by which the designated ones of the cloud assets comprising the deployment are accessible by the authenticated user, wherein means for providing the secure mechanism includes means for generating a key pair at the secure bridge such that the authenticated user thereby obtains access to the designated ones of the cloud assets comprising the deployment through the virtual router of the routing system within the cloud computing environment.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein at least one of the deployment components is a shared asset.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein at least one of the deployment components is already instantiated at a time of the assembling.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the means for assembling comprises means for instantiating at least one of the deployment components.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising means for terminating the deployment responsive to a termination request received from one of the authenticated user and one of the deployment components.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the key pair is a public-private key pair and wherein the private key is maintained by the secure bridge and is associated with an ID of the user and the public key is distributed to the designated cloud assets.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the virtual router includes a network address translator (“NAT”).

17. A system for facilitating user access of cloud assets, the system comprising:

a first computing environment;

a second computing environment comprising a cloud computing environment, the second computing environment comprising:

a plurality of cloud assets;

a routing system including a virtual router and a distributor connected to the virtual router disposed within the cloud computing environment, the routing system providing access to the cloud assets; and

a secure bridge for interconnecting the first and second computing environments;

wherein responsive to a user's establishing an identity with the secure bridge, the secure bridge instructs components of the routing system to assemble a deployment comprising selected ones of the cloud assets in accordance with policy and operating requirements of the user and further secures the deployment such that only the user has access thereto through the virtual router of the routing system within the cloud computing environment.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the secure bridge secures the deployment via a key pair.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the key pair comprises a public-private key pair, wherein the public key is populated to the selected ones of the cloud assets and the private key is maintained at the secure bridge and wherein association of the private key is restricted to the identity established by the user.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the virtual router includes a network address translator (“NAT”).

Assignments (16)