SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING AND MONITORING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
A system and method for providing and enforcing policy management and access control through a cloud-based computing system to other cloud-based computing systems via application programming interfaces.
1 . A system for applying policies to cloud-based computing services comprising:
a policy management cloud that applies user-defined policies to multiple distinct groups, users, domains, objects, or interactions across a network; and
a plurality of computing clouds, wherein each computing cloud provides at least one cloud-based computing service;
wherein the policy management cloud is operatively coupled to the plurality of computing clouds and enforces the user-defined policies to groups, users, domains, objects, or interactions accessible through the at least one cloud-based computing service.
2 . The system of claim 1 wherein the user-defined policies reflect distinctions based on end-user attributes and operate on features, functions, data elements, searches, and interfaces.
3 . The system of claim 1 wherein the user-defined policies reflect distinctions based on end-user attributes other than access.
4 . The system of claim 2 wherein the user-defined attributes are roles, organizational units, location, sender, receiver, position in an organizational hierarchy, group membership, policy, user attributes.
5 . The system of claim 4 wherein the user attributes are age, race, social networking status, popularity, ranking, or transmission status.
6 . The system of claim 5 wherein the transmission status identifies the user as a spammer.
7 . A system for applying policies to cloud-based computing services comprising:
a server that stores user-defined policies applicable to multiple distinct groups, users, domains, objects, or interactions across a network; and
a computing cloud, wherein the computing cloud provides at least one cloud-based computing service;
wherein the server is operatively coupled to the computing cloud and propagates to the computing cloud the user-defined policies applicable to the groups, users, domains, objects, or interactions, wherein at least one of the user-defined policies is recognized by and enforced by the at least one cloud-based computing service.
8 . The system of claim 7 wherein the user-defined policies reflect distinctions based on end-user attributes and operate on features, functions, data elements, searches, and interfaces.
9 . The system of claim 7 wherein the user-defined policies reflect distinctions based on end-user attributes other than access.
10 . The system of claim 8 wherein the user-defined attributes are roles, organizational units, location, sender, receiver, position in an organizational hierarchy, group membership, policy, user attributes.
11 . The system of claim 10 wherein the user attributes are age, race, social networking status, popularity, ranking, or transmission status.
12 . The system of claim 11 wherein the transmission status identifies the user as a spammer.
13 . A method for applying policies to cloud-based computing services:
establishing a policy management cloud configured to apply user-defined policies to multiple distinct groups, users, domains, objects, or interactions across a network;
operatively connecting the policy management cloud to a plurality of computing clouds, wherein each computing cloud provides at least one cloud-based computing service; and
enforcing via the policy management cloud the user-defined policies to groups, users, domains, objects, or interactions accessible through the at least one cloud-based computing service.
14 . The method of claim 13 wherein the user-defined policies reflect distinctions based on end-user attributes and operate on features, functions, data elements, searches, and interfaces.
15 . The system of claim 13 wherein the user-defined policies reflect distinctions based on end-user attributes other than access.
16 . The system of claim 14 wherein the user-defined attributes are roles, organizational units, location, sender, receiver, position in an organizational hierarchy, group membership, policy, user attributes.
17 . The system of claim 16 wherein the user attributes are age, race, social networking status, popularity, ranking, or transmission status.
18 . The system of claim 17 wherein the transmission status identifies the user as a spammer.