Apparatus and method for user configuration and reporting of virtual services
Various example implementations are directed to circuits, apparatuses, and methods for providing virtual computing services. According to an example embodiment, an apparatus includes a set of computing servers configured to provide a respective set of virtual servers for each of a plurality of accounts. The set of virtual servers for at least one of the accounts includes a voice-over-IP (VoIP) server. The apparatus also includes a processing circuit communicatively coupled to the set of computing servers. For each of the plurality of accounts, the processing circuit provides a graphical user interface (GUI) including a mechanism for an authorized user of the account to select options for reporting usage of the respective set of virtual servers. The processing circuit also monitors use of the respective set of virtual servers for the account and generates invoices for use of the respective set of virtual servers according to the selected options.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a set of computing servers configured and arranged to provide a respective set of virtual servers for each of a plurality of accounts, wherein each respective set of virtual servers is uniquely associated with one of the plurality of accounts in accordance with virtual server subscription settings included in an account settings file of the respective account, the respective set of virtual servers for at least one of the accounts including a data communications server; and
for each of the plurality of accounts, a processing circuit communicatively coupled to the set of computing servers and configured and arranged to
select options for reporting use of the respective set of virtual servers including usage of services by a set of users of the respective account, responsive to input by an authorized user of the account via a graphical user interface (GUI);
monitor use of the respective set of virtual servers and the usage of the services provided for the respective account; and
generate reports, according to the selected options, for use of the respective set of virtual servers and the services based on the usage by the set of users of the respective account.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the report is generated based on the usage and according to the subscription settings of the account and wherein the processing circuit is further configured to, responsive to input via the GUI, add and remove users of the set of virtual servers for the account.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to, responsive to input via the GUI, configure virtual servers to be provided for each user of the set of virtual servers for the account.
4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the subscription settings of the account include users or customers to be provided service by respective virtual servers, user permissions, usage limits for virtual server, service rates, and wherein the processing circuit is further configured to, responsive to input via the GUI, adjust service rates for each user set of virtual servers for the account.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is configured and arranged to, for each of the plurality of accounts, generate a report for all use of the set of virtual servers provided for the account by the set of computing servers according to the selected options.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to, responsive to input via the GUI, generate a report indicating respective use of the virtual servers and the services by an individual one of the users.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to, responsive to input via the GUI, generate a report indicating respective use of the virtual servers and the services by a subset of the users of the respective account, and wherein the processing circuit is further configured to, responsive to input via the GUI, adjust service rates for each of the set of virtual servers of the account.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of accounts includes a respective plurality of third-party customers which pay for use of virtual services of a service provider via the respective account, and the set of computing servers are configured and arranged to provide each of the plurality of third-party customers a respective subset of the corresponding set of virtual servers for the account.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to, responsive to input via the GUI, define the plurality of third-party customers and adjust service rates for individual ones of the plurality of third-party customers.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the processing circuit is configured and arranged to, for each of the plurality of accounts:
generate a single report for all use of the set of virtual servers provided for the account by the set of computing servers according to an account-level service rate indicated in the selected options; and
for each of one of more third-party customers of the account, generate a respective report for use of the set of virtual servers by the third-party customer according to a respective customer-level service rate indicated in the selected options.
11. A method, comprising:
using a set of computing servers, providing a respective set of virtual servers for each of a plurality of accounts, wherein each respective set of virtual servers is uniquely associated with one of the plurality of accounts in accordance with virtual server subscription settings included in an account settings file of the respective account, and wherein the subscription settings specify third-party customers to be provided services by the individual virtual servers, the respective set of virtual servers for at least one of the accounts including a data communications server, the services including use of file servers, email servers, web hosting, and meeting services; and
for each of the plurality of accounts
selecting options for reporting usage of the respective set of virtual servers including usage of the services by a set of users for the respective account, in response to input by an authorized user of the account via a graphical user interface (GUI);
monitoring use of the respective set of virtual servers and the usage of the services provided for the respective account; and
generating reports, according to the selected options, for use of the respective set of virtual servers and the services based on the usage by the set of users of the respective account.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the generated report is further based on service rates for the set of users of the respective account, the method further comprising defining a set of users of the set of virtual servers for the account in response to input via the GUI.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising configuring virtual servers to be provided for each of the set of users in response to input via the GUI.
14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising adjusting the service rates for each user set of virtual servers for the account in response to input via the GUI.
15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising generating a single report for use of the set of virtual servers in a reporting period according to the selected options and generating additional reports for different subsets of users usage of the set of virtual servers in the reporting period.
16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising
generating a report indicating respective use of the virtual servers by each of the users; and displaying the report via the GUI.
17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising adjusting service rates for each of the set of virtual servers of the account in response to input via the GUI.
18. The method of claim 11 , wherein
each of the plurality of accounts includes a respective plurality of third-party customers; and
the providing the respective set of virtual servers for an account includes providing a respective subset of the set of virtual servers for each of the plurality of third-party customers.
19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising
generating a single report for all use of the set of virtual servers provided for the account, according to an account-level service rate indicated in the selected options; and
for each of the plurality of third-party customers of the account, generating a respective report for use of the set of virtual servers by the third-party customer according to a respective sub-set of options for the third party customer.
20. An apparatus, comprising:
a computing circuit configured and arranged to provide a respective set of virtual servers for each of a plurality of accounts, wherein each respective set of virtual servers is uniquely associated with one of the plurality of accounts in accordance with virtual server subscription settings included in an account settings file of the respective account, the respective set of virtual servers for at least one of the accounts including a data communications server wherein the virtual server subscription settings specify usage limits and service rates for the virtual servers; and
a processing circuit configured and arranged to
select options for reporting use of the respective set of virtual servers including usage of services by users of the plurality of accounts in response to input via a graphical user interface (GUI) by authorized user of the account;
select a respective set of mapping criteria associated with the respective account, responsive to input by the authorized user of the account via the GUI;
monitor, for each of the plurality of accounts, use of the respective set of virtual servers and the usage of the services provided for users of the plurality of accounts; and
generate reports, according to the selected options, for use of the respective set of virtual servers and services provided based on usage by a set of users and subscription settings of each of the plurality of accounts and according to subscription settings of each of the plurality of accounts.