U.S. patent application number 13/775220 was filed with the patent office on 2014-05-22 for managing assets.
This patent application is currently assigned to INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. The applicant listed for this patent is INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Michele D'Urso, Luigi Pichetti, Marco Secchi, Stefano Sidoti.
Application Number | 20140142999 13/775220 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50728803 |
Filed Date | 2014-05-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140142999 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
D'Urso; Michele ; et
al. |
May 22, 2014 |
Managing Assets
Abstract
A method for managing assets including receiving a task across a
network to be performed by a set of assets, identifying a subset of
assets owned by an owner, transmitting a personalized direct
communication across the network to the owner, wherein the
personalized direct communication requests approval for use of the
subset of assets to execute the task, and responsive to receiving
an approval communication across the network from the owner
indicating respective approved assets from the subset of assets
producing a set of approved assets, automatically transmitting a
set of communications across the network to the set of approved
assets for execution of the task.
Inventors: |
D'Urso; Michele; (Rome,
IT) ; Pichetti; Luigi; (Rome, IT) ; Secchi;
Marco; (Rome, IT) ; Sidoti; Stefano; (Rome,
IT) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION |
Armonk |
NY |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES
CORPORATION
Armonk
NY
|
Family ID: |
50728803 |
Appl. No.: |
13/775220 |
Filed: |
February 24, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13681122 |
Nov 19, 2012 |
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13775220 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/7.13 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 45/563 20130101;
H04L 67/00 20130101; G06Q 10/06311 20130101; H04L 67/34 20130101;
G06Q 10/107 20130101; H04L 41/026 20130101; H04L 51/18 20130101;
H04L 51/00 20130101; H04L 67/1097 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/7.13 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/06 20120101
G06Q010/06 |
Claims
1. A method of managing assets comprising: receiving a task across
a network to be performed by a set of assets; identifying a subset
of assets owned by an owner; transmitting a personalized direct
communication across the network to the owner, wherein the
personalized direct communication requests approval for use of the
subset of assets to execute the task; and responsive to receiving
an approval communication across the network from the owner
indicating respective approved assets from the subset of assets
producing a set of approved assets, automatically transmitting a
set of communications across the network to the set of approved
assets for execution of the task.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the task includes a description of
the task, a set of relevance criteria for the task, and an action
to be performed by the set of approved assets.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the personalized direct
communication to the owner is an email.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the email to the owner utilizes an
SMTP/POP infrastructure.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of communications to the
set of approved assets is a set of emails, each email to one of the
set of approved assets.
6. The method of claim 5 further comprising receiving an email from
each of the set of approved assets indicating whether the task was
performed.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein each of the set of emails
transmitted to the set of approved assets includes a tag
identifying the email and wherein the email from the set of
approved assets includes a reference to the tag.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting, prior to
transmitting a personalized direct communication to the owner, a
set of communications to the subset of assets to ascertain which of
the subset of assets are relevant to the task, and wherein the
personalized direct communication to the owner only includes assets
that are relevant to the task.
9. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting, prior to
providing a personalized direct communication to the owner, a set
of communications to the subset of assets to ascertain which of the
subset of assets are relevant to the task; wherein the personalized
direct communication to the owner only includes assets that are
relevant to the task; wherein the task includes a description of
the task, a set of relevance criteria for the task, and an action
to be performed by the set of approved assets; wherein the
personalized direct communication to the owner is an email
utilizing an SMTP/POP infrastructure; wherein the set of
communications to the set of approved assets is a set of emails,
each email to one of the set of approved assets; and wherein each
of the set of emails transmitted to the set of approved assets
includes a tag identifying the email and wherein any email from the
set of approved assets includes a reference to the tag.
10-25. (canceled)
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No.
13/681,122 filed Nov. 19, 2012 entitled "MANAGING ASSETS", the
disclosure of which is incorporated in its entirety herein by
reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] The present invention relates generally to managing assets,
and in particular, to a computer implemented method for managing
assets performing tasks with owner approval.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Today companies and other enterprises manage a large number
of on-line assets. These assets can include software products,
interconnected servers, and multi-way communications. These assets
are utilized to provide services such as email, virtual machines,
management applications, business applications, etc. These assets
may be implemented internally to an enterprise, or they may be
implemented externally such as in a cloud environment.
[0006] Managing these assets to maintain secure and uninterrupted
services is becoming more difficult as the complexity of these
assets and their interconnections increases. This may be
increasingly true as enterprises are outsourcing their assets and
services to other companies such as through cloud environments.
SUMMARY
[0007] The illustrative embodiments provide a method for managing
assets including receiving a task across a network to be performed
by a set of assets, identifying a subset of assets owned by an
owner, transmitting a personalized direct communication across the
network to the owner, wherein the personalized direct communication
requests approval for use of the subset of assets to execute the
task, and responsive to receiving an approval communication across
the network from the owner indicating respective approved assets
from the subset of assets producing a set of approved assets,
automatically transmitting a set of communications across the
network to the set of approved assets for execution of the
task.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The novel features believed characteristic of the invention
are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, further
objectives and advantages thereof, as well as a preferred mode of
use, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed
description of illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0009] FIG. 1 depicts a cloud computing node according to an
embodiment of the present invention in which various embodiments
may be implemented;
[0010] FIG. 2 depicts a cloud computing environment in which
various embodiments may be implemented;
[0011] FIG. 3 depicts abstraction model layers in which various
embodiments may be implemented;
[0012] FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of an asset management
environment in which various embodiments may be implemented;
[0013] FIG. 5 depicts a block diagram of various elements of an
asset management task (AMT) in which various embodiments may be
implemented;
[0014] FIG. 6 depicts a flow diagram of implementing an asset
management task (AMT) in accordance with a first embodiment;
and
[0015] FIG. 7 depicts a flow diagram of implementing an asset
management task (AMT) in accordance with a second embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] Processes and devices may be implemented and utilized to
utilize emails to manage on-line assets. These processes and
apparatuses may be implemented and utilized as will be explained
with reference to the various embodiments below.
[0017] It is understood in advance that although this disclosure
includes a detailed description on cloud computing, implementation
of the teachings recited herein are not limited to a cloud
computing environment. Rather, embodiments of the present invention
are capable of being implemented in conjunction with any other type
of computing environment now known or later developed.
[0018] For convenience, the Detailed Description includes the
following definitions which have been derived from the "Draft NIST
Working Definition of Cloud Computing" by Peter Mell and Tim
Grance, dated Oct. 7, 2009, which is cited in an IDS filed
herewith, and a copy of which is attached thereto.
[0019] Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling
convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of
configurable computing resources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth,
servers, processing, memory, storage, applications, virtual
machines, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and
released with minimal management effort or interaction with a
provider of the service. This cloud model may include at least five
characteristics, at least three service models, and at least four
deployment models.
[0020] Characteristics are as follows:
[0021] On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally
provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network
storage, as needed automatically without requiring human
interaction with the service's provider.
[0022] Broad network access: capabilities are available over a
network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use
by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile
phones, laptops, and PDAs).
[0023] Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are
pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with
different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and
reassigned according to demand. There is a sense of location
independence in that the consumer generally has no control or
knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may
be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g.,
country, state, or datacenter).
[0024] Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and
elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly
scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in as needed. To
the consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often
appear to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any
time.
[0025] Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and
optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some
level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g.,
storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource
usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported providing
transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized
service.
[0026] Service Models are as follows:
[0027] Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to use the provider's applications running on a cloud
infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client
devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser
(e.g., web-based e-mail). The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers,
operating systems, storage, or even individual application
capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific
application configuration settings.
[0028] Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure
consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming
languages and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does
not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including
networks, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control
over the deployed applications and possibly application hosting
environment configurations.
[0029] Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided
to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and
other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to
deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating
systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating
systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited
control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).
[0030] Deployment Models are as follows:
[0031] Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely
for an organization. It may be managed by the organization or a
third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0032] Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by
several organizations and supports a specific community that has
shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and
compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations
or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0033] Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to
the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an
organization selling cloud services.
[0034] Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of
two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain
unique entities but are bound together by standardized or
proprietary technology that enables data and application
portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between
clouds).
[0035] A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a
focus on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic
interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an
infrastructure comprising a network of interconnected nodes.
[0036] Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic of an example of a
cloud computing node (also referred to herein as a virtual node or
virtual machine) is shown. Cloud computing node 10 is only one
example of a suitable cloud computing node and is not intended to
suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of
embodiments of the invention described herein. Regardless, cloud
computing node 10 is capable of being implemented and/or performing
any of the functionality set forth hereinabove.
[0037] In cloud computing node 10 there is a computer system/server
12, which is operational with numerous other general purpose or
special purpose computing system environments or configurations.
Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and/or
configurations that may be suitable for use with computer
system/server 12 include, but are not limited to, personal computer
systems, server computer systems, thin clients, thick clients,
hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems,
microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer
electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframe computer
systems, and distributed cloud computing environments that include
any of the above systems or devices, and the like.
[0038] Computer system/server 12 may be described in the general
context of computer system-executable instructions, such as program
modules, being executed by a computer system. Generally, program
modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, logic,
data structures, and so on that perform particular tasks or
implement particular abstract data types. Computer system/server 12
may be practiced in distributed cloud computing environments where
tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked
through a communications network. In a distributed cloud computing
environment, program modules may be located in both local and
remote computer system storage media including memory storage
devices.
[0039] As shown in FIG. 1, computer system/server 12 in cloud
computing node 10 is shown in the form of a general-purpose
computing device. The components of computer system/server 12 may
include, but are not limited to, one or more processors or
processing units 16, a system memory 28, and a bus 18 that couples
various system components including system memory 28 to processor
16.
[0040] Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus
structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a
peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or
local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of
example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry
Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA)
bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards
Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component
Interconnects (PCI) bus.
[0041] Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of
computer system readable media. Such media may be any available
media that is accessible by computer system/server 12, and it
includes both volatile and non-volatile media, removable and
non-removable media.
[0042] System memory 28 can include computer system readable media
in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM)
30 and/or cache memory 32. Computer system/server 12 may further
include other removable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile
computer system storage media. By way of example only, storage
system 34 can be provided for reading from and writing to a
non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media (not shown and typically
called a "hard drive"). Although not shown, a magnetic disk drive
for reading from and writing to a removable, non-volatile magnetic
disk (e.g., a "floppy disk"), and an optical disk drive for reading
from or writing to a removable, non-volatile optical disk such as a
CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided. In such
instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more data
media interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,
memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set
(e.g., at least one) of program modules that are configured to
carry out the functions of embodiments of the invention.
[0043] Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program
modules 42, may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not
limitation, as well as an operating system, one or more application
programs, other program modules, and program data. Each of the
operating system, one or more application programs, other program
modules, and program data or some combination thereof, may include
an implementation of a networking environment. Program modules 42
generally carry out the functions and/or methodologies of
embodiments of the invention as described herein.
[0044] Computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or
more external devices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a
display 24, etc.; one or more devices that enable a user to
interact with computer system/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g.,
network card, modem, etc.) that enable computer system/server 12 to
communicate with one or more other computing devices. Such
communication can occur via I/O interfaces 22. Still yet, computer
system/server 12 can communicate with one or more networks such as
a local area network (LAN), a general wide area network (WAN),
and/or a public network (e.g., the Internet) via network adapter
20. As depicted, network adapter 20 communicates with the other
components of computer system/server 12 via bus 18. It should be
understood that although not shown, other hardware and/or software
components could be used in conjunction with computer system/server
12. Examples, include, but are not limited to: microcode, device
drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays,
RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storage systems,
etc.
[0045] Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrative cloud computing
environment 50 is depicted. As shown, cloud computing environment
50 comprises one or more cloud computing nodes 10 with which local
computing devices used by cloud consumers, such as, for example,
personal digital assistant (PDA) or cellular telephone 54A, desktop
computer 54B, laptop computer 54C, and/or automobile computer
system 54N may communicate. Nodes 10 may communicate with one
another. They may be grouped (not shown) physically or virtually,
in one or more networks, such as Private, Community, Public, or
Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combination thereof.
This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offer infrastructure,
platforms and/or software as services for which a cloud consumer
does not need to maintain resources on a local computing device. It
is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shown in
FIG. 2 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing
nodes 10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with
any type of computerized device over any type of network and/or
network addressable connection (e.g., using a web browser).
[0046] Referring now to FIG. 3, a set of functional abstraction
layers provided by cloud computing environment (FIG. 2) is shown.
It should be understood in advance that the components, layers, and
functions shown in FIG. 3 are intended to be illustrative only and
embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto. As depicted,
the following layers and corresponding functions are provided:
[0047] Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and
software components. Examples of hardware components include
mainframes, in one example IBM.RTM. zSeries.RTM. systems; RISC
(Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers, in
one example IBM pSeries.RTM. systems; IBM xSeries.RTM. systems; IBM
BladeCenter.RTM. systems; a type of cloud computing platform
referred to herein as an appliance; storage devices; networks and
networking components. Examples of software components include
network application server software, in one example IBM
WebSphere.RTM. application server software; and database software,
in one example IBM DB2.RTM. database software. (IBM, zSeries,
pSeries, xSeries, BladeCenter, WebSphere, and DB2 are trademarks of
International Business Machines Corporation registered in many
jurisdictions worldwide)
[0048] Virtualization layer 62 provides an abstraction layer from
which the following examples of virtual entities may be provided:
virtual servers; virtual storage; virtual networks, including
virtual private networks; virtual applications and operating
systems; and virtual clients.
[0049] In one example, management layer 64 may provide the
functions described below. Resource provisioning provides dynamic
procurement of computing resources and other resources that are
utilized to perform tasks within the cloud computing environment
including providing for secure and trusted communications. Metering
and Pricing provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within
the cloud computing environment, and billing or invoicing for
consumption of these resources. In one example, these resources may
comprise application software licenses. Security provides identity
verification for cloud consumers and tasks, as well as protection
for data and other resources. User portal provides access to the
cloud computing environment for consumers and system
administrators. Service level management provides cloud computing
resource allocation and management such that required service
levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning and
fulfillment provides pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloud
computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated
in accordance with an SLA.
[0050] Workloads layer 66 provides examples of functionality for
which the cloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of
workloads and functions which may be provided from this layer
include: mapping and navigation; software development and lifecycle
management; virtual classroom education delivery; data analytics
processing; transaction processing; and an office
administration.
[0051] FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of an asset management
environment 100 in which various embodiments may be implemented. A
network 110 is shown for handling communications between the
various components shown. Network 110 may be a standard internal
network such as may be implemented in an enterprise. Network 110
may also be the internet with some or all of the components located
in different enterprises. Network 110 may also be a cloud
implementation with each component being a virtual machine within
that cloud. Network 110 may further be a combination of an internal
network, the internet, and a cloud implementation with various
components in various locations. For example, two components may be
in the cloud with the rest of the components being located in
different enterprises across the internet.
[0052] An administrative server 120 is shown which is utilized by
an administrator to manage IT (information technology) assets.
These assets may be in one enterprise or across multiple
enterprises. The administrator may communicate with the
administrative server through a local computer (not shown) or at a
terminal directly connected to the administrative server. An asset
management server (AMS) 130 is shown. The asset management server
is utilized to manage the IT assets under the direction of the
administrator. Asset management server 130 includes a mail tool 135
for communicating with other assets as described below, although
other means of communicating with those assets may be utilized
depending on the environment and any system management tools that
are in place with those assets. For example, in a multi-enterprise
environment where each enterprise may utilize different systems
management systems, email may be the preferred means for
communicating with the client assets due to the strong existing
infrastructure for passing emails across the internet and because
many Unix systems like Linux have a native mail client embedded.
However, in a single enterprise environment or a multi-enterprise
environment where a common systems management system is utilized
across all enterprises, the existing system management tools may be
preferred, particularly if email clients are not embedded in the
client assets. A mail tool is shown for machine to machine
communications herein as the more general solution across many
types of environments.
[0053] Mail tool 135 may utilize SMTP/POP (simple mail transfer
protocol/post office protocol) standards for these email
communications. Alternative types of mail tools may be utilized
including tools for texting or instant messaging. Texting utilizing
a short message service (SMS) infrastructure is generally used for
communications in a mobile phone environment and instant messaging
is generally used for communications over the internet. Although
not illustrated herein, the infrastructure for texting and instant
messaging is well known in the art and may be utilized by those of
ordinary skill in the art for use with any of the embodiments shown
herein. Collectively, emails, text messages, instant messages and
other similar communications are referred to herein as personalized
direct communications. Collectively, the use of systems management
tools and personalized direct communications are referred to herein
as communications. An asset management control system 140 is shown.
The asset management control system includes a database of the
various client assets, their owners, and the email addresses of
those owners and the client assets. The information in asset
management control system is utilized by the AMS for managing the
IT assets. Asset management control system 140 may be a part of the
AMS. AMS 130 manages asset management control system 140 by keeping
it up to date as more client assets are added, removed, or
otherwise changed.
[0054] Two client components 150 and 160 are shown. Many additional
client components may be included. A component is a hardware or
software entity that includes an IT asset which may be updated,
modified, etc. by an asset management task. Each component includes
a client mail tool 154 and 164 for communicating with the AMS as
well as other secure communications, although other means of
communicating with the AMS may be utilized depending on the
environment and the system management tools that are in place with
those assets. For example, as described above, in a
multi-enterprise environment, email may be the preferred means for
communicating with the AMS where in a single enterprise solution
the existing system management tools may be utilized. Each
component also includes a client software module 158 and 168 for
implementing approved tasks as will be described below.
[0055] An owner system 170 is also shown with a mail tool 175.
Owner system is utilized for communicating with an owner of the
various IT assets. If there are multiple owners, each owner having
ownership of various IT assets, then there may be multiple owner
systems. The owner may communicate with the owner system directly
as a local computer or at a terminal connected directly or
indirectly to the owner system.
[0056] FIG. 5 depicts a block diagram of various elements of an
asset management task (AMT) 200 in which various embodiments may be
implemented. Task 200 can include a software patch, a software
update, an agent or other software to be implemented to implement
additional services or capabilities, or other types of actions
which an administrator may desire to implement utilizing an
AMT.
[0057] Task 200 includes three primary elements, a description
section 210, a relevance section 220, and an action section 230.
Additional or alternative elements may be utilized in alternative
embodiments. Description section 210 includes a description of a
task to be performed. This description is utilized to inform the
owner of the relevant software or hardware of the desired task for
the purpose of obtaining the owner's approval. Relevance section
220 identifies criteria utilized to determine which software and/or
hardware the task applies to. For example, the criteria may include
a version of a specific type of software to be updated with a
security patch. Action section 230 includes the specific
instructions used to implement the desired task to the relevant
assets. These instructions may be in a variety of forms including a
high level or low level software language.
[0058] FIG. 6 depicts a flow diagram of implementing an asset
management task (AMT) in accordance with a first embodiment. In a
first step 300, an administrator generates a new asset management
task (referred to herein as AMT or task) on an asset server for
implementation. This AMT includes a description of the task,
criteria used to determine which assets are relevant, and the
specific instructions necessary to implement the AMT for the
relevant assets. Subsequently in step 305, the AMT is passed to the
asset management server (AMS) for obtaining approval and then
implementing the task. The AMT may be passed from the administrator
to the AMS by direct input to the administrative server such as
through a systems management tool communication or indirectly such
as across a secure internet connection or through an email or other
form of personalized direct communication to the administrative
server. This communication may be automatic, meaning that the
communication is sent without human intervention once the AMT is
entered into the asset server by the administrator. The AMS then
automatically accesses an asset management control system in step
310 to identify the assets and their owner(s) including the email
addresses or other contact information of the owner(s) and assets.
This access may be directly such as by accessing a local database
or indirectly such as through a secure connection across the
internet.
[0059] Once the assets, their owners, and the email addresses of
the owners and assets are identified, then in step 315 the AMS
automatically generates and sends an email or other personalized
direct communication to each asset owner including the description
of the task and a checklist of the assets for that owner. The
personalized direct communication may be an email utilizing an
existing SMTP/POP infrastructure or it may be a text message (short
message service or multimedia messaging service), instant message
or other similar communication method to directly contact the owner
automatically. If email, this and subsequent steps take advantage
of an already integrated email infrastructure that is flexible and
dynamic for a variety of environments including cloud based
implementations. These emails may be cached and then sent to the
owners periodically at pre-designated time interval. The caching
may also occur just prior to generating the emails when the
owner(s) have been identified, or even at the point where the task
was first submitted by the administrator.
[0060] In step 320, each owner can then access the email or other
personalized direct communication sent to that owner and read the
task description with the checklist of assets. Each owner can then
determine which of the assets listed should be selected for
implementation of the described task. Some assets may be in a
testing phase where stability is desired and no changes would be
approved. Other assets may have been reverted to an earlier
snapshot where the described task would not be appropriate. The
owner may also determine that the task is unnecessary and may
refuse authorization of the task for any asset. The owner may
further determine that the task is needed for all the listed
assets. Other factors not listed here can affect a decision by the
owner including costs, timing, etc. Each owner can then respond
back to the AMS in step 325 through an approval communication such
as an email or other personalized direct communication with a
checklist selection of assets approved (or not approved) for a
determination of relevance and an implementation of the task for
relevant assets. Although a checklist is described in this
embodiment, alternative methods of indicating which assets are
approved may be utilized. For example, a selection of the word
"All", "None", within a description of the types of assets approved
can be analyzed with natural language processing. For another
example which may be used in an SMS implementation, a question and
answer dialog could be utilized such as "Do you approve the XYZ
update process to be run on the ABC server in the time period
between 3 to 4 AM (Yes or No)?" where the owner may reply "Yes" or
"No". Alternative embodiments may utilize other similar techniques
for indicating the approved assets.
[0061] In step 330, the asset management server (AMS) receives the
response email or other personalized direct communication from the
owner. Subsequently in step 335, the AMS automatically generates a
communication such as an email, other personalized direct
communication, or a systems management tool communication, for each
asset approved by the owner for determination of relevance and
subsequent implementation of the task without requiring human
intervention. Although an email is described as the form of machine
to machine communication for this embodiment, alternative methods
for machine to machine communications includes utilizing existing
systems management tools that may be in place depending on the
environment. This email includes the address of the approved asset
(e.g. the virtual machine including the software to be updated),
the criteria utilized for a determination of relevance, the action
to be taken if relevance is determined, and a unique tag. The
unique tag is compatible with the email standard format (e.g. MIME
or multipurpose internet mail extension) and is utilized by the AMS
and client module for tracking purposes. In step 340, each
generated email or other personalized direct communication is
automatically sent to each approved asset for that determination of
relevance and implementation of the task.
[0062] Subsequently in step 345, the approved asset receives the
AMS generated email, other personalized direct communication, or
systems management tool communication. In step 350, the client
component automatically determines whether the task is relevant to
any IT component included in that asset. If not, then in step 355
an email, other personalized direct communication, or systems
management tool communication with the unique tag is automatically
sent back to the AMS specifying that no action was taken due to a
lack of relevance, then processing continues to step 370. If yes in
step 350, then in step 360 the client software module automatically
implements the task. An email, other personalized direct
communication, or systems management tool communication with the
unique tag is then automatically generated and sent to the AMS in
step 365 specifying whether the task was successfully implemented
or not, and processing continues to step 370. In step 370, the AMS
receives the emails, other personalized direct communications,
and/or other systems management tool communications from steps 355
and 365 and automatically provides that information to the
administrator. Many of the steps above may be performed
automatically without human intervention, thereby streamlining the
process for increased efficiency, although manual operation of
certain steps may be implemented according to the system
configuration and user preferences.
[0063] FIG. 7 depicts a flow diagram of implementing an asset
management task (AMT) in accordance with a second embodiment. This
embodiment limits the list of assets sent to the owner to those
assets that are relevant to the task. In a first step 400, an
administrator generates a new asset management task (referred to
herein as AMT or task) on an asset server for implementation. This
AMT includes a description of the task, criteria used to determine
which assets are relevant, and the specific instructions necessary
to implement the AMT for the relevant assets. Subsequently in step
405, the AMT is passed to the asset management server (AMS) for
obtaining approval and then implementing the task. The AMT may be
passed from the administrator to the AMS by direct input to the
administrative server such as through a systems management tool
communication or indirectly such as across a secure internet
connection or through an email or other form of personalized direct
communication to the administrative server. This communication may
be automatic, meaning that the communication is sent without human
intervention once the AMT is entered into the asset server by the
administrator. The AMS then automatically accesses an asset
management control system in step 410 to identify the assets and
their owner(s) including the email addresses or other contact
information of the assets and owner(s). This access may be directly
such as by accessing a local database or indirectly such as through
a secure connection across the internet.
[0064] Once the assets, their owners, and the email addresses of
the assets and owners are identified, then in steps 415 through
430, the AMS automatically performs a set of filtration steps to
determine which if the identified assets are relevant to the task.
These filtration steps may be performed for every owner, or they
may be performed only when the owner approves or requests such
filtration. In step 415 the AMS automatically generates an inquiry
email, other personalized direct communication, or systems
management tool communication to each asset to determine whether
the task may apply to that asset. Although an email is described as
the form of machine to machine communication in this embodiment,
alternative methods for machine to machine communications includes
utilizing existing systems management tools that may be in place
depending on the environment. This inquiry email includes the
address of the approved asset (e.g. the virtual machine including
the software to be updated), the criteria utilized for a
determination of relevance, the action to be taken once relevance
is determined (i.e. an email back to the AMS stating whether the
task is relevant to that asset), and a unique tag. The unique tag
is compatible with the email standard format (e.g. MIME or
multipurpose internet mail extension) and is utilized by the AMS
and client module for tracking purposes. Each generated inquiry
email, other personalized direct communication, or systems
management tool communication is automatically sent to each
approved asset for that determination of relevance and
implementation of the task (i.e. to respond to the question of
relevance).
[0065] In step 420, each asset receiving the inquiry email, other
personalized direct communication, or systems management tool
communication then automatically determines relevance (e.g. that
the asset includes a certain generation of software), then
automatically performs a task of responding to the AMS in step 425.
That response includes an indication whether the task is relevant
to the asset or not. The response may be in the form received such
as an email, other personalized direct communication, or systems
management tool communication. A non-response may be determined to
be a lack of relevance by the non-responding asset. In step 430,
the AMS receives the responses from each asset and then
automatically filters the list of assets for each owner, thereby
reducing the number of assets that the owner has to review.
[0066] Then in step 435 the AMS automatically generates and sends
an email or other personalized direct communication to each asset
owner including the description of the task and a checklist of the
relevant assets for that owner. The personalized direct
communication may be an email utilizing an existing SMTP/POP
infrastructure or it may be a text message (short message service
or multimedia messaging service), instant message or other similar
communication method to directly contact the owner automatically.
If email, this and other steps described herein take advantage of
an already integrated email infrastructure that is flexible and
dynamic for a variety of environments including cloud based
implementations. These emails may be cached and then sent to the
owners periodically at pre-designated time interval. The caching
may also occur just prior to generating the emails when the
owner(s) have been identified, or even at the point where the task
was first submitted by the administrator.
[0067] In step 440, each owner can then access the email or other
personalized direct communication sent to that owner and read the
task description with the checklist of assets. Each owner can then
determine which of the assets listed should be selected for
implementation of the described task. Some assets may be in a
testing phase where stability is desired and no changes would be
approved. Other assets may have been reverted to an earlier
snapshot where the described task would not be appropriate. The
owner may also determine that the task is unnecessary and may
refuse authorization of the task for any asset. The owner may
further determine that the task is needed for all the listed
assets. Other factors not listed here can affect a decision by the
owner including costs, timing, etc. Each owner can then respond
back to the AMS in step 445 through an approval communication such
as an email or other personalized direct communication with a
checklist selection of assets approved (or not approved) for a
determination of relevance and an implementation of the task for
relevant assets. Although a checklist is described in this
embodiment, alternative methods of indicating which assets are
approved may be utilized. For example, a selection of the word
"All", "None", within a description of the types of assets approved
which can be analyzed with natural language processing. For another
example which may be used in an SMS implementation, a question and
answer dialog could be utilized such as "Do you approve the XYZ
update process to be run on the ABC server in the time period
between 3 to 4 AM (Yes or No)?" where the owner may reply "Yes" or
"No". Alternative embodiments may utilize other similar techniques
for indicating the approved assets.
[0068] In step 450, the asset management server (AMS) receives the
response email or other personalized direct communication from the
owner. Subsequently in step 455, the AMS automatically generates an
email, other personalized direct communication, or systems
management tool communication for each asset approved by the owner
for a confirmation of relevance (in case there have been changes
related to relevance since the asset was queried as described
above) and subsequent implementation of the task without requiring
human intervention. This email includes the address of the approved
asset (e.g. the virtual machine including the software to be
updated), the criteria utilized for a determination of relevance,
the action to be taken if relevance is determined, and a unique
tag. The unique tag is compatible with the email standard format
(e.g. MIME or multipurpose internet mail extension) and is utilized
by the AMS and client module for tracking purposes. In step 460,
each generated email, other personalized direct communication, or
systems management tool communication is sent to each approved
asset for that confirmation of relevance and implementation of the
task.
[0069] Subsequently in step 465, the approved asset receives the
AMS generated email, other personalized direct communication or
systems management tool communication. In step 470, the client
component automatically determines whether the task is relevant to
any IT component included in that asset. If not, then in step 475
an email, other personalized direct communication, or systems
management tool communication with the unique tag is automatically
sent back to the AMS specifying that no action was taken due to a
lack of relevance and processing continues to step 490. If yes in
step 470, then in step 480 the client software module automatically
implements the task. An email, other personalized direct
communication or systems management tool communication with the
unique tag is then automatically generated and sent to the AMS in
step 485 specifying whether the task was successfully implemented
or not, then processing continues to step 490. In step 490, the AMS
receives the emails, other personalized direct communications, or
systems management tool communication from steps 475 and 485 and
automatically provides that information to the administrator. Many
of the steps above may be performed automatically without human
intervention, thereby streamlining the process for increased
efficiency, although manual operation of certain steps may be
implemented according to the system configuration and user
preferences.
[0070] The invention can take the form of an entirely software
embodiment, or an embodiment containing both hardware and software
elements. In a preferred embodiment, the invention is implemented
in software or program code, which includes but is not limited to
firmware, resident software, and microcode.
[0071] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of
the present invention may be embodied as a system, method or
computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present
invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an
entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident
software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and
hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a
"circuit," "module" or "system." Furthermore, aspects of the
present invention may take the form of a computer program product
embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer
readable program code embodied thereon.
[0072] Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s)
may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer
readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A
computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not
limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic,
infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any
suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a
non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would
include the following: an electrical connection having one or more
wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access
memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable
read-only memory (EPROM), or Flash memory, an optical fiber, a
portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage
device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of
the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable
storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or
store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction
execution system, apparatus, or device.
[0073] A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated
data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein,
for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a
propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including,
but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable
combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any
computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage
medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program
for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,
apparatus, or device.
[0074] Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be
transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited
to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any
suitable combination of the foregoing. Further, a computer storage
medium may contain or store a computer-readable program code such
that when the computer-readable program code is executed on a
computer, the execution of this computer-readable program code
causes the computer to transmit another computer-readable program
code over a communications link. This communications link may use a
medium that is, for example without limitation, physical or
wireless.
[0075] A data processing system suitable for storing and/or
executing program code will include at least one processor coupled
directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus. The
memory elements can include local memory employed during actual
execution of the program code, bulk storage media, and cache
memories, which provide temporary storage of at least some program
code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved
from bulk storage media during execution.
[0076] A data processing system may act as a server data processing
system or a client data processing system. Server and client data
processing systems may include data storage media that are computer
usable, such as being computer readable. A data storage medium
associated with a server data processing system may contain
computer usable code such as for utilizing emails to manage on-line
assets. A client data processing system may download that computer
usable code, such as for storing on a data storage medium
associated with the client data processing system, or for using in
the client data processing system. The server data processing
system may similarly upload computer usable code from the client
data processing system such as a content source. The computer
usable code resulting from a computer usable program product
embodiment of the illustrative embodiments may be uploaded or
downloaded using server and client data processing systems in this
manner.
[0077] Input/output or I/O devices (including but not limited to
keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled to the
system either directly or through intervening I/O controllers.
[0078] Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable
the data processing system to become coupled to other data
processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through
intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modem and
Ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of
network adapters.
[0079] The description of the present invention has been presented
for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended
to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed.
Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art. The embodiment was chosen and described
in order to explain the principles of the invention, the practical
application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to
understand the invention for various embodiments with various
modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
[0080] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the
invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the"
are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood
that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this
specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude
the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
[0081] The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and
equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the
claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or
act for performing the function in combination with other claimed
elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present
invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and
description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the
invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations
will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without
departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The
embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the
principles of the invention and the practical application, and to
enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the
invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are
suited to the particular use contemplated.
* * * * *