Resource management method, resource management system, resource management program and resource management device

Abstract

To provide a resource management technique for managing an actual state of a resource in a user so as to become an ideal state of the resource in an organization.SOLUTION: A resource management method causes a computer to execute: a registration reception step of storing resource authority management information based on affiliation information of a user; an acquisition step of acquiring actual condition information of the user; and a verification step of verifying the actual condition information based on the authority management information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a resource management method, a resource management system, a resource management program, and a resource management device. [Background technology]

[0002] Companies and other organizations use many resources such as applications, devices, spaces, and various objects to carry out their work. These resources are managed and employees are given access to them based on their affiliation, title, skills, etc.

[0003] Conventionally, in an organization that uses a large number of applications, there are known techniques for improving the efficiency of resource management.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that enables efficient management of multiple accounts issued to employees of a company by making it possible to reserve required processes related to two or more applications collectively for accounts used by one or more employees of the company, and by executing those processes at the reserved date, time or time period using API calls. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7118305 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a resource management technique for better managing the actual state of resources at a user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the problems described above, the present invention is a resource management method, in which a computer executes a registration reception process for accepting an instruction to register ideal management information indicating an ideal state of a resource based on a user's affiliation information, an acquisition process for acquiring actual management information indicating the actual state of the resource for the user, and a verification process for verifying the actual management information based on the ideal management information.

[0008] The present invention also provides a resource management system that includes a registration reception unit that accepts an instruction to register ideal management information indicating an ideal state of resources based on a user's affiliation information, an acquisition unit that acquires actual management information indicating the actual state of the resources of the user, and a verification unit that verifies the actual management information based on the ideal management information.

[0009] The present invention also provides a resource management program that causes a computer to function as a registration reception unit that accepts an instruction to register ideal management information indicating an ideal state of a resource based on a user's affiliation information, an acquisition unit that acquires actual management information indicating the actual state of the resource for the user, and a verification unit that verifies the actual management information based on the ideal management information.

[0010] The present invention also provides a resource management device that includes a registration reception unit that accepts an instruction to register ideal management information indicating an ideal state of a resource based on a user's affiliation information, an acquisition unit that acquires actual management information indicating the actual state of the resource for the user, and a verification unit that verifies the actual management information based on the ideal management information. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a resource management technique for managing the actual state of resources at a user's side so as to achieve an ideal state of resources in an organization. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] System configuration diagram of this embodiment [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4 shows an example of a data configuration according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 shows an example of a data configuration according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram of a registration acceptance process according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram of an acquisition process and a verification process according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a resource processing process according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] 4 shows an example of a data configuration of setup information according to the present embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram of a resource processing step according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram of a resource processing step according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a resource processing process according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] The resource management system and method of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment shown below is an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown below, and various configurations can be adopted.

[0014] In this embodiment, the configuration, operation, etc. of the resource management system will be described, but a method, device, computer program, and program recording medium storing the program having a similar configuration can also achieve the same effects. A series of processes according to this embodiment described below is provided as a computer-executable program, and can be provided via a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a flexible disk, or even via a communication line.

[0015] The resource management system is composed of a computer device. The computer device has an arithmetic device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage device. The computer device can function as a resource management device by executing a resource management program stored in the storage device with the arithmetic device. The resource management method is realized by processing of the computer device including the resource management device.

[0016] In this embodiment, resources include soft resources including applications used in an organization, and physical resources including devices and spaces (such as offices and conference rooms) used in an organization.

[0017] <System configuration> Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of a resource management system 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the resource management system 1 at least includes a resource management device 2, a user terminal 4, and a storage DB. The resource management device 2, the user terminal 4, and the storage DB are each connected to a communication network NW and are communicatively connected.

[0018] The resource management device 2 is used for resource management in a plurality of organizations (G1, G2, G3, . . . ). The organization G includes an administrator terminal 3 and a user terminal 4. A plurality of user terminals 4 exist in the organization G.

[0019] The resource management device 2 includes, as functional components, a registration acceptance unit 21, an acquisition unit 22, a verification unit 23, and a resource processing unit 24.

[0020] The user terminal 4 is a terminal device operated by a user of resources in the organization G. In this embodiment, the user terminal 4 is one of the physical resources (devices) granted to the user in the organization G. Although only one user terminal 4 is shown in FIG. 1, there are multiple user terminals.

[0021] 1 as long as the storage unit DB is a database and is configured to be capable of data communication with the resource management device 2. The storage unit DB may be, for example, built in the resource management device 2 or connected to the resource management device 2 via wired communication.

[0022] In this embodiment, the resource management system 1 may further include an administrator terminal 3 and a resource providing device 5. The resource management device 2, the administrator terminal 3, the user terminal 4, the resource providing device 5, and the storage unit DB are each connected to a communication network NW and communicatively connected.

[0023] The administrator terminal 3 is a terminal device operated by an administrator who has authority regarding granting resources to users in organization G. The administrator terminal 3 can execute processes related to granting, changing, deleting, lending, borrowing, etc. of resources within a certain organization.

[0024] The resource providing device 5 is a server device that provides soft resources used in the user terminal 4. In this embodiment, the resource providing device 5 particularly provides soft resources related to software such as applications to the user. The soft resources are provided in the user terminal 4 as web applications that can be used via a web browser or the like, or native applications that can be used through license authentication. Note that when providing physical resources as resources, the resource providing device 5 is not necessarily required.

[0025] In this embodiment, the resources include soft resources and physical resources. The soft resources include applications provided to the user by the resource providing device 5. The physical resources include physical resources such as devices provided to the user and spaces and objects that the user is authorized to use.

[0026] <Hardware configuration> Fig. 2(a) shows a hardware configuration diagram of the resource management device 2. The resource management device 2 includes, as its hardware configuration, a processor 201, a memory 202, and a communication interface 203. In this embodiment, the resource management device 2 can use a computer device such as a server or a personal computer. Note that the resource management device 2 may be configured by a plurality of computer devices, and is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 2(a) as long as the above-mentioned functional components (21-24) can be realized as a whole.

[0027] The processor 201 is configured with one or more processors such as a CPU, and functions as a control unit that controls the overall processing in the resource management device 2 by executing a resource management program, an OS (Operating System), and other applications. The memory 202 is a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flash memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like, and functions as a storage unit that stores the resource management program and various data. The communication interface 203 controls communication with the communication network NW, and functions as a communication unit that realizes data communication with the administrator terminal 3, the user terminal 4, and the storage unit DB. The processor 201 causes the computer to function as the resource management device 2 by executing the resource management program.

[0028] 2(b) shows a hardware configuration diagram of a terminal device 9 including an administrator terminal 3 and a user terminal 4. The terminal device 9 includes, as its hardware configuration, a processor 901, a memory 902, a communication interface 903, an input interface 904, and a display interface 905. In this embodiment, the terminal device 9 can be a smartphone, a personal computer, a tablet terminal, or the like.

[0029] The processor 901 is composed of one or more processors such as a CPU, and functions as a control unit that controls the overall processing in the terminal device 9 by executing an OS and other applications. The memory 902 is an HDD, SSD, flash memory, RAM, etc., and functions as a storage unit that stores a browser application and various data. The communication interface 903 controls communication with the communication network NW and functions as a communication unit that realizes data communication with the resource management device 2. The input interface 904 is an input interface that accepts an operation request from an operator, and functions as an input unit composed of a touch panel, a mouse, a keyboard, etc. The display interface 905 functions as a display unit composed of a display or the like that displays the processing results by the processor 901.

[0030] <Registration acceptance process> The registration reception unit 21 receives an instruction to register ideal management information via the administrator terminal 3 based on the affiliation information of the user, and stores it in the storage unit DB. Specifically, the processor 201 of the resource management device 2 controls the communication interface 203 to receive an instruction to register ideal management information from the administrator terminal 3, and stores the received ideal management information in the storage unit DB. The affiliation information includes identification information of organization G, and ideal management information for each organization is registered. The registration reception unit 21 issues the identification information of a user by receiving an account issuance request including an email address in the organization to which the user belongs.

[0031] The ideal management information is information that indicates the ideal state of resources given to each user. As shown in Fig. 3(a), the ideal management information includes affiliation information, user identification information, soft resource information, and physical resource information.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 3(b), the affiliation information is information indicating the affiliation of the user in organization G, and includes the company name, department name, section name, title, etc. to which the user belongs, with the user's identification information as a key. The organizational chart may have a different structure for each organization, and for example, master data of departments, sections, job titles, etc. of organization G may be registered via the administrator terminal 3, etc. The affiliation information may include the company name, department name, section name, title, etc., with the affiliation identification information as a key. This makes it easy to assign users to affiliation identification information.

[0033] The storage unit DB stores a soft master, which is master data of a soft resource. The soft master has identification information of the soft resource, the software name, the contract plan, the unit price, the unit contract period, etc. The soft master is registered via the administrator terminal 3. The identification information of the soft resource is associated with the identification information of the resource providing device 5, and the resource providing device 5 can be identified based on the identification information of the soft resource.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 4(a), the soft resource information is information on the soft resources for which a user has been granted authority, and has the presence or absence of authority for each soft resource, using the user's identification information as a key. When the soft resource has multiple contract plans (free version, paid version, premium version, etc.), the soft resource authority may also include information indicating which contract plan the soft resource is. The soft resource information is generated by selecting a person to whom resources are to be granted and accepting the selection of one or more soft resources from the soft master. The soft resource information may also include a license number, an account ID, etc. obtained from the resource providing device 5.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 4(b), the contract information is information indicating the number of contracts for software resources contracted by organization, department, section, etc. The contract information may include identification information of the software resource, software name, plan name, number of contracts, and contract period. The contract information is generated by selecting the contract target from the software resources in the software master and accepting input of the number of contracts and contract period. The contract information may further include a license number and an account ID issued by the contract.

[0036] The physical resource information is information about physical resources for which a user has been granted authority, and has information about the presence or absence of authority for each physical resource, using the user's identification information as a key. In this embodiment, the physical resource information is further classified into device information and space information.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 4(c), the device information is information about device resources lent to a user, and includes the authority, type, and device identification information of each device, using the user's identification information as a key.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 4(d), the inventory information includes the number of devices in stock, with device information collected by location. Specific devices, including PC types, are managed including the identification information of the device. The inventory information includes the number of soft resources in stock that have not been granted to users, with soft resource information collected. Since the number of soft resources in stock is managed as accounts or licenses, it may be the total number of inventory at all locations.

[0039] The spatial information is information about spatial resources that a user is granted the right to use. In this embodiment, the spatial resources include meeting rooms and booths partitioned within a building or structure, warehouses, lockers and cabinets whose unlocking authority is managed according to the security level, accommodation facilities and entertainment facilities such as employee dormitories and hotels that are managed as employee authority and used as employee benefits, etc. The spatial information has the presence or absence of entry authority to each spatial resource, the available time, etc., using the user's identification information as a key. The spatial information is data-linked with the entrance management system, and, for example, the entry authority is authenticated by presenting the identification information stored in a terminal or IC card at the entrance gate. One or more spatial resources can be registered for each base in an organization.

[0040] Conventionally, spatial resources have been difficult to manage because they do not have a common ID with the user's software resources or devices. According to the invention of this embodiment, these resources can be authority-managed by common identification information. For example, the authority to enter each space may be granted differently depending on departments or titles, such as being granted to some parts of an office and not being granted to other parts, and these authority to enter can be authority-managed in the same way as other resources.

[0041] The soft resource information and physical resource information are not limited to the above-mentioned examples, but can be linked to various systems that manage rights, and can be used to authenticate those rights.

[0042] The registration reception unit 21 may receive in advance the registration of the ideal state master of the soft resource information and the physical resource information corresponding to the affiliation information, and store it in the storage unit DB. When a user registers, the registration reception unit 21 receives an instruction to register the affiliation information, and can refer to the ideal state master corresponding to the affiliation information and automatically set the ideal state of each resource. The soft resource information and the physical resource information are configured so that they can be deleted, edited, and added via the administrator terminal 3.

[0043] The resource providing device 5 accepts the account issuance request and issues an account for the soft resource. The account issuance request is transmitted including account issuance information as user identification information. The account issuance information is information used to issue an account, and may include personal information of the user, such as an email address. The account issuance information is associated with the user identification information.

[0044] The resource management device 2 can manage resource authority of a user who belongs to a plurality of organizations in each organization.

[0045] For example, a case will be described where user A is dispatched from company A to company B. First, when it is decided that user A will be dispatched to company B, the administrator terminal 3 of company B sends a notification to the user terminal 4 of user A to obtain user A's consent to linking the email address of company A (hereinafter, referred to as email address a) to company B.

[0046] The notification for obtaining the consent may be automatically sent from the resource management device 2 to the user terminal 4 of user A via the administrator terminal 3 of company A by having the administrator terminal 3 of company B store the email address of the administrator terminal 3 of company A in the storage unit DB in advance. The timing of this notification may be, for example, the timing when the administrator terminal 3 of company B executes the allocation (registration instruction) of the ideal management information of the soft resource information.

[0047] When the administrator terminal 3 of company B obtains consent to the notification from the user terminal 4 of user A, it acquires the email address a from the user terminal 4 of user A. The administrator terminal 3 of company B sends an account issuance request for the resource management system 1 to the resource management device 2, using the email address a as identification information. The resource management device 2 receives the account issuance request, issues an account for user A, and stores it in the storage unit DB. The resource management device 2 may also send a notification regarding the issued account for user A to the administrator terminal 3 of company B.

[0048] When an account for user A is issued by the resource management device 2, the administrator terminal 3 of company B transmits an instruction to register software resource information required for the business of user A according to the affiliation information of user A in company B. The registration reception unit 21 stores the software resource for which the registration instruction is made in the storage unit DB as ideal management information.

[0049] When the allocation is completed, an account issuance request is transmitted to the resource providing device 5 of the software resource for which an account needs to be issued. The resource management device 2 stores the issued software resource account in association with the identification information of the user A or the identification information of the company B.

[0050] Communications between the administrator terminal 3 of company B and the user terminal 4 of user A and the resource management device 2 are all performed via the communication interface 203 or the communication interface 903 .

[0051] If company B cannot issue an account using an email address outside the company for security reasons, the administrator terminal 3 of company B may issue email address b within company B to user A and manage it using a single identification information for user A.

[0052] In the above example, the case where the resource management system 1 is introduced only in company B or introduced in both company A and company B is described. When the resource management system 1 is introduced in both company A and company B, the identification information issued by each company may be linked between the two companies. In this case, the resource management device 2 may automatically send a notification to the user terminal 4 of user A to obtain consent regarding the provision of identification information required for account linking.

[0053] 3(a), for example, a user A belongs to two organizations (company A, company B) and is given user identification information A002 (company A) and A015 (company B). The registration reception unit 21 receives an instruction to link the identification information A002 and the identification information A015, and stores the identification information of different users in association with each other. The authority of the resource associated with the linked identification information may be granted, changed, or deleted by the other administrator terminal 3.

[0054] In this way, by creating ideal management information in advance, it is possible to complete the issuance of accounts and the granting of permissions for the physical resources and various software resources required for User A's work at Company B before User A takes up his / her post at Company B.

[0055] Here, an example is taken in which user A is dispatched from company A to company B. The resource management device 2 accepts a request from the administrator terminal 3 of company B to acquire account issuance information for user A in company A in order to acquire a software resource account for user A in advance. When the resource management device 2 receives permission to transmit the account issuance information via the administrator terminal 3 or user terminal 4 of company A, it transmits the account issuance information to the administrator terminal 3 of company B, which is the requester. The transmission permission only needs to be given by user A, and the device from which the information is transmitted is not limited. This allows company B to receive the issuance of an account from the resource providing device 5 using the user's account issuance information. In addition, the user can perform work using resource authority by organization.

[0056] FIG. 5 shows a processing sequence diagram of the registration reception step. The processor 901 of the manager terminal 3 receives an input of an ideal state of soft resources and an ideal state of physical resources based on an organization chart via the input interface 904 (S101). Specifically, the processor 901 of the manager terminal 3 receives affiliation information based on the organization chart and allocates resources according to the affiliation information. The processor 901 of the manager terminal 3 transmits a registration request of the ideal state of each resource to the resource management device 2 via the communication interface 903 (S102), and the processor 201 of the resource management device 2 stores the ideal state of each resource in the storage unit DB in association with the affiliation information requested for registration (S103). The processor 901 of the manager terminal 3 receives an input of account issuing information such as a user's email address and phone number via the input interface 904 (S104), and transmits an account registration request including the user's account issuing information to the resource management device 2 via the communication interface 903 (S105). In S104, the account issuing information may be a user list including personal information and affiliation information of one or more users, which may be input in a file format such as CSV. The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 issues an account including user identification information, password, etc. based on the account issuing information (S106). The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 transmits a registration completion notification of the account including the issued user identification information to the user terminal 4 via the communication interface 203 (S107).

[0057] The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 stores the issued user identification information in the storage unit DB as ideal management information by associating it with the ideal state of each registered resource (S108). The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 outputs the ideal management information via the communication interface 203 in response to a request from the manager terminal 3 (S109). This enables the processor 201 of the manager terminal 3 to display the ideal management information via the display interface 905 and perform authority operations such as granting, changing, and deleting resources. For example, when the affiliation of a user is changed due to a transfer or the like, the user identification information can be associated with the affiliation identification information of the transfer destination to easily perform authority operations for the resource corresponding to the affiliation information.

[0058] In S106, after the account issuance, the processor 201 of the resource management device 2 outputs the ideal state of each resource associated with the affiliation information via the communication interface 203 in response to a request from the administrator terminal 3, and the processor 201 of the administrator terminal 3 displays the ideal state according to the affiliation via the display interface 905, and may individually perform authority operations such as granting, changing, and deleting resources for the user. In this case, the processor 901 of the administrator terminal 3 accepts input of an account including the user's identification information via the input interface 904. Specifically, the processor 901 of the administrator terminal 3 determines the ideal state (ideal management information) of each resource to be assigned to the user by assigning an affiliation to the user. The processor 901 of the administrator terminal 3 transmits a registration request for the ideal management information to the resource management device 2 via the communication interface 903, and the processor 201 of the resource management device 2 stores the ideal management information requested to be registered in the storage unit DB.

[0059] <Acquisition process> The acquisition unit 22 acquires the actual status management information of the user and stores it in the storage unit DB. The actual status management information is information that indicates the actual status of resources assigned to each user.

[0060] The actual management information includes user identification information, soft resource information, and physical resource information. The actual management information includes items related to actual authority of resources corresponding to the ideal management information. The ideal management information and the actual management information may have the same data structure.

[0061] The acquisition unit 22 acquires the actual state of the soft resources of the user from the resource providing device 5. Specifically, the processor 201 of the resource management device 2 transmits an acquisition request for actual management information to the resource providing device 5, receives the actual management information of the soft resources as a result of the acquisition request via the communication interface 203, and stores it in the storage unit DB.

[0062] The acquisition unit 22 may acquire the actual state of the soft resources acquired from the resource providing device 5 via the administrator terminal 3. Specifically, the processor 901 of the administrator terminal 3 transmits an acquisition request for actual state management information to the resource providing device 5, and receives the actual state management information of the soft resources as a result of the acquisition request via the communication interface 903. The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 receives an instruction to acquire actual state management information from the administrator terminal 3, and stores the actual state management information of the soft resources received via the communication interface 203 in the storage unit DB.

[0063] The resource management device 2 or the administrator terminal 3 transmits an acquisition request including the user's identification information to the resource providing device 5 according to the identification information of the soft resource. The resource providing device 5 receives the acquisition request and returns the actual state of the soft resource to the requester as a result. The actual state specifically includes the authority to use the soft resource, the presence or absence of an account, the type of contract plan, the usage history, etc.

[0064] In one embodiment, the acquisition request is an API (Application Programming Interface) request. The API request is transmitted to the resource providing device 5, and the resource providing device 5 responds with a processing result corresponding to the API request. The API request includes designation of identification information of an organization, and can execute API processing for confirming a user of a soft resource in the organization. In addition, when confirming the authority of an individual user to a soft resource, the API request includes designation of an account linked to the identification information of the target user, and can execute API processing for the account. The acquisition unit 22 can acquire the API processing result as actual management information of the soft resource provided by the resource providing device 5. In addition, when the API request is successful, the acquisition unit 22 can acquire actual management information including the scope of authority (contract plan) in the account and the usage history. In addition, in this embodiment, the API request is transmitted from the resource management device 2 to the resource providing device 5, but the device from which the API request is transmitted is not limited to this, and the API request may be transmitted via another device.

[0065] In one aspect, the acquisition request is crawling. Crawling is a process for collecting predetermined information by executing crawling on a web service provided by the resource providing device 5 using a user's account. The acquisition unit 22 can acquire the result of crawling as actual management information of the software resource provided by the resource providing device 5. The acquisition unit 22 can acquire information including the authority range of the account by crawling. Note that in this embodiment, crawling is executed from the resource management device 2 on the web service provided by the resource providing device 5, but the device from which crawling is executed is not limited to this, and crawling may be executed via another device.

[0066] In one aspect, the acquisition request is a log request. The log request is a process for acquiring an access log by a user's account to a web service provided by the resource providing device 5. The acquisition unit 22 can acquire the result of the log request as actual management information of the soft resource provided by the resource providing device 5. The acquisition unit 22 can acquire information including the last login date and time to the account by the log request. Note that in this embodiment, the log request is transmitted from the resource management device 2 to the web service provided by the resource providing device 5, but the device from which the log request is transmitted is not limited to this, and the log request may be transmitted via another device.

[0067] In this way, according to the present embodiment, the actual status of the resource can be acquired in a preferred manner corresponding to the form of the soft resource provided by the resource providing device.

[0068] The acquisition unit 22 acquires the actual state of the physical resources of the user from the user terminal 4. Specifically, the processor 201 of the resource management device 2 transmits an acquisition request for actual management information to the user terminal 4, receives the actual management information of the physical resources as a result of the acquisition request via the communication interface 203, and stores it in the storage unit DB.

[0069] The acquiring unit 22 may acquire the actual status of the physical resources acquired by the user terminal 4 via the administrator terminal 3. Specifically, the processor 901 of the administrator terminal 3 transmits an acquisition request for actual status management information to the user terminal 4, and receives the actual status management information of the physical resources as a result of the acquisition request via the communication interface 903. The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 receives an instruction to acquire the actual status management information from the administrator terminal 3, and stores the actual status management information of the physical resources received via the communication interface 203 in the storage unit DB.

[0070] The resource management device 2 or the administrator terminal 3 transmits a request for acquiring identification information of a physical resource to a physical resource (user terminal 4) corresponding to the user's identification information. The user terminal 4 receives the acquisition request and returns the actual state including the identification information of the user terminal 4 as a result to the request source.

[0071] As one aspect, the acquisition request is a notification that requests input of information that allows the user terminal 4 to grasp the actual state of the physical resources, such as device identification information. The notification is sent to the user terminal 4 in the form of an input form or the like, and a response including the identification information of the physical resources and the like is accepted. The acquisition unit 22 can acquire the response result as actual management information of the physical resources granted to the user.

[0072] Specifically, the input form presents questions such as whether a specific serial number (identification information of a physical resource) is being used, what type of device is being used, and so on, and accepts answers to those questions.

[0073] The resource management device 2 or the administrator terminal 3 transmits a request to acquire user identification information to the user terminal 4 corresponding to the identification information of the physical resource (user terminal 4). If the user identification information, etc. is registered in advance in the user terminal 4, when a request to acquire user identification information is received from the resource management device 2, as an application of this, the actual state including the user identification information can be returned to the resource management device 2. Note that the result of the acquisition request is not limited to the user identification information as long as it is information that can uniquely identify the user.

[0074] As one aspect, when the user terminal 4 is connected to the communication network NW, the resource management device 2 or the administrator terminal 3 acquires user identification information from the user terminal 4 and passes it to the acquisition unit 22.

[0075] When a malfunction such as a breakdown or malfunction occurs in a physical resource, the user transmits malfunction information regarding the breakdown or malfunction to the resource management device 2. The malfunction information includes at least one of identification information of the target physical resource and identification information of the user, and is transmitted via a communication interface of a terminal device such as the user terminal 4. The resource management device 2 receives the malfunction information, refers to information regarding the type (such as specifications) of the physical resource registered in the ideal management information based on the identification information and inventory information of the physical resource, and lends a substitute physical resource to the user. At this time, since the lending source also manages the address of the base such as the user's office or home in the ideal management information, the lending source sends a substitute machine to the user first, and the user sends the malfunctioned physical resource back to the warehouse or base by the user himself. This makes it possible to quickly supply a physical resource in good condition to the user without the hassle of the IT department and without the intervention of the office when the user's base is at home, thereby realizing reduction in effort and cost.

[0076] The acquisition unit 22 acquires the actual state of the spatial information of the user from the entrance management system. Specifically, the processor 201 of the resource management device 2 transmits an acquisition request for the actual management information to the entrance management system, receives the actual management information of the spatial resource as a result of the acquisition request via the communication interface 203, and stores it in the storage unit DB.

[0077] The acquisition unit 22 may acquire the actual state of the spatial information acquired by the administrator terminal 3. Specifically, the processor 901 of the administrator terminal 3 transmits an acquisition request for actual management information to the entrance management system, and receives the actual management information of the spatial resources as a result of the acquisition request via the communication interface 903. The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 receives an instruction to acquire the actual management information from the administrator terminal 3, and stores the actual management information of the spatial resources received via the communication interface 203 in the storage unit DB. Note that the acquisition unit 22 may acquire the actual management information of the spatial resources via a device other than the administrator terminal 3.

[0078] The acquisition unit 22 can acquire the entrance log data as actual management information by transmitting an acquisition request to the entrance management system.

[0079] In this way, according to the present embodiment, the actual status of the resource can be acquired in a preferred manner corresponding to the form of the physical resource.

[0080] <Verification process> The verification unit 23 verifies the actual management information based on the ideal management information. The verification includes a process of determining whether the actual state of the resource matches the ideal state of the resource.

[0081] The verification unit 23 verifies the actual management information corresponding to the identification information of the soft resource acquired by the acquisition unit 22, based on the ideal management information regarding the soft resource corresponding to the identification information of the user.

[0082] The verification unit 23 verifies the actual management information corresponding to the identification information of the physical resource acquired by the acquisition unit 22, based on the ideal management information regarding the physical resource corresponding to the identification information of the user.

[0083] The verification unit 23 outputs a verification result. The verification result includes a result of whether or not the actual state and the ideal state match. The verification unit 23 stores the verification result in the storage unit DB in association with the actual state management information of the user.

[0084] The verification unit 23 outputs the verification result as a verification result notification to the administrator terminal 3 and / or the user terminal 4. The verification result notification includes a warning regarding items where the actual state and the ideal state do not match.

[0085] If the verification result indicates a match, the verification unit 23 notifies the verification result that the actual state of the resource is the ideal state, and stores information indicating that the resource is maintained in the ideal state in the storage unit DB.

[0086] If the verification result is not consistent, the verification unit 23 notifies the verification result and can make a resource change request so that the actual state becomes the ideal state. The change request includes a process of transmitting a request to delete or add a resource or change the authority range to the resource providing device 5.

[0087] Verification items may be set in advance for the verification unit 23, and the verification unit 23 may verify the actual management information based on the verification items. The verification items include, for example, the expiration date of a soft resource, the useful life of a physical resource, etc. The verification unit 23 may output a warning when the acquired actual management information includes a resource whose expiration date or useful life is approaching.

[0088] The verification unit 23 repeatedly executes a verification process for verifying the actual management information based on the ideal management information, and outputs the processing result. If the result of the verification process is a match, the verification unit 23 notifies the verification result that the resource is in the ideal state. If the result of the verification process is a mismatch, the verification unit 23 notifies the verification result including the resource that does not match, and executes the resource processing step described below. The notification of the verification result may be after the resource processing step is executed. For example, the verification unit 23 can maintain the ideal state of the resource by executing the verification process at predetermined intervals. Also, the verification unit 23 may be configured to execute the verification process by receiving a verification instruction from the manager terminal 3 and / or the user terminal 4. As long as the configuration is such that the ideal state of the resource can be maintained, the timing of the verification process is not limited. This makes it possible to monitor the actual state of the resource against the ideal state.

[0089] FIG. 6(a) shows a process sequence diagram from the acquisition step to the verification step regarding the actual management information of the soft resource. The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 transmits an acquisition request regarding the actual state of the authority of a specific account or the actual state of the authority of an account in a specific organization to the resource providing device 5 (S21). The acquisition request is in the form of any of the above-mentioned API request, crawling, and log request. The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 acquires the actual management information of the soft resource as a result of the acquisition request (S22). The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 executes a process of verifying the acquired actual management information based on the ideal management information (S23). The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 transmits a verification result notification including the result of the verification to the administrator terminal 3 via the communication interface 203 (S24). If the actual state and the ideal state do not match as a result of the verification, the resource management device 2 executes a resource process described later to make the actual state match the ideal state.

[0090] FIG. 6(b) shows a process sequence diagram from the acquisition step to the verification step regarding the actual state management information of the physical resource. The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 transmits an acquisition request regarding the actual state of the device identification information or the actual state of the user identification information to the user terminal 4 via the communication interface 203 (S31). The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 acquires the actual state management information of the device via the communication interface 203 as a result of the acquisition request (S32). The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 executes a process of verifying the acquired actual state management information based on the ideal management information (S33). The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 transmits a verification result notification including the result of the verification to the manager terminal 3 via the communication interface 203 (S34). If the actual state and the ideal state do not match as a result of the verification, the processor 201 of the resource management device 2 executes a resource process described later to make the actual state match the ideal state.

[0091] As described above, according to the invention of this embodiment, it is possible to improve the efficiency and outsource IT operations involving the management of not only soft resources but also physical devices, making it unnecessary for the company to perform inventory management in-house, which involves the risk of loss, damage, and theft.

[0092] Furthermore, according to the invention of this embodiment, while in the past each resource was managed by a different ID in a separate application, system, etc., by integrating them, it is possible to make resource management more efficient.

[0093] <Resource processing process> The resource processing unit 24 assists in providing a user with physical resources (devices) that can utilize soft resources in an ideal state. Specifically, the processor 901 of the administrator terminal 3 controls the communication interface 903 to transmit inputs related to resource management via the input interface 904 as instructions to the resource management device 2. The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 receives instructions related to resource management from the administrator terminal 3 via the communication interface 203, and executes resource processing based on the instructions. The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 controls the communication interface 203 to transmit the results of the resource processing to the administrator terminal 3. The processor 901 of the administrator terminal 3 can receive the results of the resource processing via the communication interface 903, and display the results on the display interface 905.

[0094] FIG. 7 shows an outline of the resource processing process. The resource processing process shows a process for providing ideal soft and physical resources to, for example, new participants in an organization or users who repair or replace physical resources. The resource processing unit 24 permits resource processing according to instructions from the manager terminal 3 having resource authority. The resource processing includes processing related to granting, changing, deleting, and lending / borrowing resources.

[0095] In FIG. 7, organization G is composed of bases B1 to B3. The number of bases is an example and is not limited to the illustrated example. Base B1 has resource R1, and shows an example in which a resource (shortage resource LR) is insufficient. The shortfall resource LR indicates, for example, a resource that is currently insufficient at a base when a new person joins the base in the future. In other words, the shortfall resource LR indicates a resource that needs to be set up for a subscriber by a specified deadline. The shortfall resource LR is derived from the difference between the number of required resources included in the created setup information (described later) and the number of stock resources included in the stock information. Resource R1 includes a certain physical resource (device) and a soft resource set up in the physical resource.

[0096] The other bases B2 and B3 are assumed to have surplus resources R2 to R5, respectively. The surplus resources indicate, for example, resources that are not used and are held as inventory at the bases, or resources that are provided in excess of the ideal state. The bases B2 and B3 may be, for example, warehouses that manage physical resources that are in inventory. The storage unit DB stores actual management information of the surplus resources at each of the bases B1 to B3 in association with the identification information of the base. The actual management information of the surplus resources corresponds to inventory information. The surplus resources are derived by adding the number of resources in the inventory information and the number of resources provided in excess of the ideal state.

[0097] The resource processing unit 24 acquires ideal management information regarding the shortage resource LR and identification information of the site B1 via the manager terminal 3 or the user terminal 4 of the site B1.

[0098] First, the resource processing unit 24 extracts a physical resource corresponding to the ideal management information of the lacking resource LR from the inventory information. The resource processing unit 24 may further extract a resource having a soft resource corresponding to the ideal management information of the lacking resource LR from the inventory information that secures the extracted physical resource as inventory. The resource processing unit 24 identifies one or more surplus resources that have a high degree of match with the conditions of the ideal management information of the lacking resource LR through the extraction process.

[0099] The resource processing unit 24 presents bases B2 and B3 (assuming B2) from which surplus resources can be obtained based on geographic information between the base B1 and the bases B2 and B3 that secure surplus resources. The geographic information indicates, for example, the distance between the bases, the transportation cost, the number of days for transportation, etc.

[0100] The resource processing unit 24 may further receive a condition on the quantity of the lacking resource LR, and present a base that has secured surplus resources that satisfy the quantity condition as a base from which the resource can be ordered.

[0101] The resource processing unit 24 receives an input for deciding which of the presented bases B2 and B3 is to be used as a base from which the surplus resources are to be obtained. The resource processing unit 24 may automatically decide which base is to be used as a base from which the surplus resources are to be obtained based on the above-mentioned conditions.

[0102] The resource processing unit 24 outputs a resource provision instruction to the determined location B2. The resource provision instruction includes identification information of the location having the shortage resource LR and ideal management information of the shortage resource LR. Here, the resource processing unit 24 can further output a shortage resource condition when the resource in the actual management information of the surplus resource is insufficient compared with the resource included in the ideal management information.

[0103] In one embodiment, a resource setup process is executed at site B2 in response to the output of the missing resource conditions. The setup process includes, for example, installing missing software resources and purchasing missing physical resources. After the setup process is completed, the verification unit 23 verifies that the actual management information of the surplus resources matches the ideal management information of the missing resources. If the verification results in a match, the set up surplus resources are supplied to site B1 by mail or the like.

[0104] In one embodiment, the surplus resources are supplied by mail or the like from site B2 to site B1 before the setup is completed. In response to the output of the resource shortage condition, a setup process for the surplus resources is executed at site B1. After the setup process is completed, the verification unit 23 verifies that the actual management information of the surplus resources matches the ideal management information of the shortage resources, and if the verification results match, the surplus resources can be supplied.

[0105] FIG. 8 shows an example of the data configuration of the setup information. The setup information is created when resources for subscribers to an organization are set up. The setup information has soft resource information, physical resource information, and inventory information, with the user's identification information as a key. The nearest base included in the inventory information is a base where an in-stock device is located, and indicates a base determined to be the nearest based on geographic information, a base determined to have a transportation cost equal to or less than a predetermined value, a base determined to have a transportation period equal to or less than a predetermined number of days, etc. The setup information is managed by a setup completion flag, and when the completion flag is turned on, the user's ideal management information is generated based on the soft resource information and physical resource information.

[0106] FIG. 9(a) shows a sequence diagram of one aspect of the resource processing process of a physical resource associated with a new participant in an organization, replacement, repair, or transfer of a user. The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 refers to ideal management information and inventory information to determine information on the physical resources required (shortage resources) in the organization (S411). The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 transmits a request notice including information on the required physical resources to a warehouse, base, or terminal device in the organization that stores surplus resources via the communication interface 203 (S412). Here, the request notice is transmitted to a warehouse, base, or organization that is determined to be optimal based on geographic information. The warehouse, base, or organization that receives the request notice transports the surplus resources included in the request notice to the user by mail or the like (S413). The request notice may include information on the transport destination, such as the user's address.

[0107] This makes it possible to automatically determine the gap between the ideal state and the actual state of each resource, and to automatically select a supplier to store surplus resources such as devices and arrange for them to be sent to the user.

[0108] FIG. 9(b) shows a sequence diagram of a different aspect of the resource processing process of the physical resource accompanying a new participant in the organization, replacement, repair, or transfer of a user. The processor 901 of the manager terminal 3 displays the ideal management information via the display interface 905 (S421), refers to the ideal management information and the stock information, and inputs the information of the necessary physical resource (shortage resource) via the input interface 904 (S422). Note that in S421, the processor 201 of the resource management device 2 may refer to the ideal management information and the stock information and display the result of determining the information of the necessary physical resource (shortage resource) in the organization. The processor 901 of the manager terminal 3 transmits a resource request including the necessary physical resource to the resource management device 2 via the communication interface 903 (S423). The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 transmits a request notice including the information of the necessary physical resource to a warehouse, a base, a terminal device in the organization, or the like that stores the surplus resource via the communication interface 203 (S424). Here, the request notification is sent to the warehouse, base, or organization that is determined to be optimal based on the geographic information, but the destination may be specified in the resource request by the manager terminal 3. The warehouse, base, or organization that receives the request notification transports the surplus resources included in the request notification to the user by mail or the like (S425). The request notification may include information on the destination, such as the user's address.

[0109] This makes it possible to preferably support requests for insufficient resources even in cases where some automatic processing, such as obtaining actual information through API integration, is difficult.

[0110] FIG. 10(a) shows a sequence diagram of one aspect of resource processing steps of a soft resource associated with the addition, update, and cancellation of a contract due to the addition of a new user, a change of a user, and the like. The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 refers to the ideal management information and the contract information, and executes an update judgment to judge information of the soft resource that needs to be updated (S711). The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 performs an account update process including information of the soft resource that needs to be updated for the resource providing device 5 as a result of the update judgment (S712). The account update process includes an account contract update process and a cancellation application process, and may be performed via the administrator terminal 3. The account update process may be any process related to contract update, contract cancellation, application for use, cancellation application, account registration, account deletion, and the like. The resource providing device 5 processes the account as update, registration, deletion, contract update, and contract cancellation according to the contract update process (S713). The user terminal 4 receives a processing completion notice of the account processed by the resource providing device 5 via the communication interface 903 (S714).

[0111] This makes it possible to automatically determine the gap between the ideal state and the actual state of each resource, and to automatically issue, delete, and update accounts. For example, it is possible to detect accounts that have not been canceled by users who have left the company, and to automatically delete such accounts. This makes it possible to reduce costs incurred by unnecessary accounts that are not actually in operation.

[0112] FIG. 10(b) shows a sequence diagram of a different aspect of the resource processing process of the soft resource associated with the addition, update, and cancellation of a contract due to the joining of a new user, the transfer of a user, etc. The processor 901 of the manager terminal 3 displays the ideal management information and the contract information via the display interface 905 (S721), and accepts an update operation to the account of the soft resource that needs to be updated via the input interface 904 while referring to the ideal management information and the contract information (S722). Note that in S721, the processor 201 of the resource management device 2 may display the result of the update determination that determines the information of the soft resource that needs to be updated by referring to the ideal management information and the contract information. The processor 901 of the manager terminal 3 transmits an update request including the information of the soft resource that needs to be updated to the resource management device 2 via the communication interface 903 (S723). The processor 201 of the resource management device 2 performs the account update process including the information of the soft resource that needs to be updated to the resource providing device 5 (S724). The account update process includes account contract update process and cancellation application process, and may be performed via the administrator terminal 3. The account update process may be any process related to contract update, contract cancellation, use application, cancellation application, account registration, account deletion, etc. The resource providing device 5 processes the account as update, registration, deletion, contract update, or contract cancellation in accordance with the contract update process (S725). The user terminal 4 receives a processing completion notification of the account processed by the resource providing device 5 via the communication interface 903 (S726).

[0113] This makes it possible to suitably execute account updates even in cases where it is difficult to perform some automatic processing, such as obtaining actual information through API integration, etc. Furthermore, it is possible to grant, change, and delete account privileges for individual users.

[0114] The setup process of the soft resource is executed at the site, warehouse, or organization that is the supplier of the physical resource, and the physical resource that has been set up can be sent to the destination. The site, warehouse, or organization that is the supplier of the physical resource may also send the physical resource to the destination and execute the setup process of the soft resource at the destination.

[0115] The processor 901 of the administrator terminal 3 may transmit an account update process to the resource providing device 5 via the communication interface 903 and obtain a result of the account update process. The resource management device 2 updates the contract information based on the result of the account update process and stores it in the storage unit DB.

[0116] In this way, according to the invention of this embodiment, when a resource shortage occurs, the stock of surplus resources can be identified, and the supply of resources between bases can be suitably realized.

[0117] Fig. 11 shows an outline explanatory diagram of a different aspect of the resource processing step. Fig. 11 shows an overall organization LG of a resource management system 1. The overall organization LG is composed of a resource management device 2, a system administrator M equipped with a system administrator terminal 20, and organizations G which are multiple system participants. The system administrator M is configured to be able to provide surplus resources to organizations G1 to G3.

[0118] In this embodiment, the administrator of the entire resource management system is defined as the first administrator, and the administrator of the resources in each organization is defined as the second administrator. Also, the person who uses the resources in the organization is defined as the user.

[0119] The system administrator terminal 20 is a terminal device operated by a first administrator who has authority over resources for multiple organizations G in the entire resource management system 1. The system administrator terminal 20 can execute processes related to granting, changing, deleting, lending, borrowing, etc. of resources across organizations. The system administrator terminal 20 can be a smartphone, a personal computer, a tablet terminal, etc. The system administrator terminal 20 has a hardware configuration similar to that of the terminal device 9 in FIG. 2(b). The system administrator terminal 20 is connected to a communication network NW, and is communicatively connected to the resource management device 2, the administrator terminal 3, the user terminal 4, and the resource providing device 5.

[0120] The system administrator terminal 20 and the administrator terminal 3 have resource authority related to management such as granting, changing, deleting, and lending resources. Resource authority is classified into a first authority related to resource management for multiple organizations (G1 to G3) and a second authority related to resource management within an organization G specified by affiliation information. The system administrator terminal 20 has the first authority. The administrator terminal 3 is operated by a second administrator and has the second authority.

[0121] The resource processing unit 24 permits an instruction from the manager terminal 3 having the second authority for resource processing in the organization G specified by the affiliation information. That is, the resource processing unit 24 controls instructions for shortage and surplus resources between the bases B in the organization G as shown in FIG.

[0122] Here, when a resource shortage occurs within the organization G but there is no surplus resource, the manager terminal 3 can transmit a resource request including ideal management information of the shortage resource to the resource management device 2.

[0123] In response to the resource request, the resource processing unit 24 transmits a request notification to the system administrator terminal 20, including ideal management information for the scarce resource and identification information of the requesting organization G. The resource processing unit 24 authorizes an instruction from the system administrator terminal 20 having the first authority for resource processing for the requesting organization G. That is, the resource processing unit 24 controls a supply instruction from the system administrator M for surplus resources in response to a request for scarce resources from organization G. The resource processing unit 24 transmits a supply notification to the requesting organization G in response to the supply instruction. The system administrator M can set up the requested resources and supply the resources for which setup has been completed to organization G.

[0124] The resource processing unit 24 may be configured to be able to supply surplus resources of the organization G1 to another organization G2, in response to an instruction from the system administrator terminal 20.

[0125] In this way, according to the present embodiment, when a resource shortage occurs within an organization, it is possible to request a resource stock from outside the organization. In addition, it is possible to outsource resource management within an organization, eliminating the need for in-house inventory management that involves the risk of loss, damage, and theft.

[0126] Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to check whether the actual authority and current usage status of the user's account are correct with respect to the authority and usage status defined by the organization. According to the present invention, for example, even for an application that cannot respond to an API call, it is possible to check whether the actual authority and usage status are appropriate, and to manage the application individually. [Industrial Applicability]

[0127] The present invention contributes to supporting the efficiency of operations handled by the IT department, such as resource management including soft resources and physical resources. The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned operations handled by the IT department, and a call center or chatbot may be installed as a consultation desk related to software and devices used within the organization. For example, resources include human resources, etc., and may be used to dispatch human resources to prepare information system equipment according to the IT environment (actual situation) of the organization and to make the IT environment ideal. In addition, the scope of application is not limited as long as it is a method, device, program, etc. that sets ideal information indicating an ideal situation, checks actual situation information indicating an actual situation, and manages information so that the actual situation information becomes ideal information. [Explanation of symbols]

[0128] 1. Resource Management System 2 Resource Management Device 21 Registration Reception 22 Acquisition Department 23 Verification Department 24 Resource Processing Section 3. Administrator terminal 4. User terminal 5 Resource providing device 20 System administrator terminal DB storage

Claims

1. 1. A resource management method, comprising: a registration receiving step of receiving an instruction to register ideal management information indicating an ideal state of resources based on user affiliation information; an acquisition step of acquiring status management information indicating the status of the resources of the user; a verification step of verifying the actual management information based on the ideal management information; A resource management method executed by a computer, comprising: a resource processing step of executing resource processing to make the actual state match the ideal state when it is determined in the verification step that the actual management information does not match the ideal management information.

2. 2. The resource management method according to claim 1, wherein said resource processing step includes a step of notifying a management unit that stores said resource of information relating to a resource that is insufficient compared with said ideal state.

3. 2. The resource management method according to claim 1, wherein the resource processing step includes, when the resource is a soft resource, performing an account update process on a resource providing device that provides the soft resource to update the status of an account related to the soft resource.

4. The resource management method of claim 3, wherein the resource processing step, when the resource is a software resource, refers to the ideal management information and contract information indicating the number of software resource contracts to be contracted per management unit, determines whether the information is information about a software resource account that needs to be updated, and performs the account update process according to the determination result.

5. 1. A resource management system, comprising: a registration reception unit that receives an instruction to register ideal management information indicating an ideal state of a resource based on user affiliation information; an acquisition unit that acquires status management information indicating the status of the resources of the user; a verification unit that verifies the actual management information based on the ideal management information; A resource management system comprising: a resource processing unit that executes resource processing to make the actual state match the ideal state when the verification unit determines that the actual management information does not match the ideal management information.

6. 1. A resource management program, comprising: a registration reception unit that receives an instruction to register ideal management information indicating an ideal state of a resource based on user affiliation information; an acquisition unit that acquires status management information indicating the status of the resources of the user; a verification unit that verifies the actual management information based on the ideal management information; A resource management program that causes a computer to function as a resource processing unit that executes resource processing to make the actual state match the ideal state when the verification unit determines that the actual management information does not match the ideal management information.

7. A resource management device, a registration reception unit that receives an instruction to register ideal management information indicating an ideal state of a resource based on user affiliation information; an acquisition unit that acquires status management information indicating the status of the resources of the user; a verification unit that verifies the actual management information based on the ideal management information; A resource management device comprising: a resource processing unit that executes resource processing to make the actual state match the ideal state when the verification unit determines that the actual management information does not match the ideal management information.

Images