Equipment management system, equipment management method, and equipment management program

Abstract

To provide a device management system capable of easily managing devices to be managed, a device management method, and a device management program.SOLUTION: A device management system includes: an acquisition processing unit configured to acquire log information indicating a connection history of each of a plurality of management object devices to a network; an extraction processing unit configured to extract a specific first management object device from among the plurality of management object devices based on the log information acquired by the acquisition processing unit; and a grouping processing unit configured to register each of the plurality of management object devices to any one of a plurality of groups, based on the log information acquired by the acquisition processing unit and first identification information of the first management object device extracted by the extraction processing unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, systems for managing devices connected to a network have been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that searches for the usage status of IP addresses within a management range that are used on a network, stores the search results in a file, and displays a list of the usage status of the IP addresses obtained by the search on the screen of a display device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-223212 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there are cases where a user (employee) uses a PC (personal computer) that is a company's asset and is subject to management in the company's office, and where the user uses the PC outside the office, such as at home. In such cases, a problem occurs in which it becomes difficult for the company to manage the location and usage status of each PC.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a device management system, a device management method, and a device management program that are capable of easily managing devices to be managed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An equipment management system according to one embodiment of the present invention is an equipment management system that manages a plurality of managed devices connected to a network, and includes an acquisition processing unit that acquires log information indicating the connection history of each of the plurality of managed devices to the network, an extraction processing unit that extracts a specific first managed device from the plurality of managed devices based on the log information acquired by the acquisition processing unit, and a grouping processing unit that registers each of the plurality of managed devices in one of a plurality of groups based on the log information acquired by the acquisition processing unit and first identification information of the first managed device extracted by the extraction processing unit.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is a device management method for managing a plurality of managed devices connected to a network, in which one or more processors execute an acquisition step of acquiring log information indicating the connection history of each of the plurality of managed devices to the network, an extraction step of extracting a specific first managed device from the plurality of managed devices based on the log information acquired in the acquisition step, and a grouping step of registering each of the plurality of managed devices in one of a plurality of groups based on the log information acquired in the acquisition step and first identification information of the first managed device extracted in the extraction step.

[0008] A device management program according to another aspect of the present invention is a device management program for managing a plurality of managed devices connected to a network, and is a program for causing one or more processors to execute the following steps: an acquisition step of acquiring log information indicating the connection history of each of the plurality of managed devices to the network; an extraction step of extracting a specific first managed device from the plurality of managed devices based on the log information acquired in the acquisition step; and a grouping step of registering each of the plurality of managed devices in one of a plurality of groups based on the log information acquired in the acquisition step and first identification information of the first managed device extracted in the extraction step. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, there are provided a device management system, a device management method, and a device management program that are capable of easily managing devices to be managed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a device management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a device management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of log information stored in the device management device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the device management device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a network connection status report presented by the device management device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a network connection status report presented by the device management device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a network connection status report presented by the device management device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a network connection status report presented by the device management device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of a device management process executed in the device management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of a device management process executed by the device management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiment is an example of the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0012] [Equipment Management System 100] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a device management system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The device management system 100 includes a device management device 1, a communication device 2, a NAS (Network Attached Storage) 3, an MFP (Multifunction Printer) 4, and a PC (Personal Computer) 5. The device management system 100 is introduced to a specific company or the like. In addition, the communication device 2, the NAS 3, the MFP 4, and the PC 5 are arranged in an office of the company, and the PC 5 is arranged outside the company office (for example, at home). The communication device 2 in the office is a router that performs data communication with the device management device 1 via a network N1 (for example, the Internet). The NAS 3, the MFP 4, and the PC 5 in the office are connected to a network N2 (for example, an internal LAN), and perform data communication with the device management device 1 via the communication device 2. The PC 5 outside the office performs data communication with the device management device 1 via the network N1 (for example, the Internet).

[0013] The device management device 1 is constructed, for example, with one or more servers (cloud servers). The NAS 2 is a data server (file server), and the MFP 4 is a multifunction peripheral. The NAS 2 and the MFP 4 are configured so that users (employees) in the office can use them by utilizing their own PCs 5. The PCs 5 are assigned to each user. Each user can use the PCs 5 assigned to them in the office, or take them outside the office and use them.

[0014] The communication device 2, NAS 3, MFP 4, and PC 5 are company-owned assets and managed devices. The device management device 1 manages the location, network connection status, etc. of each managed device. The device management device 1 also provides usage status information including the location, network connection status, etc. of each managed device to a customer (here, the company). For example, a service provider who operates a service that provides the usage status information to customers executes an application installed on the device management device 1 or an operation terminal (not shown). For example, the service provider creates usage status information (network connection status report) of the managed devices for a predetermined period in the device management device 1 and presents it to the customer. The customer can grasp the usage status of each managed device by acquiring the usage status information.

[0015] [Equipment management device 1] 2, the device management device 1 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an operation display unit 13, and a communication unit 14. The device management device 1 is one or more cloud servers. Note that the device management device 1 is not limited to a cloud server, and may be one or more physical servers.

[0016] The communication unit 14 is a communication interface for connecting the device management device 1 to the network N1 in a wired or wireless manner and for executing data communication with the NAS 3, the MFP 4, and the PC 5 via the network N1 in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol.

[0017] The operation display unit 13 is a user interface that includes a display unit, such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, that displays various information, and an operation unit, such as a mouse, a keyboard, or a touch panel, that accepts operations.

[0018] The storage unit 12 is a non-volatile storage unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory that stores various information. Data such as log information D1 is stored in the storage unit 12. FIG. 3 shows an example of the log information D1. FIG. 3 shows log information D1 indicating the connection history of each managed device to the network N1 (device management device 1) during a predetermined period (April 1 to April 30, 2021). The log information D1 includes information such as access date and time, IP address, device name, and security software. The access date and time is information indicating the date and time when the managed device accessed the network N1. The IP address is the IP address (identification information) of the managed device. The device name is the name (device number, etc.) of the managed device. The security software is information such as the name and version of the security software installed in the managed device. "NAS01" represents one name of NAS3, "MFP01" represents one name of MFP4, and "PC01" represents one name of PC5. "SS01.ver3" "SS01" represents the name of the security software, and "ver3" represents the version of the security software.

[0019] Each time data communication (access) is performed with each managed device, the control unit 11 acquires information such as the access date and time, IP address, device name, and security software, and stores log information D1 in the storage unit 12. Past log information D1 is accumulated in the storage unit 12.

[0020] A device management program for causing the control unit 11 to execute a device management process (see FIG. 9) described below is stored in the storage unit 12. For example, the device management program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or a DVD, and is read by a reading device (not shown) such as a CD drive or a DVD drive provided in the device management device 1 and stored in the storage unit 12. The device management program may be distributed from another server and stored in the storage unit 12.

[0021] The control unit 11 has control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various arithmetic operations. The ROM stores in advance control programs such as a BIOS and an OS for causing the CPU to execute various processes. The RAM stores various information and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for the various processes executed by the CPU. The control unit 11 controls the equipment management device 1 by executing, by the CPU, various control programs that are stored in advance in the ROM or the storage unit 12.

[0022] Specifically, the control unit 11 includes various processing units such as an acquisition processing unit 111, an extraction processing unit 112, a grouping processing unit 113, and a presentation processing unit 114. The control unit 11 functions as the various processing units by executing various processes according to the device management program. Some or all of the processing units included in the control unit 11 may be configured with electronic circuits. The device management program may be a program for causing a plurality of processors to function as the various processing units.

[0023] The acquisition processing unit 111 acquires log information D1 indicating the connection history of each of a plurality of devices to be managed to the network N1 (device management apparatus 1).

[0024] For example, when creating the usage status information of the managed devices of a customer (company), the service provider inputs the target period (aggregation period) and customer ID (tenant ID) in the operation screen P1 shown in FIG. 4 and presses the output button. For example, the service provider inputs the target period "April 2021" in the operation screen P1 to create the usage status information for the previous month (April) on May 1, 2021. As a result, the acquisition processing unit 111 acquires log information D1 (see FIG. 3) for the target period "April 2021" from the memory unit 12.

[0025] The extraction processing unit 112 extracts a specific device to be managed (hereinafter, referred to as a specific device) from among a plurality of devices to be managed, based on the log information D1 acquired by the acquisition processing unit 111.

[0026] Specifically, the extraction processing unit 112 extracts a specific device that is preregistered in an intra-office group (corresponding to a first group of the present invention), which is a category within an office, from among a plurality of managed devices. The intra-office group is a group of managed devices connected to the network N2 (corresponding to a first network of the present invention). Here, the NAS3 and the MFP4 are devices that are installed in an office and used within the office, and therefore are preregistered in the intra-office group. Thus, when at least one of the NAS3 and the MFP4 preregistered in the intra-office group exists among the plurality of managed devices, the extraction processing unit 112 extracts the NAS3 or the MFP4 as the specific device. For example, when the NAS3 preregistered in the intra-office group exists among the plurality of managed devices, the extraction processing unit 112 extracts the NAS3 as the specific device, and when the NAS3 preregistered in the intra-office group does not exist among the plurality of managed devices but the MFP4 exists, the extraction processing unit 112 extracts the MFP4 as the specific device.

[0027] Furthermore, when neither the NAS 3 nor the MFP 4 registered in advance in the intra-office group exists among the multiple managed devices, the extraction processing unit 112 extracts the most frequent segment from among the segments of the IP addresses of the multiple PCs 5, and extracts the PC 5 to which the most frequent segment is assigned as the specific device. The NAS 3, MFP 4, and PC 5 extracted as the specific devices are examples of the first managed devices of the present invention.

[0028] Since the log information D1 illustrated in FIG. 3 includes access information for the NAS3 and the MFP4, the extraction processor 112 extracts the NAS3 as the specific device.

[0029] The grouping processing unit 113 registers each of the multiple managed devices into one of multiple groups based on the log information D1 acquired by the acquisition processing unit 111 and the identification information (corresponding to the first identification information of the present invention) of the specific device extracted by the extraction processing unit 112. The multiple groups include, for example, an in-office group and an out-of-office group.

[0030] Specifically, the grouping processing unit 113 registers the managed devices to which the same segment as the segment of the IP address of the specific device (representative segment) is assigned in the in-office group, and registers the managed devices to which a segment different from the segment of the IP address of the specific device (representative segment) is assigned in the out-of-office group. The out-of-office group (corresponding to the second group of the present invention) is a group of managed devices connected to network N1 (corresponding to the second network of the present invention). That is, the grouping processing unit 113 registers each of the multiple managed devices in the in-office group connected to network N2 or the out-of-office group connected to network N1.

[0031] 3, NAS3 is extracted as the specific device, so the grouping processing unit 113 sets the segment "196.168.10" of the IP address "196.168.10.100" of NAS3 as the representative segment. The grouping processing unit 113 then extracts managed devices that are assigned the same segment as the representative segment, and registers them in the in-office group. The grouping processing unit 113 also extracts managed devices that are assigned a segment different from the representative segment, and registers them in the out-of-office group.

[0032] For example, the grouping processor 113 extracts PC01, PC02, PC06, etc., whose IP addresses include the representative segment "196.168.10" from the log information D1 (see FIG. 3), and registers them in the in-office group. Also, the grouping processor 113 extracts PC101, PC102, PC103, PC104, PC105, etc., whose IP addresses include the segment "196.168.11" different from the representative segment "196.168.10" from the log information D1 (see FIG. 3), and registers them in the out-of-office group.

[0033] For example, if log information D1 does not include NAS3 but does include MFP4, the segment "196.168.10" of MFP4's IP address "196.168.10.200" is set as the representative segment. Then, grouping processing unit 113 extracts managed devices to which the same segment as the representative segment is assigned, and registers them in the in-office group. Also, grouping processing unit 113 extracts managed devices to which a segment different from the representative segment is assigned, and registers them in the out-of-office group.

[0034] Furthermore, for example, if log information D1 does not include NAS3 and MFP4, and PC5 to which the most frequently assigned segment is extracted as the specific device, grouping processing unit 113 sets the most frequently assigned segment as the representative segment. Then, grouping processing unit 113 extracts PC5 to which the same segment as the representative segment is assigned, and registers it in the in-office group. Also, grouping processing unit 113 extracts PC5 to which a segment different from the representative segment is assigned, and registers it in the out-of-office group.

[0035] The presentation processing unit 114 presents each of the multiple managed devices by dividing them into groups. Specifically, the presentation processing unit 114 creates usage status information that distinguishes between the managed devices registered in the in-office group by the grouping processing unit 113 and the managed devices registered in the out-of-office group by the grouping processing unit 113. For example, in the network connection status report R1 shown in Fig. 5, the presentation processing unit 114 displays NAS01, MFP01, and PC01 to PC08 registered in the in-office group in an in-office group column R11, and displays PC101 to PC105 registered in the out-of-office group in an out-of-office group column R12.

[0036] Here, if NAS3 does not exist in log information D1 but MFP4 does exist, the segment of MFP4 is set as the representative segment, and PC5 including the representative segment is registered in the in-office group. In this case, for example, in network connection status report R1 shown in Fig. 6, presentation processing unit 114 displays MFP01 and PC01 to PC08 registered in the in-office group in in-office group column R11, and displays PC101 to PC105 registered in the out-of-office group in out-of-office group column R12.

[0037] Furthermore, if the log information D1 does not include the NAS3 and the MFP4, the most frequent segment is set as the representative segment, and the PC5 including the representative segment is registered in the in-office group. In this case, for example, in the network connection status report R1 shown in Fig. 7, the presentation processing unit 114 displays PC01 to PC08 registered in the in-office group in the in-office group column R11, and displays PC101 to PC105 registered in the out-of-office group in the out-of-office group column R12.

[0038] The presentation processing unit 114 provides the network connection status report R1 to the customer (company) in the form of data or in writing.

[0039] Furthermore, the presentation processing unit 114 determines the security level of each of the multiple managed devices based on the log information D1 acquired by the acquisition processing unit 111, and presents warning information associated with the managed devices whose security levels are lower than a predetermined level. For example, if no security software is installed on the PC 5, the presentation processing unit 114 determines the security level of the PC 5 to be the lowest "Level 1". For example, if security software is installed on the PC 5 but the version is old, the presentation processing unit 114 determines the security level of the PC 5 to be "Level 2". For example, if the latest version of security software is installed on the PC 5, the presentation processing unit 114 determines the security level of the PC 5 to be the highest "Level 3".

[0040] In the log information D1, security information including whether or not security software is installed in the PC 5 and version information of the installed security software is registered (see FIG. 3). The presentation processing unit 114 judges the security level of each PC 5 by referring to the security information in the log information D1. Then, the presentation processing unit 114 displays warning information Ar in association with the PC 5 whose judged security level is lower than a predetermined level (for example, level 3). The log information D1 shown in FIG. 3 indicates that the version of the security software SS01 installed in the PC 102 is version "ver2" that is older than the latest version "ver3", and indicates that no security software is installed in the PC 104. In this case, as shown in the network connection status report R1 in FIG. 8, the presentation processing unit 114 displays the warning information Ar in association with the PC 104 whose security level is "level 1" and the PC 102 whose security level is "level 2". The presentation processing unit 114 may highlight (light up, blink, etc.) the PC 102 and PC 104 that are the targets of the warning.

[0041] Furthermore, when displaying warning information Ar in association with, for example, PC 5, the presentation processing unit 114 may further display user information such as the name of the user of the PC 5, the group to which the user belongs, and the email address of the user in association with the PC 5. This allows the administrator of the managed device to check the network connection status report R1 and contact the user of the PC 5 that is the target of the warning, etc.

[0042] This makes it possible to notify the customer that security measures are required for PCs 102 and 104.

[0043] [Device management process] Hereinafter, an example of a procedure for device management processing executed in the device management system 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0044] The present invention can be understood as an invention of a device management method that executes one or more steps included in the device management process. One or more steps included in the device management process described here may be omitted as appropriate. The steps in the device management process may be executed in a different order as long as the same action and effect is achieved. Furthermore, although an example is described here in which the control unit 11 of the device management device 1 executes each step in the device management process, in other embodiments, one or more processors may execute each step in the device management process in a distributed manner.

[0045] The control unit 11 starts the device management process, for example, when a service provider inputs a target period (aggregation period) and a customer ID (tenant ID) on the operation screen P1 (see FIG. 4) and presses an output button.

[0046] In step S11, the control unit 11 acquires log information D1 indicating the connection history of each of the multiple managed devices to the network N1 (device management device 1). For example, when a service provider inputs the target period "April 2021" into the operation screen P1 on May 1, 2021 to create the usage status information for the previous month (April), the control unit 11 acquires log information D1 (see FIG. 3) for the target period "April 2021" from the memory unit 12. Step S11 is an example of an acquisition step of the present invention.

[0047] Next, in step S12, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the acquired log information D1 contains log information (access information) for NAS3. If the log information D1 contains log information for NAS3 (S12: Yes), the process proceeds to step S121. On the other hand, if the log information D1 does not contain log information for NAS3 (S12: No), the process proceeds to step S13.

[0048] In step S13, the control unit 11 determines whether the acquired log information D1 contains log information (access information) of the MFP 4. If the log information D1 contains log information of the MFP 4 (S13: Yes), the process proceeds to step S121. On the other hand, if the log information D1 does not contain log information of the MFP 4 (S13: No), the process proceeds to step S14.

[0049] If log information for NAS3 exists in log information D1 (S12: Yes), in step S121, the control unit 11 extracts NAS3 as the specific device, and sets the segment "196.168.10" of the IP address "196.168.10.100" of NAS3 as the representative segment.

[0050] If the log information D1 does not include log information for NAS3 but does include log information for MFP4 (S13: Yes), in step S121, the control unit 11 extracts the MFP4 as the specific device and sets the segment "196.168.10" of the IP address "196.168.10.200" of the MFP4 as the representative segment. After step S121, the process proceeds to step S16.

[0051] On the other hand, if the log information D1 does not include the log information of the NAS 3 and the MFP 4 (S13: No), the control unit 11 acquires the log information of all the PCs 5 in step S14.

[0052] Next, in step S15, the control unit 11 extracts the most popular segment from among the segments of the IP addresses of all the PCs 5, and sets the most popular segment as the representative segment. After step S15, the process proceeds to step S16.

[0053] In step S16, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the segment of the IP address of PC5 included in the log information D1 matches the representative segment. If the segment of the IP address of PC5 matches the representative segment (S16: Yes), the process proceeds to step S17. On the other hand, if the segment of the IP address of PC5 does not match the representative segment (S16: No), the process proceeds to step S161.

[0054] In step S17, the control unit 11 registers the PC 5 in the in-office group. Meanwhile, in step S161, the control unit 11 registers the PC 5 in the out-of-office group. The control unit 11 sorts and registers all the PCs 5 included in the log information D1 into the in-office group or the out-of-office group. Steps S17 and S161 are an example of a grouping step of the present invention.

[0055] Here, in the log information D1, for the same PC5, the IP address segment may or may not match the representative segment. For example, if PC5 is in the office on a certain day, the segment "196.168.10" corresponding to the inside of the office is assigned to the PC5, so the segment of the PC5 matches the representative segment. On the other hand, if PC5 is outside the office on another day, the segment "196.168.11" corresponding to the outside of the office is assigned to the PC5, so the segment of the PC5 does not match the representative segment. In this way, there may be cases where multiple access information for the same PC5 is registered in the log information D1, and the segments of each access information are different. In such a case, the control unit 11 registers the PC5 in the in-office group and the out-of-office group, respectively.

[0056] In the above case, the control unit 11 may register the PC 5 in the in-office group or the out-of-office group based on the segment of the PC 5 on the latest date. For example, if the PC 5 was outside the office on the latest date, the control unit 11 registers the PC 5 in the out-of-office group.

[0057] When the registration of each PC 5 included in the log information D1 into a group is completed (S17 and S161), the control unit 11 presents the usage status information in step S 18. Specifically, the control unit 11 creates usage status information (network connection status report R1) that distinguishes between the managed devices registered in the in-office group and the managed devices registered in the out-of-office group, and presents the information to the customer (see FIGS. 5 to 7).

[0058] Next, in step S19, the control unit 11 judges whether or not the security level of PC5 is below a predetermined level. If the security level of PC5 is below the predetermined level (S19: Yes), the process proceeds to step S20. On the other hand, if the security level of PC5 is not below the predetermined level (S19: No), the process ends. For example, if security software is not installed in PC5, or if the version information of the security software installed in PC5 is not the latest version, the control unit 11 judges that the security level of PC5 is below the predetermined level. The control unit 11 executes the judgment process by referring to the security information registered in the log information D1 (see FIG. 3).

[0059] In step S20, the control unit 11 presents warning information. For example, as shown in the network connection status report R1 in Fig. 8, the control unit 11 displays warning information Ar in association with each of the PCs 102 and 104 whose security levels are below a predetermined level. Then, the process ends.

[0060] In this manner, the control unit 11 can present to the customer the usage status (network connection status) of each device to be managed, with the device being classified into an in-office group and an out-of-office group.

[0061] As described above, the device management system 100 according to the present embodiment is a system for managing a plurality of managed devices connected to the network N1 (device management device 1). The device management system 100 also acquires log information D1 indicating the connection history of each of the plurality of managed devices to the network N1, and extracts a specific managed device (specific device) from the plurality of managed devices based on the acquired log information D1. Then, the device management system 100 registers each of the plurality of managed devices in either the in-office group or the out-of-office group based on the acquired log information D1 and the identification information (IP address, segment) of the extracted specific device. The device management system 100 also presents a usage status indicating information of the managed devices allocated to each of the in-office group and the out-of-office group. According to the above configuration, for example, in a company, the location and usage status of the managed PC5 can be accurately grasped. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily manage the managed devices.

[0062] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but may be embodied as follows.

[0063] As another embodiment of the present invention, the grouping processing unit 113 may group the devices to be managed taking into consideration log information for a period preceding the target period for which the usage status is to be tallied.

[0064] Specifically, when the grouping processing unit 113 extracts the first segment of the first managed device based on the first log information for the first predetermined period, if the segment of the second managed device included in the first log information and the second log information for the second predetermined period prior to the first predetermined period is the same as the segment of the second managed device included in the first log information, the grouping processing unit 113 registers the second managed device in the first group. On the other hand, if the segment of the second managed device included in the first log information is different from the segment of the second managed device included in the second log information, the grouping processing unit 113 registers the second managed device in the second group.

[0065] A specific example of device management processing corresponding to the above configuration will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 10. In the flowchart shown in Fig. 10, the processing of steps S21 to S25 and S221 is the same as the processing of steps S11 to S15 and S121 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 9, so the description thereof will be omitted.

[0066] For example, based on the log information D1 (see Figure 3) for the target period "April 2021", if there is neither a NAS3 nor an MFP4 pre-registered in an office group among the multiple managed devices, the control unit 11 sets the most common segment (the most common segment) among the segments of the IP addresses of each of the multiple PCs 5 as the representative segment (S25).

[0067] Next, in step S26, the control unit 11 acquires log information D1 for the period immediately preceding the target period, "March 2021."

[0068] Next, in step S27, the control unit 11 determines whether or not a PC5 with the same name as a PC5 included in the log information D1 of the target period is included in the log information D1 of the immediately preceding period. If a PC5 with the same name as a PC5 included in the log information D1 of the target period is included in the log information D1 of the immediately preceding period (S27: Yes), the process proceeds to step S28. On the other hand, if a PC5 with the same name as a PC5 included in the log information D1 of the target period is not included in the log information D1 of the immediately preceding period (S27: No), the process proceeds to step S29.

[0069] In step S28, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the segments of the PCs 5 with the same name match each other. If the segments of the PCs 5 with the same name match each other (S28: Yes), the process proceeds to step S30. On the other hand, if the segments of the PCs 5 with the same name do not match each other (S28: No), the process proceeds to step S29.

[0070] In step S29, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the segment of the IP address of PC5 included in the log information D1 for the target period matches the representative segment. If the segment of the IP address of PC5 matches the representative segment (S29: Yes), the process proceeds to step S30. On the other hand, if the segment of the IP address of PC5 does not match the representative segment (S29: No), the process proceeds to step S291.

[0071] In step S30, the control unit 11 registers the PC 5 in the in-office group. Meanwhile, in step S291, the control unit 11 registers the PC 5 in the out-of-office group. The control unit 11 sorts and registers all the PCs 5 included in the log information D1 for the target period into the in-office group or the out-of-office group.

[0072] The processing in steps S31 to S33 is the same as the processing in steps S18 to S20 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0073] According to the above configuration, for example, if the usage status (location) of PC5 in the target month has not changed from the usage status (location) of the month before the target month (S28: Yes), the PC5 can be registered in the office group (S30). Also, even if the usage status (location) of PC5 in the target month has changed from the usage status (location) of the month before the target month (S28: No), if the segment of the PC matches the representative segment (S29: Yes), the PC5 can be registered in the office group (S30).

[0074] In this way, the control unit 11 may register devices to be managed into groups based on log information D1 from different periods in the past.

[0075] As another embodiment of the present invention, the equipment management device 1 may accept an operation on the operation screen P1 from a customer (company) terminal. For example, in order to check the usage status of the equipment to be managed by the company, the customer executes an application for the service on the customer terminal, inputs a target period (aggregation period) and a customer ID (tenant ID), and presses an output button. When the equipment management device 1 accepts an operation from the customer terminal, it executes the above-mentioned process to generate the usage status for the target period (network connection status report R1) and displays it on the customer terminal. The customer terminal displays the network connection status report R1. In this way, the customer who uses the service may be able to execute an application corresponding to the service on the customer terminal.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the NAS 3 and the MFP 4 are configured to be registered in the office group in advance, but the present invention is not limited to this. In another embodiment, the control unit 11 of the device management device 1 determines whether or not a specific device (such as the communication device 2, the NAS 3, or the MFP 4) is included based on the attribute information (such as IP address, device number, and device name) of the device included in the log information of the device to be managed, and if a specific device is included, registers the specific device in the office group.

[0077] The specific managed device (specific device) of the present invention is not limited to the NAS 3 or MFP 4, and may be a communication device 2 (router). When the communication device 2 is registered as the specific device in the in-office group, the control unit 11 registers the managed devices connected to the communication device 2 in the in-office group, and registers the managed devices not connected to the communication device 2 in the out-of-office group. Note that when multiple communication devices 2 are installed in a corporate office, the control unit 11 collectively registers multiple managed devices connected to the multiple communication devices 2 in the in-office group, and registers the managed devices not connected to any of the communication devices 2 in the out-of-office group.

[0078] In the above embodiment, the device management system 100 corresponds to the device management system of the present invention, but the device management system of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the device management system of the present invention may be configured by the device management device 1 alone.

[0079] Furthermore, the device management system of the present invention can be constructed by freely combining the embodiments described above, or by appropriately modifying or omitting parts of each embodiment, within the scope of the invention described in each claim. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1: Equipment management device 3: NAS 4:MFP 5: PC 100: Equipment management system 111: Acquisition processing unit 112: Extraction processing unit 113: Grouping processing unit 114: Presentation processing unit Ar: Warning information D1: Log information N1: Network N2: Network R1: Network connection status report

Claims

1. A device management system for managing a plurality of managed devices connected to a network, an acquisition processing unit that acquires log information indicating a connection history of each of the plurality of managed devices to the network; an extraction processing unit that extracts a specific first managed device from among the plurality of managed devices based on the log information acquired by the acquisition processing unit; a grouping processing unit that registers each of the plurality of managed devices into one of a plurality of groups based on the log information acquired by the acquisition processing unit and the first identification information of the first managed device extracted by the extraction processing unit; An equipment management system comprising:

2. the extraction processing unit extracts, from the plurality of managed devices, the managed devices that are pre-registered in a first group as the first managed devices; The device management system according to claim 1 .

3. the extraction processing unit, when there is no managed device pre-registered in the first group among the plurality of managed devices, extracts a first segment which is most common among segments of the IP addresses of the plurality of managed devices, and extracts the managed device to which the first segment is assigned as the first managed device. The device management system according to claim 2 .

4. the grouping processing unit registers the managed device to which the same segment as the segment of the IP address of the first managed device is assigned in a first group, and registers the managed device to which a segment different from the segment of the IP address of the first managed device is assigned in a second group. The device management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The grouping processing unit: When the first segment of the first managed device is extracted based on the first log information of a first predetermined period, for the same second managed device included in the first log information and the second log information of a second predetermined period prior to the first predetermined period, When a segment of the second managed device included in the first log information is the same as a segment of the second managed device included in the second log information, the second managed device is registered in the first group, while registering the second managed device in a second group when a segment of the second managed device included in the first log information is different from a segment of the second managed device included in the second log information; The device management system according to claim 3 .

6. a presentation processing unit that presents each of the plurality of managed devices by dividing them into groups, The device management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. the presentation processing unit determines a security level of each of the plurality of managed devices based on the log information acquired by the acquisition processing unit, and presents warning information associated with the managed devices whose security levels are lower than a predetermined level. The device management system according to claim 6.

8. the grouping processing unit registers each of the plurality of managed devices in a first group connected to a first network or in a second group connected to a second network; The device management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. 1. A device management method for managing a plurality of managed devices connected to a network, comprising: One or more processors acquiring log information indicating a connection history of each of the plurality of managed devices to the network; an extraction step of extracting a specific first managed device from among the plurality of managed devices based on the log information acquired in the acquisition step; a grouping step of registering each of the plurality of managed devices into one of a plurality of groups based on the log information acquired in the acquisition step and the first identification information of the first managed device extracted in the extraction step; A device management method for performing the above.

10. A device management program for managing a plurality of managed devices connected to a network, acquiring log information indicating a connection history of each of the plurality of managed devices to the network; an extraction step of extracting a specific first managed device from among the plurality of managed devices based on the log information acquired in the acquisition step; a grouping step of registering each of the plurality of managed devices into one of a plurality of groups based on the log information acquired in the acquisition step and the first identification information of the first managed device extracted in the extraction step; A device management program for executing the above on one or more processors.

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