Asset Management System for Secure Cloud Task Approval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing complex on-line assets across cloud environments and enterprises becomes increasingly difficult due to their growing complexity and interconnections, especially when outsourcing services to cloud providers, requiring more efficient and secure asset management solutions.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that receives a task across a network, identifies owned assets, sends personalized approval requests to owners, and upon approval, automatically transmits execution commands to the approved assets for task implementation, leveraging existing email infrastructure for communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual asset management processes are used to maintain secure services, then security control is improved, but management efficiency deteriorates due to increasing asset complexity and interconnections
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the asset management process into distinct phases: task receipt, asset identification, owner notification, approval collection, and execution. Each phase is handled by specific system components working independently but coordinated together, allowing manual security controls to be maintained while automating routine operations to improve efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary asset management server that acts as a mediator between task initiators, asset owners, and target assets. This intermediary automates communication and coordination, reducing manual intervention while preserving security through controlled approval workflows and authenticated interactions.
2Productivity
If automation is increased to improve management efficiency, then productivity is improved, but security control deteriorates due to reduced human oversight
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-identifying owned assets before task execution and sending advance notification to asset owners for approval. This preliminary engagement ensures security oversight is built into the workflow before automated execution begins, maintaining security control while enabling subsequent automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where asset owners receive notifications about pending tasks and can approve or reject them. This feedback mechanism ensures human oversight and security validation occur at critical decision points, allowing automation to proceed only when authorized, thus maintaining security while improving efficiency.
3Reliability
If comprehensive asset tracking is implemented to maintain service continuity, then reliability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The asset management server performs multiple functions: receiving tasks, identifying assets, notifying owners, collecting approvals, and executing tasks. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional system, the patent achieves comprehensive asset tracking for service continuity while avoiding the complexity of multiple separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service capabilities where the asset management server automatically identifies owned assets and sends notifications to appropriate owners without manual intervention. This automation of routine tracking and notification tasks reduces operational complexity while maintaining comprehensive oversight for service continuity.
4Reliability
If manual approval processes are used for each asset task, then security control is improved, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary asset identification and owner notification before task execution. By preparing and communicating task details to owners in advance, the system enables informed approval decisions while automating the notification and tracking processes, thus maintaining security control while reducing the time managers spend on coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical processes of sending notifications, tracking responses, and coordinating approvals with automated electronic communication and database management. This substitution maintains security through structured approval workflows while dramatically reducing the time consumption associated with manual coordination.
Data Source
AI summary
A system or computer usable program product for managing assets including receiving a task across a network to be performed by a set of assets, identifying a subset of assets owned by an owner, transmitting a personalized direct communication across the network to the owner, wherein the personalized direct communication requests approval for use of the subset of assets to execute the task, and responsive to receiving an approval communication across the network from the owner indicating respective approved assets from the subset of assets producing a set of approved assets, automatically transmitting a set of communications across the network to the set of approved assets for execution of the task.