Cloud Service Outage Detection System with Automated Verification

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Solution Overview

Problem

Cloud-based services pose a risk to businesses due to potential outages, as they rely on third-party infrastructure, leading to operational disruptions and the need for efficient outage detection and verification mechanisms to minimize impact.

Innovation Solution

A system and method for detecting and verifying cloud service outages by monitoring data communications networks for outage information, identifying implicated entities, and providing redress based on predetermined characteristics, such as outage duration, through automated data collection and analysis.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If businesses rely on third-party cloud-based services, then resource requirements and operational costs are reduced, but service availability and operational reliability deteriorate due to potential outages

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresource requirementsVSAvoidservice availability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by proactively monitoring cloud service status through multiple data sources (status pages, social media, news sites) before outages impact business operations. The automated detection system identifies potential service disruptions early, allowing businesses to take preventive measures or switch to backup services before complete failure occurs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary monitoring system that acts as a bridge between cloud service providers and businesses. This intermediary continuously collects and analyzes outage information from various sources, processes the data to determine service status, and communicates findings to affected businesses, thereby resolving the reliability issue without requiring businesses to directly manage complex monitoring infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If manual monitoring of cloud service outages is implemented, then detection accuracy can be maintained, but time consumption and operational efficiency deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoutage detection accuracyVSAvoidtime consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements self-service by automatically performing all monitoring, detection, and verification tasks without human intervention. The automated system collects data from multiple sources, analyzes outage information, identifies affected entities, and generates notifications autonomously, eliminating the time-consuming manual monitoring process while maintaining high detection accuracy through systematic multi-source verification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the system continuously monitors cloud service status, compares actual performance against expected performance, and adjusts its monitoring and detection processes accordingly. This feedback loop ensures accurate outage detection by learning from patterns and improving detection algorithms over time, maintaining precision while operating automatically.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If multiple data sources are monitored for outage information, then detection comprehensiveness is improved, but system complexity and data processing requirements worsen

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection comprehensivenessVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the complex monitoring task into distinct modular components: data collection modules for different sources (status pages, social media, news), data processing modules for analyzing each source type, verification modules for cross-referencing information, and notification modules for communicating results. This segmentation manages complexity by making each component independent and specialized.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements universality through a multi-functional monitoring platform that handles multiple data sources and outage detection scenarios through a unified architecture. The same core processing engine analyzes diverse data types from various sources, applying consistent verification and analysis methods across all monitoring tasks, thereby managing complexity through standardized multi-functional components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10560316B2System for cloud-based service outage detection and verification
Publication Date: 2020.02.11 HARTFORD FIRE INSURANCE CO
  • US10560316B2 patent drawing
  • US10560316B2 patent drawing
  • US10560316B2 patent drawing

AI summary

An embodiment provides a system for cloud-based service outage detection and verification, including: a network link that receives, over a data communications network, cloud service provider outage information indicating a possible cloud outage at a cloud service provider, wherein the information comprises new content on a website associated with the cloud service provider; a processor that generates outage data comprising a third party cloud service provider identification and an outage characteristic, wherein the outage characteristic is identified from the new content and identifies an outage type; the processor identifying at least one entity implicated in the possible cloud outage, wherein the identifying comprises identifying an entity that subscribes to cloud services provided by the cloud service provider by querying a database that stores information related to the cloud service provider; and the processor providing information to the at least one entity confirming the possible cloud outage, wherein the confirming is based at least in part on the new content.