Collaboration License Provisioning for Virtualized Application Instances
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Solution Overview
Problem
Participants in online collaborations often face impediments to productivity due to lack of access to necessary applications, differing software versions, and licensing issues, especially when working across different organizations.
Innovation Solution
A method for providing a collaboration license that allows participants to use a shared application version, enabling just-in-time delivery of licenses to participant user devices, facilitating the use of compatible applications during collaborations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If screen sharing is used to share an application instance, then one participant can present the application to others, but other participants cannot collaboratively manipulate the application and firewalls may restrict communication
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the application instance into multiple virtualized copies, with each participant receiving a dedicated virtualized instance. This allows each participant to independently manipulate their own instance while maintaining synchronization through the collaboration server, resolving the contradiction between sharing capability and collaborative manipulation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The collaboration server acts as an intermediary that coordinates multiple virtualized application instances across different participant devices. It manages the distribution of virtualized instances, handles synchronization, and enables collaborative manipulation without requiring direct peer-to-peer communication that would be blocked by firewalls.
2Reliability
If application licenses are obtained before collaboration, then participants can use licensed applications, but there may be insufficient notice for IT departments to obtain licenses and install applications
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring virtualized application instances on the collaboration server before the collaboration begins. When a participant joins, their virtualized instance is rapidly provisioned and activated, eliminating the need for advance license installation on individual devices while ensuring immediate license availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtualized application licensing system enables self-service provisioning where participants automatically receive their licensed application instances through the collaboration server without requiring manual IT intervention for each participant device, thus reducing license provisioning time while maintaining reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If different application versions are installed on participant computers, then participants can use locally installed applications, but different versions may be incompatible
Solution Approach 1:
The collaboration server provides a universal virtualized application environment that runs a standardized version of the application for all participants. This universal instance eliminates version compatibility issues while maintaining the flexibility of local installation through virtualized delivery, allowing participants to access the application without installing specific versions on their devices.
4Quantity of substance
If screen sharing is used, then one instance of application can be shared, but screen sharing does not address instances where greater interactivity or productivity could be achieved with multiple application instances
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the single application instance into multiple virtualized instances, with each participant receiving their own instance that can be independently manipulated. This segmentation enables multiple simultaneous instances while maintaining synchronization through the collaboration server, thereby increasing interactivity and productivity beyond what single-instance screen sharing can provide.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for providing a collaboration license to an application for participant user device(s) participating in an on-line collaboration are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method is provided for licensing at least one application. The method includes transmitting a license request for at least one collaboration license. The collaboration license authorizes usage of at least one application on at least one participant user device participating in a collaboration. The collaboration may include at least one collaborative communication session among a plurality of participant user devices. The method further includes receiving the at least one collaboration license. Apparatuses and computer-readable media having instructions for providing the method are also disclosed. These may allow participant(s) of a collaboration to initiate and use an application during the collaboration that the participant(s) were not licensed to use when the participant(s) joined the collaboration.