Enterprise Software Management System for Dependency Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing and tracking software components across large enterprises is challenging due to the complexity of third-party components, varying licenses, and security vulnerabilities, which poses risks to compliance and security.
Innovation Solution
An enterprise software management system (ESMS) that includes a software tracking component for centralized management, a licensing repository for compliance, a vulnerabilities detection component for security, and a risk management component to automate governance and ensure compliance and security across the IT ecosystem.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If developers utilize multiple third-party software components and libraries to accelerate application development, then productivity and development speed are improved, but device complexity and security risk increase due to numerous dependencies and transitive dependencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the software ecosystem into distinct manageable units: enterprise software applications, third-party software components, and transitive dependencies. Each segment is tracked independently through automated scanning and registration processes, allowing the enterprise to manage complexity by organizing dependencies into hierarchical levels while maintaining visibility and control over each segment's security and compliance attributes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary software management system that acts as a mediator between developers and the complex ecosystem of third-party components. This intermediary automatically scans, identifies, registers, and tracks all software dependencies, translating the complexity of hundreds of libraries and their transitive dependencies into structured, manageable data that developers can query and control without directly confronting the underlying complexity
2Reliability
If the enterprise implements comprehensive tracking and management of all software components and dependencies, then security and compliance are improved, but device complexity and operational overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service mechanisms where the software management system automatically performs scanning, identification, registration, and tracking of software components without requiring manual intervention. The system autonomously queries developers about unknown dependencies, automatically registers new components with their security and compliance attributes, and continuously monitors the software ecosystem, reducing operational overhead while maintaining comprehensive security and compliance management
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal software management system that handles multiple functions within a single integrated platform: vulnerability detection, license compliance verification, dependency tracking, and security policy enforcement. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require separate tools and processes into one unified system, reducing overall management complexity while maintaining comprehensive security and compliance coverage
3Reliability
If the enterprise maintains detailed records and system-of-record for all software components, licenses, and vulnerabilities, then compliance and auditability are improved, but loss of information and data management burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple data management functions into a unified system-of-record that consolidates software component information, license data, vulnerability records, and compliance status into a single integrated database. This consolidation eliminates data silos and reduces the burden of managing separate records for each aspect of software governance, while maintaining comprehensive auditability through centralized, interconnected data structures that automatically link related information
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the system continuously monitors software dependencies and automatically updates the system-of-record with new information about vulnerabilities, license changes, and compliance status. This automated feedback loop ensures that compliance and auditability are maintained through real-time data updates without requiring manual information gathering, reducing the data management burden while enhancing compliance reliability
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed in some examples is an enterprise software management system (ESMS) that manages procurement, deployment, security, and maintenance of software in large enterprises. The ESMS may include one or more of a software tracking component, a software component storage component, a licensing repository component, a software vulnerabilities detection component, and a software risk management component. The ESMS governs and manages software applications and components to reduce legal, security, and other risks to the enterprise environment. The ESMS solves the technical problem of tracking and managing software and components using the technical solution of a tracking framework that utilizes interconnected systems that document, track, and ensure compliance with enterprise software goals.