Graph Processing Service for Enterprise Software Catalog Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large enterprises face challenges in managing and updating desktop and server applications across multiple locations, leading to complexity, compliance risks, and inefficiencies in cost control and software usage within traditional on-premise infrastructure.
Innovation Solution
An enterprise catalog service that allows administrators to create and manage catalogs of software products, enforce compliance, and provide on-demand access to users, integrating with cloud computing environments for centralized control and self-service capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If applications are physically installed on each machine in traditional on-premise infrastructure, then applications can run locally with full functionality, but deployment and management become increasingly complicated as scale increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud-based application delivery controller as an intermediary between the central management system and end-user devices. This controller handles application virtualization, streaming, and local caching, simplifying deployment by offloading complex management tasks to the intermediary layer rather than requiring direct management of each individual device
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service capabilities where application updates and patches are automatically deployed and installed on end-user devices without requiring manual intervention. The application delivery controller automatically manages version control, updates, and synchronization across the network, eliminating the need for administrators to physically visit each machine
2Reliability
If updates and patches are deployed manually across distributed machines, then application security and functionality can be maintained, but user productivity is affected and deployment becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-staging application updates and patches on the application delivery controller before they are needed. Updates are prepared, validated, and staged in advance, then automatically distributed to end-user devices during off-peak hours or in the background, ensuring updates are ready before users need them without disrupting productivity
Solution Approach 2:
Application updates and patches are automatically deployed to end-user devices through the application delivery controller without requiring user intervention. The system handles update installation, verification, and rollback automatically, maintaining reliability while eliminating productivity impacts associated with manual update processes
3Productivity
If individual business units procure their own software independently, then each unit can quickly access needed applications, but compliance risks increase and standardization is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by allowing each business unit to have customized application catalogs and procurement preferences tailored to their specific needs, while the central management system maintains overall compliance policies. Each unit can quickly acquire applications within their authorized parameters, and the system automatically enforces compliance rules at the local level, balancing speed with reliability
4Reliability
If centralized control is implemented for software procurement, then compliance and standardization are enforced, but agility and self-service capabilities are sacrificed
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments software procurement authority into multiple hierarchical levels: central policies for compliance-critical applications, business unit-level approval for departmental needs, and individual user self-service for standard applications. This segmentation allows centralized control where needed while maintaining agility and self-service capabilities for routine software acquisitions
Data Source
AI summary
A service provider system may implement an enterprise catalog service that manages software products and portfolios of software products on behalf of service provider customer organizations. A graph processing service of the enterprise catalog service may create a graph representation of the enterprise catalog service data, including principals, product listings, portfolios, and constraints (and the relationships between them) that may be used to manage access control, launch contexts, and searches within the enterprise catalog service. A primary (key-value) store may maintain an adjacency list and a secondary index of de-normalized edges. A secondary (document) store may maintain the de-normalized edges. In response to various queries directed to the graph processing service, the service may query the adjacency list or the secondary index. For example, one query may return a list of products that an end user can access, and another may return a count of products within a portfolio.