Hierarchical IT Access Control Interface for Cloud Platforms
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Solution Overview
Problem
System administrators face inefficiencies when reviewing user-accessible and user-inaccessible lists to address user issues with accessing catalog items in cloud-based IT platforms, as the process is tedious and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A control system that allows entry of a user and a catalog item, displaying a visual representation of the categorized hierarchy with accessibility indications, enabling access modification through user groupings, allowing administrators to easily manage user access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If system administrators manually review user-accessible and user-inaccessible lists to address user access issues, then user access problems can be identified and resolved, but the process becomes tedious and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex user access management task into distinct hierarchical components: catalog items, categories, and user groupings. This segmentation allows administrators to systematically review access controls at each level rather than manually checking every user-item combination, significantly reducing time consumption while maintaining reliable issue resolution
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hierarchical dimension to user access management by organizing catalog items into categorized hierarchies and users into groupings. This dimensional organization transforms the flat, tedious review process into a structured multi-level analysis, enabling administrators to efficiently identify and resolve access issues by navigating through hierarchical levels rather than examining individual user-item pairs
2Ease of operation
If detailed user-accessible and user-inaccessible lists are maintained for each catalog entity, then user accessibility can be precisely controlled, but the complexity of managing these lists increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by creating user groupings that can be assigned to multiple catalog entities and categories simultaneously. A single user grouping can control access across entire hierarchical branches, eliminating the need to manage separate access lists for each individual item. This multi-functional approach simplifies access control while maintaining precise granularity where needed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nesting by organizing catalog entities into hierarchical categories that contain sub-categories and items. User groupings are nested within this hierarchy, allowing administrators to assign access rights at any level and have those rights automatically propagate to nested levels. This nested structure reduces management complexity by allowing control at higher levels rather than managing each individual element separately
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure includes systems and methods that provide a control that enables entry of a user and a catalog item. In response to this entry, a visual representation of the categorized hierarchy of the catalog item and categories (collectively “catalog entities”) to which the catalog item belongs are displayed. Each displayed catalog entity may include a visual indication of whether the catalog entity is accessible to the user. In some embodiments, the displayed catalog entity may include a control that enables or disables access to the catalog entity. The displayed catalog entity may also include a control that displays user groupings that have access or do not have access to that displayed catalog entity. An indication of whether the user belongs to each user grouping may also be displayed. Each displayed user group may include a control that enables modification to the definition of the displayed user grouping.