Mobile Device Manager Local Reference for Compliance Checks

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing mobile device management (MDM) systems face inefficiencies in determining device compliance, particularly due to the susceptibility of queries and responses to errors, leading to increased network traffic, resource utilization, and power consumption, as well as slower compliance checks.

Innovation Solution

A method where a mobile device manager provides configuration settings to devices and maintains a local reference of these settings, allowing it to determine compliance without querying the device, thereby reducing network traffic and resource usage, and enabling faster compliance checks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the mobile device manager queries the computing device for configuration settings to determine compliance, then the compliance determination can be made, but network traffic and resource utilization increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompliance determination accuracyVSAvoidnetwork bandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The mobile device manager performs preliminary action by maintaining a local reference of configuration settings that were previously provided to the computing device. This local reference is established in advance during the configuration provision phase, enabling the manager to determine compliance without subsequent network queries to the device.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile device manager creates a copy of the configuration settings in its local reference store. Instead of querying the actual device for settings, the manager uses this local copy (reference) to determine compliance, thereby eliminating the need for network traffic during compliance checks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Reliability

If the mobile device manager queries the computing device for configuration settings, then compliance can be determined, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompliance determination accuracyVSAvoiddevice power consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The mobile device manager performs preliminary action by maintaining a local reference of configuration settings that were previously provided to the computing device. This local reference is established in advance during the configuration provision phase, enabling the manager to determine compliance without subsequent network queries to the device.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile device manager creates a copy of the configuration settings in its local reference store. Instead of querying the actual device for settings, the manager uses this local copy (reference) to determine compliance, thereby eliminating the need for network traffic during compliance checks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Reliability

If the mobile device manager queries the computing device for configuration settings, then compliance can be determined, but compliance check speed decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompliance determination accuracyVSAvoidcompliance check speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The mobile device manager performs preliminary action by maintaining a local reference of configuration settings that were previously provided to the computing device. This local reference is established in advance during the configuration provision phase, enabling the manager to determine compliance without subsequent network queries to the device.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile device manager creates a copy of the configuration settings in its local reference store. Instead of querying the actual device for settings, the manager uses this local copy (reference) to determine compliance, thereby eliminating the need for network traffic during compliance checks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS12063256B2Queryless device configuration determination-based techniques for mobile device management

Publication Date: 2024.08.13 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

Embodiments described herein are directed to managing device compliance for devices that are connected to an enterprise network. For example, a mobile device manager may provide configuration settings to a computing device, which implements the settings in order to be compliant with an enterprise's data and/or security policy. The mobile device manager also maintains a local reference of each device's configuration settings implemented thereby. When the mobile device manager subsequently performs a determination as to whether the computing device is still in compliance, the mobile device manager simply needs to refer to the local reference to determine the computing device's settings instead of explicitly querying the computing device for its settings. The foregoing techniques may be extended for security baseline compliance determinations, IoT device compliance determinations and compliance determinations for other types of devices, such as devices utilized by business partners of the enterprise that utilize the enterprise's network.