Automatic Resource Decommissioning Service
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Computing resource service providers face increased administrative costs and security risks due to inactive computing resources, which can be exploited by unauthorized entities, and customers may inadvertently delete necessary resources.
Innovation Solution
A policy/resource decommissioning service monitors usage data and applies temporal thresholds to automatically decommission inactive computing resources and policies, allowing for notification and potential reactivation, thereby reducing costs and enhancing security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If computing resources are removed to reduce administrative costs and security risks, then security and cost efficiency improve, but the risk of deleting necessary resources increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by notifying customers before decommissioning resources. The notification is sent at a first time threshold, giving customers advance warning before the actual decommissioning occurs at a second time threshold. This preliminary notification allows customers to reactivate necessary resources before they are removed, preventing accidental deletion of needed resources while still enabling automatic decommissioning of truly inactive resources.
2Loss of energy
If computing resources are monitored and automatically decommissioned based on inactivity thresholds, then administrative costs are reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically monitoring resource usage, determining inactivity status, and decommissioning resources without requiring manual customer intervention. The resource monitoring service continuously tracks usage data, applies inactivity thresholds, and automatically removes inactive resources. This automation eliminates the need for customers to manually track and manage their resources, reducing administrative costs despite the increased system complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple time thresholds are implemented for resource decommissioning, then resource management precision improves, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic action by implementing multiple time thresholds (first threshold at 30 days, second threshold at 60 days) for resource decommissioning. Instead of immediately decommissioning resources after a single inactivity period, the system applies staged thresholds that progressively increase inactivity requirements. This periodic approach with multiple thresholds improves decommissioning precision by ensuring resources are truly inactive before removal, while the automated periodic monitoring minimizes the perceived processing time for customers.
Data Source
AI summary
A policy/resource decommissioning service determines whether a resource has been inactive for a period of time greater than at least one period of time threshold for decommissioning. If the resource has been inactive greater than a first period of time threshold, the service disables the resource such that requests to access the resource are denied. If the resource has been inactive for a period of time greater than a second threshold, longer than the first period of time threshold, the service archives the resource. The service deletes the resource if the inactivity period of the resource is greater than a third period of time threshold, where the third period of time threshold is longer than the first and the second period of time thresholds.