Role-Based Security Policy Management via Segmented Templates

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Solution Overview

Problem

Deploying and managing security policies in large, distributed enterprise networks is complex, labor-intensive, and resource-intensive due to the need for detailed analysis, manual steps, and the separation of roles between policy definition and technical application, leading to inefficiencies and risks.

Innovation Solution

A method for security policy management that involves creating policy templates and instances, with distinct user groups for creation, modification, and deployment, using configurable policy enforcement points like firewalls and routers, and an access control mechanism to streamline the process and reduce resource requirements.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If security policies are manually created and deployed with detailed checks and approvals, then security reliability is improved, but deployment time and resource consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesecurity policy reliabilityVSAvoiddeployment time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments security policy management into distinct roles (policy creators, modifiers, deployers) and separate functions (template creation, instance modification, deployment). This segmentation allows automated workflows to enforce approval sequences and validation rules, ensuring reliability while reducing manual intervention time through systematic automation of the segmented processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements preliminary action through pre-defined policy templates that are created and validated in advance. These templates contain pre-configured security rules and parameters that can be reused across multiple policy instances, eliminating the need to recreate policies from scratch and reducing deployment time while maintaining security standards through pre-validation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If security policies require numerous checks and approvals before deployment, then security reliability is improved, but productivity decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesecurity policy reliabilityVSAvoidpolicy deployment productivity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms through automated workflows that track policy creation, modification, and deployment status. The system provides real-time feedback on approval status, validation results, and deployment outcomes, enabling rapid iteration and reducing the need for manual follow-up checks while maintaining comprehensive security oversight through automated monitoring and reporting.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Manufacturing precision

If detailed analysis and manual steps are required for each policy deployment, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepolicy configuration precisionVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses policy templates as reusable copies that can be instantiated multiple times with different parameters. These templates encapsulate validated security configurations and can be copied across different policy instances, ensuring consistent and precise policy deployment while reducing system complexity through template-based standardization rather than manual configuration of each policy from scratch.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

4Reliability

If role-based access control is implemented with distinct user groups, then security reliability is improved, but ease of operation decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess control reliabilityVSAvoidpolicy management ease

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements universal role definitions that can be applied across multiple policy operations. The same role templates and permission sets can be reused across different policy types and deployment scenarios, reducing the complexity of access control configuration while maintaining security reliability through consistent role-based enforcement across the entire policy management system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS7484237B2Method and apparatus for role-based security policy management

Publication Date: 2009.01.27 VALTRUS INNOVATIONS LTD

AI summary

A method and corresponding tool are described for security policy management in a network comprising a plurality of hosts and at least one configurable policy enforcement point. The method, comprises creating one or more policy templates representing classes of usage control models within the network that are enforceable by configuration of the policy enforcement points; creating one or more policy instances, each based on one of the templates and instantiating the template for identified sets of hosts within the network to which the usage control model is to be applied, deploying the policy instances by generating and providing one or more configuration files for provisioning corresponding policy enforcement points within the network. Access to the templates and policy instances is controlled so that the policy templates are only modifiable by a first predeterminable user group, the policy instances are only modifiable by the first or a second predeterminable user group and the policy instances are only deployable by a third predeterminable user group.