Secure Cloud Management Agent Multi-Cloud Data Mirroring

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional cloud providers often result in data and application unavailability due to outages, poor performance from network congestion or cloud site workload, and data security vulnerabilities, which are critical issues in today's cloud computing environment.

Innovation Solution

A secure cloud management agent (SCMA) is implemented to establish and maintain secure relationships with multiple computing clouds, mirror data across them, and monitor threshold settings to ensure high-availability continuity by managing network configurations, optimizing performance, and enhancing data security.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If data is stored in a single cloud provider, then storage simplicity is improved, but data availability and security are worsened due to outages and vulnerabilities

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage simplicityVSAvoiddata availability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments data storage across multiple cloud providers instead of relying on a single provider. Data is divided into portions and distributed to different clouds, ensuring that if one cloud experiences an outage or security breach, the remaining data remains accessible and secure in other clouds.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameter of data distribution from centralized to distributed across multiple clouds. By modifying the storage architecture parameter from single-point to multi-point distribution, the system simultaneously maintains simplicity through automated management while improving availability through redundancy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If data is mirrored across multiple computing clouds, then data availability is improved, but system complexity is worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata availabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements self-service automation where the cloud management agent automatically handles data mirroring, monitoring, and failover operations across multiple clouds without requiring manual intervention. This automation reduces the operational complexity of maintaining multi-cloud redundancy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The cloud management agent serves multiple functions including data mirroring, security monitoring, performance optimization, and automatic failover. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single universal agent, the system manages complexity rather than multiplying it across separate tools.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If secure relationships are established with multiple computing clouds, then data security is improved, but establishment and maintenance overhead is worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata securityVSAvoidmanagement overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cloud management agent acts as an intermediary that centralizes security management across multiple clouds. It establishes and maintains secure relationships with all cloud providers through a single interface, eliminating the need for separate security configurations for each cloud and reducing management overhead.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements continuous monitoring and feedback mechanisms where the management agent constantly monitors security conditions, performance metrics, and data integrity across all clouds. This feedback loop enables automatic adjustments and alerts, reducing the manual overhead of security management.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

4Reliability

If threshold monitoring is implemented for cloud resources, then continuity of resources is improved, but computational overhead is worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontinuity of resourcesVSAvoidcomputational overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The monitoring system implements partial monitoring by focusing only on critical threshold parameters such as data integrity, security violations, and resource availability rather than continuously analyzing all possible metrics. This selective monitoring approach maintains resource continuity assurance while minimizing unnecessary computational overhead.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS10044550B2Secure cloud management agent
Publication Date: 2018.08.07 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION
  • US10044550B2 patent drawing
  • US10044550B2 patent drawing
  • US10044550B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Embodiments relate to providing a secure management agent for high-availability continuity for cloud systems. An aspect includes receiving operating parameters and threshold settings for a plurality of computing clouds. Secure relationships are established with the plurality of computing clouds based on the operating parameters. Data is mirrored across the plurality of computing clouds. Threshold data is then monitored for the plurality of computing clouds to maintain a continuity of resources for the plurality of computing clouds.