Security Policy Editor for CDN Media Content
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Solution Overview
Problem
Content delivery networks face challenges in securely managing and delivering high-definition media content across diverse platforms and devices while balancing business, legal, and user experience requirements, particularly in preventing unauthorized use and redistribution.
Innovation Solution
A security policy editor is introduced as a web-based interface for customers to configure and apply security policies across a content delivery network, using a bifurcated approach with slow-changing metadata for enforcement logic and fast-changing customer-specific parameters, enabling unified security feature configuration and enforcement across all delivery formats.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If dedicated platforms with proprietary technologies are used to support delivery of content for multiple third party runtime environments, then content delivery capability is improved, but implementation and maintenance cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal configuration system that uses a common data model and XML-based configuration files to support multiple runtime environments (Flash, Silverlight, HTML5, mobile devices) through a single platform. This eliminates the need for dedicated proprietary platforms for each environment, reducing implementation and maintenance costs while maintaining broad content delivery capability across diverse devices and formats
2Reliability
If security policies are applied to protect content from unauthorized use and redistribution, then content protection is improved, but configuration and management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables dynamic security policy configuration through parameter-based XML files that can be modified without changing the underlying system architecture. Security parameters such as encryption keys, digital rights management settings, and access controls can be adjusted by simply updating configuration files, allowing flexible content protection while maintaining manageable complexity through a standardized interface
3Ease of operation
If a unified interface is used to configure all media security services, then ease of operation is improved, but system integration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple security service configurations into a single unified XML-based configuration system. Instead of requiring separate configuration interfaces for different security services (encryption, token authentication, content targeting, player verification), the system combines all these functions into one coherent configuration framework, simplifying user operation while managing integration complexity through standardized data models and processing logic
Data Source
AI summary
A shared computing infrastructure has associated therewith a portal application through which users access the infrastructure and provision one or more services, such as content storage and delivery. The portal comprises a security policy editor, a web-based configuration tool that is intended for use by customers to generate and apply security policies to their media content. The security policy editor provides the user the ability to create and manage security policies, to assign policies so created to desired media content and/or player components, and to view information regarding all of the customer's current policy assignments. The editor provides a unified interface to configure all media security services that are available to the CDN customer from a single interface, and to enable the configured security features to be promptly propagated and enforced throughout the overlay network infrastructure. The editor advantageously enables security features to be configured independently of a delivery configuration.