Virtual Endpoints for Multi-Tenant Request Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
In multi-tenant computing environments, customers face challenges in managing authentication and authorization processes for shared resources, leading to a need for efficient request management services that can provide secure access and granular permissions without requiring customers to build their own systems.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a request management service that utilizes a virtual load balancer to perform authentication and authorization, allowing customers to leverage a granular permissions system and integrate tasks like per-customer throttling and metering, while enabling the creation and consumption of virtual APIs without direct payment to the provider.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If customers manage their own authentication and authorization processes, then they have full control over security, but the complexity and burden of management increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the authentication and authorization management functions from the customer's responsibility and relocates them to the provider's virtual endpoint infrastructure. The virtual endpoint service independently handles credential verification, permission checking, and access control, allowing customers to consume services without directly managing security processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual endpoint acts as an intermediary between the customer's service and the consumer's requests. It mediates the authentication and authorization processes by receiving requests, verifying credentials against stored credentials, checking permissions, and either allowing or blocking access before the request reaches the customer's service.
2Adaptability or versatility
If customers build their own authentication systems, then they can customize security policies, but the time and resources required for implementation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The provider pre-configures the virtual endpoint with authentication and authorization capabilities before customers consume services. Credentials are stored in advance in the virtual endpoint's credential store, and permission policies are pre-established, eliminating the need for customers to build these systems from scratch.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual endpoint provides universal authentication and authorization services that can be applied across multiple customer services and consumers. A single virtual endpoint infrastructure serves multiple customers with different service requirements, reducing implementation time through reuse of established security mechanisms.
3Reliability
If authentication and authorization are handled by dedicated systems, then security is strengthened, but the overall system complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the authentication and authorization functions with the virtual load balancer and endpoint management infrastructure. The virtual endpoint combines service routing, credential storage, authentication verification, and authorization decision-making into a single integrated component, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining strong security.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual endpoint serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a virtual load balancer for distributing requests, a credential store for securing authentication data, an authentication service for verifying identities, and an authorization service for enforcing permissions. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated systems.
Data Source
AI summary
Customers can utilize resources of a multi-tenant environment to provide one or more services available to various users. In order to simplify the process for these customers, the multi-tenant environment can include an infrastructure wherein a portion of the resources provide an authentication and/or authorization service that can be leveraged by the customer services. These resources can logically sit in front of the resources used to provide the customer services, such that a user request must pass through the authorization and authentication service before being directed to the customer service. Such resources can provide other functionality as well, such as load balancing and metering.