Mobile device management broker

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10198585-B2
Application number	US-201514675469-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2015
Priority date	Mar 31, 2014
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

Techniques to manage mobile devices are disclosed. In various embodiments, a request to perform a management action with respect to a mobile device is received from a mobile device management (MDM) authority. A scope of authority of the MDM authority with respect to the mobile device is determined. The management action is caused to be performed with respect to the mobile device based at least in part on the determined scope of authority of the MDM authority with respect to the mobile device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of managing a mobile device, comprising:
receiving from a mobile device management (MDM) authority a request to perform a management action with respect to a mobile device;
determining a scope of authority of the MDM authority with respect to the mobile device, wherein determining the scope of authority comprises performing a look up in a table or other data structure in which data reflecting grants of authority to one or more MDM authorities are stored; and
determining whether the requested management action is within the scope of authority of the MDM authority;
in the event the requested management action is within the scope of authority of the MDM authority, causing the requested management action to be performed with respect to the mobile device based at least in part on the determined scope of authority of the MDM authority with respect to the mobile device; and
in the event the management action is not within the scope of authority of the MDM authority:
replacing the requested management action with a management action that is within the scope of authority of the MDM; and
causing the management action that is within the scope of authority of the MDM to be performed with respect to the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request is received at a management broker configured to facilitate management of the mobile device by the one or more MDM authorities, each within a corresponding scope of authority that has been granted to that MDM authority.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the management broker comprises an app or other software entity installed on the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the management broker is configured to manage the mobile device on behalf of the one or more MDM authorities at least in part via interactions with an MDM agent installed on the device.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the MDM agent comprises a native MDM agent associated with an operating system of the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the management broker comprises a cloud-based management proxy or other server.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scope of authority is defined by an owner or other user of the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the MDM authority comprises a personal domain of authority reserved to the owner or other user of the mobile device and the scope of authority represents a scope of authority reserved by the owner or other user to him/herself personally.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the requested management action to be performed with respect to the mobile device based at least in part on the determined scope of authority of the MDM authority with respect to the mobile device includes causing the requested management action to be performed to an extent indicated by the scope of authority.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the requested management action to be performed with respect to the mobile device based at least in part on the determined scope of authority of the MDM authority with respect to the mobile device includes causing the requested management action to be performed with respect to a subset of data on the mobile device as indicated by the scope of authority.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the requested management action to be performed with respect to the mobile device based at least in part on the determined scope of authority of the MDM authority with respect to the mobile device includes filtering a result data provided by the mobile device in response to the request to filter out data that is not within the scope of authority.

12. A system, comprising:
a storage device; and
a processor coupled to the storage device and configured to:
receive from a mobile device management (MDM) authority a request to perform a management action with respect to a mobile device;
determine based at least in part on data stored on the storage device a scope of authority of the MDM authority with respect to the mobile device, wherein to determine the scope of authority comprises performing a look up in a table or other data structure in which data reflecting grants of authority to one or more MDM authorities are stored; and
determine whether the requested management action is within the scope of authority of the MDM authority;
in the event the requested management action is within the scope of authority of the MDM authority, cause the requested management action to be performed with respect to the mobile device based at least in part on the determined scope of authority of the MDM authority with respect to the mobile device; and
in the event the management action is not within the scope of authority of the MDM authority:
replacing the requested management action with a management action that is within the scope of authority of the MDM; and
causing the management action that is within the scope of authority of the MDM to be performed with respect to the mobile device.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the request is received at a management broker configured to facilitate management of the mobile device by one or more MDM authorities, each within a corresponding scope of authority that has been granted to that MDM authority.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the management broker comprises an app or other software entity installed on the mobile device.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the management broker is configured to manage the mobile device on behalf of the one or more MDM authorities at least in part via interactions with an MDM agent installed on the device.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the scope of authority is defined by an owner or other user of the mobile device.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein causing the requested management action to be performed with respect to the mobile device based at least in part on the determined scope of authority of the MDM authority with respect to the mobile device includes causing the requested management action to be performed with respect to a subset of data on the mobile device as indicated by the scope of authority.

18. A computer program product to manage a mobile device, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:
receiving from a mobile device management (MDM) authority a request to perform a management action with respect to a mobile device;
determining a scope of authority of the MDM authority with respect to the mobile device, wherein determining the scope of authority comprises performing a look up in a table or other data structure in which data reflecting grants of authority to one or more MDM authorities are stored; and
determining whether the requested management action is within the scope of authority of the MDM authority;
in the event the requested management action is within the scope of authority of the MDM authority, causing the requested management action to be performed with respect to the mobile device based at least in part on the determined scope of authority of the MDM authority with respect to the mobile device; and
in the event the management action is not within the scope of authority of the MDM authority:
replacing the requested management action with a management action that is within the scope of authority of the MDM; and
causing the management action that is within the scope of authority of the MDM to be performed with respect to the mobile device.

Assignees

• Mobile Iron Inc

Inventors

• Batchu Suresh Kumar
• Kim Mansu

Classifications

• G06F2221/2149

  Restricted operating environment · CPC title

• G06F21/88

  Detecting or preventing theft or loss · CPC title

• G06F21/305

  by remotely controlling device operation · CPC title

• G06F2221/2143

  Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen · CPC title

• G06F21/6218

  to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database · CPC title