Cloud data storage location monitoring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016337451-A1
Application number	US-201615042214-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 12, 2016
Priority date	Dec 14, 2012
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Technologies for monitoring data storage location for cloud data include a cloud monitoring server configured to communicate with one or more cloud customer computing devices and cloud service providers. The cloud monitoring server receives monitoring requests from the cloud customer computing devices and retrieves provider information from the cloud service providers. The cloud monitoring server compiles response data based on the monitoring requests and the provider information, and sends response data to the cloud customer computing devices. Cloud customer computing devices may send on-demand monitoring requests and/or continuous, policy-based monitoring requests. For policy-based monitoring, the cloud monitoring server continually monitors the provider information and provides response data when one or more conditions specified in the policy are satisfied. The cloud monitoring server may also make recommendations and provide feedback based on the monitoring requests or the provider information. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

First claim

1 . A cloud monitoring server for monitoring customer data stored by one or more cloud services, the cloud monitoring server comprising:
a cloud customer interface module to receive a monitoring request from a cloud customer computing device; a cloud provider interface module to collect provider information from a cloud service provider in response to receiving the monitoring request, the provider information to include storage location information of customer data stored by the cloud service provider; and a data analysis engine to compile response data based on the monitoring request and the provider information; wherein the cloud customer interface module is to send the response data to the cloud customer computing device.

2 . The cloud monitoring server of claim 1 , wherein the cloud provider interface module comprises a cloud provider interface module to collect provider information from each cloud service provider of a plurality of cloud service providers, in response to receiving the monitoring request.

3 . The cloud monitoring server of claim 1 , wherein:
the data analysis engine is further to (i) determine whether the monitoring request includes a monitoring policy and (ii) determine, in response to determining the monitoring request includes a monitoring policy, whether a condition of the monitoring policy has been satisfied; the cloud customer interface module is further to send the response data to the customer in response to determining the condition of the monitoring policy has been satisfied; and the cloud provider interface module is further to continue to collect provider information in response to determining the monitoring request includes a monitoring policy.

4 . The cloud monitoring server of claim 3 , wherein the condition of the monitoring policy comprises one of whether the provider information has changed and whether the data storage location has changed from a first country to a second country.

5 . The cloud monitoring server of claim 1 , wherein the cloud provider interface module further comprises one of:
an information bus module to retrieve the provider information from an information bus provided by the cloud monitoring server, an on-demand pull module to (i) request the provider information from the cloud service provider in response to receiving the monitoring request; and (ii) receive the provider information from the cloud service provider, and a continuous pull module to (i) repeatedly request the provider information from the cloud service provider at a reference interval, in response to receiving the monitoring request; and (ii) receive the provider information from the cloud service provider in response to each request.

6 . The cloud monitoring server of claim 1 , wherein the data analysis engine is further to recommend an action to the cloud customer computing device based on the provider information.

7 . The cloud monitoring server of claim 1 , wherein the data analysis engine is further to provide feedback information to the cloud service provider based on the monitoring request and the response data.

8 . A cloud customer computing device to request monitoring information for customer data stored by one or more cloud services, the cloud customer computing device comprising:
a monitoring request module to construct a monitoring request for storage location information of customer data stored by one or more cloud service providers; and a communication module to (i) send the monitoring request to a cloud monitoring server and (ii) receive response data from the cloud monitoring server in response to the monitoring request.

9 . The cloud customer computing device of claim 8 , wherein:
the monitoring request module is further to receive from a user of the cloud customer computing device a selection of at least one of: the one or more cloud service providers to be monitored and the customer data to be monitored; and the response data is to be based on the selected one or more cloud service providers and the customer data to be monitored.

10 . The cloud customer computing device of claim 8 , wherein:
the monitoring request module is further to (i) receive from a user of the cloud customer computing device a condition to be satisfied as a function of the storage location information and (ii) include a monitoring request policy in the monitoring request, the monitoring request policy to define the received condition to be satisfied; wherein the response data is to be based on whether the condition of the monitoring request policy has been satisfied.

11 . The cloud customer computing device of claim 10 , wherein the condition of the monitoring policy is to be satisfied upon a change in data storage location.

12 . The cloud customer computing device of claim 10 , wherein the condition of the monitoring policy is to be satisfied when a data storage location of the customer data changes from a first geo-location to a second geo-location.

13 . One or more non-transitory, machine readable media comprising a plurality of instructions that in response to being executed result in a cloud monitoring server:
receiving a monitoring request from a cloud customer computing device; collecting provider information from a cloud service provider in response to receiving the monitoring request, the provider information to include storage location information of customer data stored by the cloud service provider; compiling response data based on the monitoring request and the provider information; and sending the response data from the cloud monitoring server to the cloud customer computing device.

14 . The machine readable media of claim 13 , wherein collecting provider information from the cloud service provider comprises collecting provider information from each cloud service provider of a plurality of cloud service providers, in response to receiving the monitoring request.

15 . The machine readable media of claim 13 , further comprising a plurality of instructions that in response to being executed result in the cloud monitoring server:
determining whether the monitoring request includes a monitoring policy; determining, in response to determining the monitoring request includes a monitoring policy, whether a condition of the monitoring policy has been satisfied; sending the response data to the customer in response to determining the condition of the monitoring policy has been satisfied; and continuing to collect provider information in response to determining the monitoring request includes a monitoring policy.

16 . The machine readable media of claim 15 , wherein determining whether the condition of the monitoring policy has been satisfied comprises one of determining whether the provider information has changed and determining whether the data storage location has changed from a first geo-location to a second geo-location.

17 . The machine readable media of claim 13 , wherein collecting the provider information from the cloud service provider comprises retrieving the provider information from an information bus provided by the cloud monitoring server.

18 . The machine readable media of claim 13 , wherein collecting the provider information from the cloud service provider comprises one of:
(i) requesting the provider information from the cloud service provider in response to receiving the monitoring request and receiving the provider information from the cloud service provider; and (ii) repeatedly requesting the provider information from the cloud service provider at a reference interval,

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Li Hong
• Vicente John B
• Yarvis Mark D
• Blakley James R

Classifications

• H04L67/1097 Primary

  for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title

• H04L41/18

  Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM] · CPC title

• H04L67/18

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L67/52

  specially adapted for the location of the user terminal · CPC title

• H04L67/5682

  Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data · CPC title