Patent Issued for System Compliance Assessment Utilizing Service Tiers (USPTO 10,574,539)

2020 MAR 10 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Hartford Fire Insurance Company (Hartford, Connecticut, United States) has been issued patent number 10,574,539, according to news reporting originating out of Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx editors.

The patent’s inventors are Brown, Patrick D. (Marlborough, CT); Buccetti, John G. (Wallingford, CT); Console, Daniel R. (South Windsor, CT); Kissane, Lisa J. (Oakdale, CT); Nichols, Robert M. (North Granby, CT); Quinn, Hugh J. (West Hartford, CT); Rivera, Irma (East Berlin, CT); Saucier, Kenneth A. (Bristol, CT); Secondino, Angela L (East Haven, CT); Vecchio, Susan R. (Glastonbury, CT); Warnock, Donna M. (Vernon, CT).

This patent was filed on August 25, 2016 and was published online on March 9, 2020.

From the background information supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: “An enterprise might utilize thousands of different types of computer systems. For example, a company might execute various software applications, servers, business information data services, purchase order processing, customer service interfaces, etc. during the typical operation of its business. Different computer systems may, of course, be associated with different levels of importance for the enterprise. For example, it might be critical to a business that a particular customer interface remains operable for as much time as possible (with even a few hours of downtime result in substantial losses), while another computer system may cause little harm to the enterprise if it were to stop operating for even a few weeks. Manually evaluating and allocating resources among such computer systems can be an expensive, time consuming, and error prone task--especially when a substantial number of computer systems are involved.

“It would be desirable to provide systems and methods to automatically assess systems for an enterprise and to generate and maintain electronic records and scores representing those systems in a way that allows for flexibility and effectiveness with respect to remedial recommendations.”

Supplementing the background information on this patent, NewsRx reporters also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “According to some embodiments, systems, methods, apparatus, computer program code and means automatically assess systems for an enterprise and to generate and maintain electronic records and scores representing those systems in a way that allows for flexibility and effectiveness with respect to remedial recommendations. In some embodiments, a data store may contain data describing systems associated with an enterprise. The data store may contain electronic records, each containing a record identifier and a set of record characteristic values, including a service tier goal. A compliance score may be automatically calculated for the selected system based on an assessment of record characteristic values for the selected system, the service tier goal, and at least a system availability value, an incident response time value, and an incident restoration time value. A remediation recommendation may be generated for the selected system, including steps that, when performed, will result in the selected system meeting the service tier goal. An indication representing the remediation recommendation for the selected system may then be transmitted in connection with an interactive user interface display. According to some embodiments, remediation data may be automatically routed to appropriate entities within the enterprise and the system may automatically track updates associated with the remediation recommendation as remediation steps are performed in connection with the selected system.

“Some embodiments comprise: means for accessing a data store containing data describing systems associated with the enterprise, the data store containing a set of electronic records, wherein each electronic record contains a record identifier and a set of record characteristic values, including a service tier goal; means for automatically calculating, by a back-end application computer server, a compliance score for the selected system based on an assessment of record characteristic values for the selected system, the service tier goal, and at least a system availability value, an incident response time value, and an incident restoration time value; means for automatically generating, by the back-end application computer server, a remediation recommendation for the selected system, the remediation recommendation including steps that, when performed, will result in the selected system meeting the service tier goal; means for transmitting an indication representing the remediation recommendation for the selected system in connection with an interactive user interface display; means for arranging for remediation data associated with the remediation recommendation for the selected system to be automatically routed to appropriate entities within the enterprise, wherein a communication port coupled to the back-end application computer server facilitates an exchange of electronic messages, via a distributed communication network, supporting the interactive user interface display and the routing of remediation data as appropriate; and means for automatically tracking updates associated with the remediation recommendation as remediation steps are performed in connection with the selected system.

“In some embodiments, a communication device associated with a back-end application computer server exchanges information with remote devices. The information may be exchanged, for example, via public and/or proprietary communication networks.

“Technical effects of some embodiments of the invention are improved and computerized ways to automatically assess systems for an enterprise and to generate and maintain electronic records and scores representing those systems in a way that allows for flexibility and effectiveness with respect to remedial recommendations. With these and other advantages and features that will become hereinafter apparent, a more complete understanding of the nature of the invention can be obtained by referring to the following detailed description and to the drawings appended hereto.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“What is claimed:

“1. A system to automatically assess a selected system for an enterprise via an automated back-end application computer server, comprising: (a) at least one data store containing data describing systems associated with the enterprise, the data store containing a set of electronic records, wherein each electronic record contains a record identifier and a set of record characteristic values, including a service tier goal; (b) historical data storage containing information about computer systems including identified performance metrics and associated algorithms to score the performance metrics; © a predictive model component, coupled to the historical data storage, programmed to automatically train a first predictive model that predicts if an appropriate service tier level performance has been achieved by a computer system and a second predictive model that automatically creates remediation recommendations; (d) the back-end application computer server, coupled to the data store, programmed to: (i) access the set of electronic records in the data store, (ii) determine a periodic basis based at least in part on the service tier goal, (iii) automatically, on the periodic basis, calculate a compliance score for the selected system based on an assessment of record characteristic values for the selected system, the first predictive model, the service tier goal, and all of a system availability value, an incident response time value indicating a length of time needed to respond to an incident, and an incident restoration time value indicating a length of time until the selected system will be available to users, (iv) automatically generate a remediation recommendation for the selected system based on the second predictive model, the remediation recommendation defining remediation steps including at least one of a purchase of new hardware and an update of a software version that, when performed, will result in the selected system meeting the service tier goal, (v) transmit an indication representing the remediation recommendation for the selected system in connection with an interactive user interface display, (vi) automatically transmit remediation data associated with the remediation recommendation for the selected system to appropriate entities within the enterprise, (vii) automatically track updates associated with the remediation recommendation as the remediation steps are performed in connection with the selected system, and (viii) transmit information associated with the updates to the predictive model component such that further training is performed for the first and second predictive models to adapt to changing conditions; and (e) a communication port coupled to the back-end application computer server to facilitate an exchange of electronic messages, via a distributed communication network, supporting the interactive user interface display and the transmission of the remediation data as appropriate.

“2. The system of claim 1, wherein the service tier goal, compliance score, and remediation recommendation are associated with recoverability compliance for the selected system.

“3. The system of claim 2, wherein the service tier goal reflects lengths of time required to respond to and restore from an occurrence of an adverse incident.

“4. The system of claim 3, wherein the adverse incident is associated with a natural disaster.

“5. The system of claim 4, wherein the selected system is associated with a production environment of at least one of: an application, a service, a datacenter, a critical business process, an infrastructure as a service, information technology as a service, a platform as a service, a product catalog, a service catalog, and software as a service.

“6. The system of claim 1, wherein the service tier goal, compliance score, and remediation recommendation are associated with component currency compliance for the selected system.

“7. The system of claim 6, wherein the component currency compliance comprises hardware component currency compliance.

“8. The system of claim 7, wherein the compliance score is a risk-based calculation utilizing at least a pre-determined period of time after a hardware asset’s predicted usable life.

“9. The system of claim 6, wherein the component currency compliance comprises software component currency compliance.

“10. The system of claim 9, wherein the compliance score is a risk-based calculation utilizing at least an end of vendor standard support, a number of software releases compared to a current release of software, and a predetermined period of time after a new release of software.

“11. The system of claim 1, wherein the automatic generation of the remediation recommendation is associated with an identification of a set of compliance gaps associated with record characteristic values for the selected system.

“12. The system of claim 1, wherein the service tier goal, compliance score, and remediation recommendation are associated with both recoverability compliance and component currency compliance for the selected system.

“13. The system of claim 12, wherein the service tier goal, compliance score, and remediation recommendation are further associated with availability compliance for the selected system.

“14. A computerized method to automatically assess a selected system for an enterprise via an automated back-end application computer server, comprising: accessing, by a predictive model component, historical data storage containing information about computer systems including identified performance metrics and associated algorithms to score the performance metrics; automatically training, by the predictive model component, a first predictive model that predicts if an appropriate service tier level performance has been achieved by a computer system; automatically training, by the predictive model component, a second predictive model that automatically creates remediation recommendations; accessing a data store containing data describing systems associated with the enterprise, the data store containing a set of electronic records, wherein each electronic record contains a record identifier and a set of record characteristic values, including a service tier goal; determining a periodic basis based at least in part on the service tier goal; automatically calculating, by the back-end application computer server on the periodic basis, a compliance score for the selected system based on an assessment of record characteristic values for the selected system, the first predictive model, the service tier goal, and all of a system availability value, an incident response time value indicating a length of time needed to respond to an incident, and an incident restoration time value indicating a length of time until the selected system will be available to users; automatically generating, by the back-end application computer server, a remediation recommendation for the selected system based on the second predictive model, the remediation recommendation defining remediation steps including at least one of a purchase of new hardware and an update of a software version that, when performed, will result in the selected system meeting the service tier goal; transmitting an indication representing the remediation recommendation for the selected system in connection with an interactive user interface display; automatically transmitting remediation data associated with the remediation recommendation for the selected system to appropriate entities within the enterprise, wherein a communication port coupled to the back-end application computer server facilitates an exchange of electronic messages, via a distributed communication network, supporting the interactive user interface display and the transmission of the remediation data as appropriate; automatically tracking updates associated with the remediation recommendation as the remediation steps are performed in connection with the selected system; and transmitting, from the back-end application computer server to the predictive model component, information associated with the updates such that further training is performed for the first and second predictive models to adapt to changing conditions.

“15. The method of claim 14, wherein the service tier goal, compliance score, and remediation recommendation are associated with both recoverability compliance and component currency compliance for the selected system.

“16. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions, that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method to automatically assess a selected system for an enterprise via an automated back-end application computer server, the method comprising: accessing, by a predictive model component, historical data storage containing information about computer systems including identified performance metrics and associated algorithms to score the performance metrics; automatically training, by the predictive model component, a first predictive model that predicts if an appropriate service tier level performance has been achieved by a computer system; automatically training, by the predictive model component, a second predictive model that automatically creates remediation recommendations; accessing, by the back-end application computer server, a data store containing data describing systems associated with the enterprise, the data store containing a set of electronic records, wherein each electronic record contains a record identifier and a set of record characteristic values, including a service tier goal; determining, by the back-end application computer server, a periodic basis based at least in part on the service tier goal; automatically calculating, by the back-end application computer server on the periodic basis, a compliance score for the selected system based on an assessment of record characteristic values for the selected system, the first predictive model, the service tier goal, and all of a system availability value, an incident response time value indicating a length of time needed to respond to an incident, and an incident restoration time value indicating a length of time until the selected system will be available to users; automatically generating, by the back-end application computer server, a remediation recommendation for the selected system based on the second predictive model, the remediation recommendation defining remediation steps including at least one of a purchase of new hardware and an update of a software version that, when performed, will result in the selected system meeting the service tier goal; transmitting, by the back-end application computer server, an indication representing the remediation recommendation for the selected system in connection with an interactive user interface display; automatically transmitting, by the back-end application computer server, remediation data associated with the remediation recommendation for the selected system to appropriate entities within the enterprise, wherein a communication port coupled to the back-end application computer server facilitates an exchange of electronic messages, via a distributed communication network, supporting the interactive user interface display and the transmission of the remediation data as appropriate; automatically tracking, by the back-end application computer server, updates associated with the remediation recommendation as remediation steps are performed in connection with the selected system; and transmitting, from the back-end application computer server to the predictive model component, information associated with the updates such that further training is performed for the first and second predictive models to adapt to changing conditions.

“17. The medium of claim 16, wherein the service tier goal, compliance score, and remediation recommendation are associated with both recoverability compliance and component currency compliance for the selected system.”

For the URL and additional information on this patent, see: Brown, Patrick D.; Buccetti, John G.; Console, Daniel R.; Kissane, Lisa J.; Nichols, Robert M.; Quinn, Hugh J.; Rivera, Irma; Saucier, Kenneth A.; Secondino, Angela L; Vecchio, Susan R.; Warnock, Donna M. System Compliance Assessment Utilizing Service Tiers. U.S. Patent Number 10,574,539, filed August 25, 2016, and published online on March 9, 2020. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=10,574,539.PN.&OS=PN/10,574,539RS=PN/10,574,539

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)